Factors Affecting The Career Plans of Syrian High School Students: Student and Parents Opinions

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the opinions of students and parents regarding the factors affecting the career planning of Syrian refugee high school students who are currently under the temporary protection.In this context; interviews has been conducted with a total of , 12 students, 6 girls and 6 boys and total of 12 parents, 6 women and 6 man,of these students. For the purpose of this researche, the phenomenology pattern, one of the qualitative research methods, has been applied. "Career Interview Form for the Refugee High School Students" and "Career Interview Form for the Parents of Refugee High School Student’s " have been prepared and used by the researcher for this research to collect data in semi-structured interviews. The collected data has been subjected to content analysis in Nvivo 10 computer-aided analysis program. It has been determined from the students and parents interviews that the factors affect career plans of in students are mostly the individual factors and these individual factors are; self- efficacy, outcome expectations and personal goals resperctively. It has been observed that interests and performance significantly affect self-efficacy in both groups, talent areas coincide with performance and interests and also, there is a focus on learning foreign languages, sports activities, use of technology and manual skills, respectively. While helping, gaining dignity and financial gain come to the fore in the expectations of results in Syrian students, respectively; gaining respect, helping and achieving autonomy-independence come to the fore in the parents. The prominent factors among the contextual factors about the career barriers of the students have been determined as economic insufficiency, social exclusion and negative effects of the war. On the other hand, career barriers that came to the fore for the parents have been determined as economic inadequacy, inequality of opportunity and uncertainty of future. Also, important the family support has been determined as the career support factor for the both groups.