Effectiveness of psychoeducation and SFBCC groups for the improvement of students’ career maturity

Abstract

Career maturity is essential for students to make informed career decisions and develop realistic plans for their future. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of solution-focused psychoeducation (SFP) and solution-focused brief career counseling (SFBCC) in enhancing career maturity among vocational high school students in Semarang, Indonesia. A three-group pretest–posttest design was employed, involving 24 Grade 11 students selected through purposive sampling and divided equally into SFBCC, SFP, and control groups. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank, Kruskal–Wallis, and Mann–Whitney U tests. The results revealed significant improvements in career maturity in both the SFBCC (Z = 2.536, p = .011) and SFP (Z = 2.524, p = .012) groups, whereas the control group showed no significant improvement (p = .079). The Kruskal–Wallis test indicated significant differences in posttest scores among the three groups, H(2) = 17.68, p < .001. Furthermore, the SFBCC group achieved significantly higher posttest scores than the SFP group (Z = 2.227, p = .026), with mean scores of 115.30 and 107.00, respectively. These findings suggest that both interventions are promising approaches for enhancing students' career maturity, with SFBCC demonstrating more favorable posttest outcomes. The results highlight the potential of solution-focused interventions for strengthening career guidance and counseling services in vocational schools.