Abstract:
The current study focused on the design, development, and evaluation of an e-career
interest assessment tool - 'Xcelerate Career,' to facilitate career exploration of secondary school
students in Pakistan. Grounded in John Holland's RIASEC model, the tool aimed to help students
with self-awareness and opportunity awareness by aligning their interests with suitable career
paths. The study followed a three-phase Design and Development Research methodology. Phase
1 focused on developing and validating the career assessment tool. Phase 2 involved the
development of the product i.e., the web portal. In Phase 3, the tool's effectiveness was
evaluated. A purposive sampling technique was employed to collect data where the sample
consisted of 230 Pakistani secondary school students. Quantitative data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The results
from the (EFA) showed that five out of the six personality types were associated with factors,
while there was some overlap observed in the social personality type. The study highlighted the
tool's capability to effectively improve students' self-awareness and opportunity awareness, as
reflected in the positive feedback of the participants. This study emphasized the significance of
contextualized and technology-integrated career guidance tools in assisting individuals to make
well-informed career decisions, particularly in developing nations like Pakistan.
