The Effectiveness of Group Guidance Services Using Krumboltz’s Theory to Enhance Career Planning Understanding Among Eighth-Grade Students at Junior High School Cerdas Murni

Abstract

Career planning understanding is essential for junior high school students preparing for future educational choices. This study examined changes in eighth-grade students’ career planning understanding following group guidance based on Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory. A quantitative, pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed at SMP Cerdas Murni. Nine students with low initial scores were purposively selected from 24 screened students. Participants attended four guidance sessions and completed a 26-item questionnaire before and after the intervention. Mean scores increased from 75.00 to 110.00, representing a 35-point improvement (46.67%). All participants showed higher posttest scores, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a statistically significant difference (exact two-sided p = 0.0039). These findings suggest that structured, Krumboltz-informed group guidance may support career planning understanding through self-reflection, career exploration, and consideration of educational alternatives. However, the absence of a control group limits causal interpretation and warrants further controlled research with larger and more diverse samples.