The transition to higher education is a critical stage that affects young people's academic, emotional, and professional development. Although experiential learning is recognized as important, comprehensive initiatives addressing both psychological resilience and career decision-making processes remain limited. This study evaluates the impact of a comprehensive, university-focused, practical transition program for high school seniors on their psychological resilience and career decision-making difficulties. In this pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study with a control group, 80 high school seniors in Mardin, Turkey, were assigned to an intervention group (n=40) or a control group (n=40). The intervention group completed a two-week on-campus experiential program covering academic adjustment, social participation, and hands-on workshops, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale for High School Students. The primary outcomes evaluated are the changes in participants' overall psychological resilience levels and career decision-making difficulties following the intervention compared to the control group.
This quasi-experimental study evaluated a nurse-led campus-based experiential transition program designed for high school seniors preparing for higher education. Study Design and Sample: The study was conducted with 80 high school seniors in Mardin, Turkey, divided equally into an intervention group (n=40) and a control group (n=40). Intervention: The intervention group participated in a structured, two-week on-campus experiential program. The program content focused on: * Academic adjustment and university life orientation * Social participation activities * Hands-on workshops targeting coping strategies and career exploration The control group did not receive any structured intervention during the study period. Outcome Measures and Data Analysis: Data were collected at baseline (pre-test) and after the intervention (post-test) using: 1. Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale (evaluating familial, peer, and educational support, adaptation, feelings of challenge, and compassion) 2. Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale for High School Students (evaluating overall career decision difficulties, readiness, and processing of contradictory information) Within-group changes were analyzed using paired t-tests, and between-group differences were evaluated using independent samples t-tests.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
80
A structured two-week campus-based program consisting of academic adjustment orientation, social participation activities, and hands-on workshops aimed at enhancing psychological resilience and reducing career decision-making difficulties.
Science High School, Social Sciences High School, Health Vocational High School, and Fine Arts High School
Mardin, Turkey (Türkiye)
Change in Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale Score
Developed by Bulut, Doğan, and Altundağ, the Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale is a multidimensional instrument consisting of 29 items in a 5-point Likert scale format (1 = Strongly disagree; 5 = Strongly agree) designed to measure the levels of psychological resilience among adolescents aged 14-17. The scale consists of the following subdimensions: Family Support, Peer Support, School Support, Adaptation, Resilience, and Empathy. In exploratory factor analysis, these subdimensions explained 57% of the total variance, and the item loadings ranged from .51 to .76. The internal consistency coefficient, Cronbach's α, was .87; the α values for the subscales ranged from .61 to .89. There were no reverse-scored items on the scale. The criterion validity of the measurement instrument was supported by significant correlations with the perceived social support and school commitment scales.
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test) and 2 weeks post-intervention (post-test)
Change in Career Decision-Making Difficulties Scale Score
The adapted version of Gati and Saka's (2001) original scale for Turkish high school students was restructured by Bacanlı and Hamamcı and presented as a 34-item scale (including 2 filler items) using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never; 5 = Very often). The scale consists of three main factors Preparation Difficulties, Lack of Information Difficulties, and Inconsistent Information Difficulties and ten subdimensions. In the factor analysis, item loadings ranged from .47 to .92. In confirmatory factor analysis, the fit indices were χ² (260) = 260.26 (p \< .01), RMSEA = .047, NFI = .95, and CFI = .97; the scale's internal consistency coefficients demonstrated high reliability, with values above .70 for both the subdimensions and the total score.
Time frame: Baseline (pre-test) and 2 weeks post-intervention (post-test)
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