Determinants of Career Decision-Making Among Government Secondary School Students in an Aspirational District of India

Background: Career decision-making represents a critical developmental milestone during adolescence, yet limited empirical evidence exists regarding its determinants in tribal-dominated and economically disadvantaged regions of India. Koraput district in Odisha, designated as an Aspirational District, is characterised by a predominantly Scheduled Tribe population, significant educational deprivation, and limited access to structured career guidance, necessitating focused investigation. Objectives: This study examined the bivariate and multivariate relationships among self-perception, parenting style, and family education expenditure as determinants of career decision-making among Grade 10 students in government secondary schools. It also tested the mediating role of self-perception in the relationship between parenting style and career decision-making, and compared outcomes across gender, locality, caste, and family education expenditure, including the gender-locality interaction effect. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 320 Grade 10 students selected through multistage random sampling from government secondary schools in two blocks of Koraput district. Standardised instruments assessed self-perception, parenting style, career decision-making, and family education expenditure. Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression, Sobel mediation analysis, factorial ANOVA, and chi-square tests. Results: Self-perception emerged as the strongest predictor of career decision-making. Psychological variables explained significant additional variance, whereas demographic and economic variables contributed minimally. Parenting style influenced career decisions primarily through self-perception, with most effects operating indirectly. A significant gender-locality interaction and marked gender differences in aspirations were observed. Conclusion: Self-perception is the principal psychological mechanism shaping career decisions among tribal and marginalised adolescents. Interventions should prioritise self-efficacy development, targeted scholarships, and gender-sensitive career guidance in aspirational districts.