Perceptions of Students and School Counselors of a Web-Based RIASEC Career-Interest Assessment for Further-Education Planning

Abstract

Career and further-education decisions are important developmental tasks for secondary school students, yet students may need structured support to understand their interests and explore educational pathways. Web-based career-interest assessment offers a potential way to facilitate initial self-reflection and provide accessible information for further exploration, although its usefulness should be examined from the perspectives of its intended users. This study examined perceptions of a web-based RIASEC career-interest assessment among 47 Grade 9 students and two school counselors at SMP Negeri 4 Kota Bengkulu, Indonesia. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design combined five-point questionnaire ratings and open-ended responses collected after application use. Student perceptions were positive overall (M = 3.91, SD = 0.56; 72.8% agreement). Self-awareness and further-education planning received the highest ratings, while decision confidence was lowest (M = 3.73; 62.4% agreement). The 15-item student perception questionnaire showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .918), which does not establish validity. Counselor responses are case illustrations only. Students valued the application as a prompt for reflection and preliminary planning but reported ongoing uncertainty about abilities, costs, alternatives, and family expectations. The findings describe perceptions only and do not demonstrate psychometric validity or causal effects. The application is best used as an initial exploration prompt with counselor-supported interpretation.