Attitude towards Employment among Scheduled Tribe Secondary School Students in Koraput District: A Gender, Locality and School-Type Analysis

Abstract

Tribal adolescents in Koraput, one of India's most educationally disadvantaged districts, are approaching the transition from school to work, yet little is known about how they view employment. This study measured the employment attitudes of Scheduled Tribe (ST) secondary school students and tested whether attitudes differ by gender, school locality and school type. A descriptive survey was conducted with 80 Class IX and X ST students, selected by stratified random sampling (10 boys and 10 girls in each of four school-locality cells: government-urban, government-rural, private-urban, private-rural). Attitudes were measured with a 36-item, five-point Likert scale covering perceived employment opportunities, attitude towards skill development and learning, and career self-efficacy. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests. The mean score was 101.34 (SD = 8.78; possible range 36–180), which is slightly below the scale's neutral point of 108. Using mean ± 1 SD bands, 20.0% of students were low, 61.25% moderate and 18.75% high. Boys scored significantly higher than girls (d = 0.60), and students in government schools scored significantly higher than those in private schools (d = 0.61). Urban and rural students did not differ (d = 0.12). Attitudes towards employment among Koraput's tribal students are ambivalent rather than strongly positive, and the gaps are by gender and school sector rather than by geography. Gender-responsive career guidance and closer attention to career support in private schools are warranted.