New Study: Coaching Parents Helps Teens Choose Vocational Paths That Fit
Prihantoro, C. R., Nurtanto, M., Soeprijanto, Muksin, Febriana, R., Imansari, N., Hanafi, I., & Sudarwan, A. P. (2026). Strengthening career literacy through parental mentoring and interest-based vocational program mapping for junior high school students. Jurnal Hasil Pengabdian Masyarakat (JURIBMAS), 5(2), 1698–1708. https://doi.org/10.62712/juribmas.v5i2.1671
Introduction
In Indonesia, students finishing junior high school (SMP) who plan to attend a vocational high school (SMK) must choose a specialization, from automotive engineering to nursing assistance. That decision can shape their training and early careers. Research cited by the authors links a good fit between student and field to satisfaction and persistence in vocational training. Parents often weigh in heavily, yet many lack the career knowledge to guide well and lean on program popularity or job prospects instead. Most studies of parental influence examine students already enrolled, so little is known about helping families before the choice. A community service program in East Jakarta set out to fill that gap (Prihantoro et al., 2026).
Methods
Researchers from Universitas Negeri Jakarta worked with 20 parent–student pairs in Kelurahan Jatinegara Kaum. The program ran in seven stages. It began with a needs assessment and baseline testing. Workshops then used presentations, case studies, and group reflection to cover program competencies, job prospects, and further education. Students completed a RIASEC interest inventory, which sorts interests into six types, such as Realistic and Social. Their profiles were mapped to SMK programs alongside their abilities and aspirations. In facilitated sessions, parents practiced listening, asking open-ended questions, and weighing each option’s advantages and challenges. Parents completed expert-reviewed questionnaires before and after on a 1–4 scale, analyzed with a paired-samples t-test. Observations and reflection sheets supplied qualitative data.
Results
Parents can learn to guide rather than dictate, and their career knowledge rose sharply. At baseline, both groups scored low: parents’ career literacy and students’ decision-making readiness both fell in the “low” range. After the program, parents’ mean scores climbed from 2.13 to 3.48, a 63.4% gain. The largest gain came in understanding how interests relate to programs (70.7%), followed by interpreting assessment results (67.5%). Readiness to discuss choices with children rose least (54.3%). Fifteen students (75%) showed a good match between their interests and chosen program, four a fair match, and one a poor match. Observers reported parents asking more open-ended questions and treating assessment results as a starting point.
Discussion
The authors see a shift from choosing programs for their popularity toward weighing individual fit. They caution that the one-group design, with no comparison group, cannot establish that the program caused the gains. The sample was small, the instruments were developed for the program, and no follow-up tracked whether students persisted in their programs.
Implications for Mentoring Programs
Parents are already their children’s most influential career advisors, whether or not they are prepared. Programs can equip them with listening skills, plain information about options, and structured tools for discussion. Interest inventories work best as conversation starters, interpreted alongside abilities and aspirations. As the authors recommend, ties with schools and counselors can help families revisit decisions as students’ interests develop.
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