Factors affecting high school students’ perception of social work profession in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: a case study in Dong Thap Province
Abstract
The article identifies the factors that affect the perception of the social work profession among high school students and the differences between these factors according to demographic characteristics in high schools in Dong Thap Province. The study built a scale comprising 25 observable variables through a random survey of 270 high school students to assess the level of influence on the perception of the social work profession. The findings show that there are three factors that influence students’ perception of the social work profession: the personal factor, the specific characteristics of the profession, and the influence of family, friends, and teachers. The average level of influence in the personal factor is the highest at 3.09 (SD = 0.72), followed by the average score of the influence factor of family, friends, and teachers at 3.02 (SD = 0.70), and the lowest average score is for the specific characteristics of the social work profession at 2.99 (SD = 0.71). In addition, differences in the average scores of the influencing factors are indicated, with female students obtaining higher scores than male students, and students studying the Social Sciences major having higher average scores in the influencing factors compared to students studying the Natural Sciences major (p< 0.05). The findings provided a basis for schools to design career guidance and counseling programs for students in a more appropriate and effective way.
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References
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