Body 2

To p i c : U n i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s ’ s t r u g g l e i n S c h o o l - t o - Wo r k t r a n s i t i o n a n d s o l u t i o n .
Body 2: Building self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is useful in the development for self growth and success in
that it allows people to know the ability to overcome obstacles and
accomplish goals. Self-efficacy is crucial in the way the university students
perform in their academics and also in future post graduation endeavors. It is
a person’s belief that he or she can do certain tasks or in certain situations.
For instance, a unexperienced and unskilled person can organise a goal for
r u n n i n g a h a l f m a r a t h o n a t a p a c e o f a m i l e a d a y, b e c a u s e t h e y h a s h i g h
s e l f - e f f i c a c y, t h e y ' l l m a k e a p l a n f o r t h e r u n , w h e t h e r t h i s p l a n i n c l u d e s m a n y
b r e a k s a l o n g t h e w a y, w h i c h a l s o w i l l b e r e a c h e d . L e n t , B r o w n , a n d H a c k e t t
(1994,2002) created Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), in which “self-
efficacy is believed to hold important measure in explaining how students
develop, pursue and finally achieve their career and academic goals. As
people form their personal interests in working in a specific field, where they
feel comfortable and confident in performing them and expecting positive
outcomes, resulting in people developing goals to maintaining their
involvement in that interest.” For example, if a student were introduced into
car mechanics in his early days, were taken into car factory to observe the
activities and forming an interest in it, they will study deeper into the field,
and sustaining their involvement in car mechanics by earning an auto repair
q u a l i f i c a t i o n w h e n t h e y g e t o l d e r. T h i s t h e o r y s u g g e s t s t h a t b u i l d i n g s e l f -
efficacy should occur in the younger stage of students academic life.
Pinquart, Juang, and Silbereisen (2003) stated that “Adolescents with high
academic self-efficacy beliefs (from age 12-15) were less likely to become
unemployed and more likely to be satisfied with their job at age 21.” With the
urge to influence young students in early vocational-oriented education
p r o g r a m s , a S c h o o l - t o - W o r k p r o g r a m c a l l e d To o l s f o r To m o r r o w ( T F T ) i n
i n t r o d u c e d . P e r r y, D e w i n e , D u f f y a n d Va n c e ( 2 0 0 7 ) d e s c r i b e d T h e T F T a s “ a
program designed to faciliate career or interest exploration and career
decisions-making skills for adolescents. A guiding premise of TFT is that the
more students understand the purpose of school in their future careers, the
more they will be motivated to achieve in school, which may entail academic
s e l f - e f f i c a c y. ” T h e T F T p r o g r a m o r i g i n a l l y w a s t h e s e c o n d a r y - h i g h s c h o o l
system in partnership with graduate students from Boston College,
specifically the Office of School-to-Career Office of Boston Public Schools.
The TFT curriculums is designed collectively by a team of psychology
graduate students, who understand the mindset, motives of students, along
withpublic school teachers. The basic purpose of TFT is to guide students
academically and career wise. Perry (2007) stated “ Many students that
participate in STW programs do not take part in such programs until their
l a t e h i g h s c h o o l y e a r s , t y p i c a l l y g r a d e s 11 o r 1 2 , t h a t i s , w h e n t h e y h a v e
a l r e a d y d e c i d e d t o s t a y i n s c h o o l . ” W o e f u l l y, s c h o o l s t h a t w a i t u n t i l t h e l a t t e r
year of their high school to start implementing STW programs inevitably fails
to protect, support or guide their students properly to their carrer choice and
d a m a g i n g t h e i r s e l f - e f f i c a c y. W i t h t h a t i n m i n d , t h e T F T p r o g r a m i n t r o d u c e s
t h e 3 e l e m e n t s t h a t a r e b u i l t s e q u e n t i a l l y. T h e f i r s t e l e m e n t i s W h o A m I ? ,
assisting students to explore their one or many interests, supporting students
in finding their social identities through individual and group projects. The
s e c o n d e l e m e n t , d r a w i n g a c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n S c h o o l a n d C a r e e r, t o h e l p
students develop their own pragmatic goals , identifying their academic and
career paths. Students take part in many individual and group projects with
t h e h e l p o f c o m p u t e r t e c h n o l o g y, l i b r a b y r e s o u c e s a n d c a r e e r a s s e s m e n t . T h e
third element is to help student explore their career paths, indentifying
obstacles to better pursue goals while finding resources to overcome those
barriers. The experienced graduate students and teachers help is
tremendously critial in this stage, students going through this last element is
expected to have developed a better awareness and about themselves, work
force, and whether their strength and their characteristics fit their chosen
c a r e e r.
The TFT program has proven to be efficient in many developed countries and
should have no problem to be implemented in Vietnam’s secondary-high
s c h o o l s y s t e m , w i t h p a r t n e r s h i p s f r o m u n i v e r s i t y, h e l p i n g y o u n g s t u d e n t t o
e n g a g e i n t h e i r c a r e e r e a r l i e r, p r e p a r i n g t h e t o o l s a n d m i n d s e t t h e y n e e d ,
a n d i m m e n s e l y b o o s t i n g t h e i r s e l f - e f f i c a c y.

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To p i c : U n i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s ’ s t r u g g l e i n S c h o o l - t o - Wo r k t r a n s i t i o n a n d s o l u t i o n .

Body 2: Building self-efficacy

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