Abstract:
This study aimed at identifying the degree of vocational interests and their relation to future anxiety among a sample of students at rehabilitation youth centers affiliated to the Ministry of Social Development. It tackles the differences in each of the variables according to gender, number of training courses, place of residence, and monthly household income.
To realize the objectives of the study, the researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach. Two study tools were developed, the vocational interest scale with all its aspects (realistic, analytical, social, commercial, traditional, and technical) and the future anxiety scale with all its aspects (personal, social, physical, and vocational/ professional).
After examining the validity and reliability of the tools, they were applied to a sample comprising 148 students stratified randomly at the rehabilitation youth centers affiliated to the Ministry of Social Development.
The results of the study indicated that the degree of vocational interests among a sample of students of youth rehabilitation centers affiliated to the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development was between medium and high, with the lowest, traditional interests, and the highest, realistic interests. The overall score was high. The results also showed that the degree of areas of future anxiety was at a medium rate, where the lowest was physical anxiety, and the highest was economic anxiety. The response to the total score was medium.
The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the averages of the study sample responses in the degree of vocational interest due to the variables: Gender and place of residence. Whereas, there were differences at the same level of significance due to the variables of monthly income and the number of training courses in favor of the lower levels. The results also showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the averages of the study sample responses on the scale of future anxiety according to the different demographic study variables, with the exception of significant differences in the averages of future personal anxiety in favor of males, and in favor of the city compared to the camp, as well as in favor of higher income of the student’s family.
Finally, the results of the study showed that there is no statistically significant relationship between the areas of vocational interests and future anxiety with all its aspects, except for the existence of a significant correlation between traditional tendencies and each of the total degree of future anxiety, personal anxiety and vocational anxiety, and the presence of statistically significant correlation between technical interests and vocational anxiety.
In light of the study results, the researcher suggested a set of recommendations, the most important of which was the necessity of the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development to pay more attention to rehabilitating the youth.
