17 May 2026
Career Counselling supports student transition in Romania
A cross-sectional study of students in Romania examines their transition from lower to upper secondary education and has been published in a paper entitled ‘Vocational Counseling and Career Guidance: Premises for a Sustainable Educational Path’.
The researchers used a standardised questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional survey of 1,392 lower secondary students (aged 13–14) from Brașov County in Romania. It focused on the transition to upper secondary, which is seen as a critical developmental stage, where decisions can have long-term academic and professional consequences.
The study looked at career counselling, family educational and place of residence as key factors in student decision-making about their choice of high school, as well as their intention to progress to higher education.
The study mapped students’ preferred tracks, influencing factors, perceptions of high school and the values framing decision-making. The findings showed that their choices around high school were ‘strongly associated’ with participation in counselling and significantly related to parents’ educational level and university intentions.
While substantial urban–rural differences were observed in high school choices, small but significant differences were found for university intention.
The findings support integrating counselling into coherent adolescent career development models and expanding services to reduce contextual disparities through stronger school–family–community partnerships. The evidence supports the scaling of school-based career guidance and targeted measures to reduce rural–urban disparities.
Read more about the research.
The researchers used a standardised questionnaire to conduct a cross-sectional survey of 1,392 lower secondary students (aged 13–14) from Brașov County in Romania. It focused on the transition to upper secondary, which is seen as a critical developmental stage, where decisions can have long-term academic and professional consequences.
The study looked at career counselling, family educational and place of residence as key factors in student decision-making about their choice of high school, as well as their intention to progress to higher education.
The study mapped students’ preferred tracks, influencing factors, perceptions of high school and the values framing decision-making. The findings showed that their choices around high school were ‘strongly associated’ with participation in counselling and significantly related to parents’ educational level and university intentions.
While substantial urban–rural differences were observed in high school choices, small but significant differences were found for university intention.
The findings support integrating counselling into coherent adolescent career development models and expanding services to reduce contextual disparities through stronger school–family–community partnerships. The evidence supports the scaling of school-based career guidance and targeted measures to reduce rural–urban disparities.
Read more about the research.
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