Exploring new approaches to the development of career adaptability for future pedagogues and psychologists: testing a methodology based on group consultations

A fundamental skill for aspiring educational psychologists entering dynamic, complex job environments is professional mobility. This study created and assessed a twelve-session group consultation course aimed at enhancing career flexibility and preparing students for evolving professional demands. In two Kazakh institutions, entire courses of 150 undergraduate pedagogy and psychology students were randomized to either the intervention or the standard curriculum using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test approach. The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, which measures concern, control, curiosity, and confidence, was used to gauge career adaptability. The results were contextualized using a motivation profile. Concern +7.29, Control +7.65, Curiosity +5.53, Confidence +4.90, and total adaptability +21.9 were among the significant gains (all p < 0.001) that the intervention produced compared to the control; post-test comparisons similarly favored the intervention.