AAnnaalleellee UUnniivveerrssiittăățțiiii ddiinn OOrraaddeeaa,, SSeerriiaa GGeeooggrraaffiiee Year XXXXVVII, no. 1122001166 (June), pp. 5544–6622 [621678]

AAnnaalleellee UUnniivveerrssiittăățțiiii ddiinn OOrraaddeeaa,, SSeerriiaa GGeeooggrraaffiiee Year XXXXVVII, no. 11//22001166 (June), pp. 5544–6622
ISSN 11222211–11227733, E-ISSN 22006655–33440099 Article no. 226611110055–770055

http://istgeorelint.uoradea. ro/Reviste/Anale/anale.htm

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HHIIGGHHSSCCHHOOOOLL AANNDD UUNNIIVVEERRSSIITTYY SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS FFRROOMM TTHHEE FFIIEELLDDSS OOFF
GGEEOOGGRRAAPPHHYY AANNDD PPHHYYSSIICCAALL EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONN

GGrriiggoorree VVaassiillee HHEERRMMAANN
Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
University Street, no.1, Bihor County, Romania, e-mail: [anonimizat]

VVaassiillee GGRRAAMMAA
Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
University Street, no.1, Bihor County, Romania, e-mail: [anonimizat]

RRaalluuccaa BBUUHHAAȘȘ
University of Oradea, Department of Sociology and Social Assistance,
1 University st., 410087 Oradea, Romania, e-mail: [anonimizat]

DDoorriinnaa CCaammeelliiaa IILLIIEEȘȘ
Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
University Street, no.1, Bihor County, Romania, e-mail: [anonimizat]

LLuucciiaann SSTTAANNCCEE
PH.D. School in Geography, University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
University Street, no.1, Bihor County, Romania, e-mail: [anonimizat]

Abstract: The present study is meant to monitor th e professional trajectory of highschool and
university students who benefited from profes sional counselling and guidance in order to
identify the occupational niches and to improve the educational behaviour present in the
professional training process of the future gra duates. We used the met hod of the sociological
survey (questionnaire based) and the quantita tive method of collecti ng and analysing data.

Key words: transition, work, internships, school, students

* * * * * *

INTRODUCTION
The structure of the Romanian society suffered profound changes during the last decades,
given the transition from an industrial-type society to a global society, based on knowledge. These changes required the identification of optimal adaptation and integration mechanisms. Within
these, some special attention should be given to the process of integration of young people into the
labour market. Even if the specialized literature widely covers this subject (Angelopoulos, 1987; Bădulescu, 2006; Ciucur, 2004; CNP, 2012; Constantinescu, 2000; Doray & Maroy, 2010; Ilie ș et

 Corresponding Author

Research on the Professional Trajectory of the Highschool and University Students…
55
al., 2014; Gyorfy et al., 2008; Iano ș, 2010; Iova, 2005; Vasile & Zaman, 2005), the identification
of the unique approach at a local and regional level is required. Given the context, a particular aspect is constituted by the monitoring of th e professional trajectory of the university and
highschool students from the fields of geography and physical education.
Unlike "other countries (Great Britain and New Zealand, for example) where the number
of students in geography has decreased dramatic ally, or other countries where the periods of
growth and decline alternated (Le Heron and Hathaway, 2010), in Romania, when compared with the number of total applicants to higher education, geography is still very well placed"
(Ianoș et al., 2014).
A relatively similar situation is also specific to the field of study Physical Education and
Sport. In this context, due to the large number of graduates looking for a job, the studies on the
professional traceability constitute an essential prerequisite meant to contribute to the optimization
of the process of integration of graduates into the labour market.
Starting from two of the major roles of the e ducational institutions to convey and shape the
skills and competencies, bu t also to facilitate the access of grad uates into the labour market, this
study has the general objective of identifying and capturing the professional paths of the students that studied in the fields of Geography, Physical Education and Sport in the Bihor County.
In this sense, the analysis was focused on th e pursuit of four speci fic research objectives:
OS1. Identify the social-demographic profile of the students in the mentioned fields of study; OS2. Analyse the employability of the students in the mentioned fields of study;
OS3. Identify the social-demographic profile of the students fromthe relevant fields;
OS4. Analyse the employability of the students from the mentioned areas.

DATA AND METHODS
This analysis is based on data obtained during the project POSDRU / 161 / 2.1 / G / 133
169 "Facilitating the transition from school to work for students in the fields of Geography and
Physical Education and Sport" .
The project aims at encouraging the conti nuation of education and at increasing the
employability in the labour market of students in the fields of Geography, Physical Education and
Sport by carrying out counselling / guidance activities and by developing the working skills through internships. The sociological investigation of the project was carried out in September
2015 and it was conducted in the Bihor County. The subjects included in the study were
represented by pupils and students involved in the target group of the above mentioned project. The target group comprises a total of 350 people, including 190 students from the University of
Oradea and 160 students from the "Bihorul" Oradea Sports Highschool. Therefore, the
investigation was carried out in parallel on two samples: highschool students and university students. All subjects were select ed from the fields of study of Geography, Physical Education
and Sport and they benefited, through th is project, from professional counselling and
guidance for further education and integration into the labour market. In order to pursue the defined research objectives, this study drew upon the sociological survey method based on
questionnaires, and the quantitative method of collecting a nd analysing data (Chelcea, 2007;
Bryman, 2012; Babbie, 2010). In what concerns the data collected from the highsc hool students,
the questionnaire included items referring mainly to the evaluation of the counselling and
vocational guidance activities, the importance of conducting study visits and the employment
situation of the subjects. The data collection instrument for the university students sample
included items on the evaluation of the counselli ng and vocational guidance activities, of the
partnerships between the universities and the la bour market representatives, the evaluation of
internships and the employment status of the respondents. Moreover, both questionnaires
captured the social-demographic data. The questionnaires were electronically sent to the
selected students, and their responses were recorded automatically.
THE STRUCTURE OF THE SAMPLE

Grigore HERMAN, Vasile GRAMA, Dorina ILIE Ș, Raluca BUHA Ș, Lucian STANCE
56
Highschool students
Of the 350 people included in the target group of the mentioned project, 160 were
registered as highschool students. Of these, only 92 responded to the questionnaire (56.7%),
representing the final number of the sample of students included in the analysis.
Their gender distribution is not homogeneous, the sample being represented mainly by male
subjects (74 cases). The specialization areas of interest for this study – Geography, Physical
Education and Sport are areas prone to a higher incidence of male gender.
In what concerns the age distribution of students who answered the questionnaire, most (43
cases) were 18, while the rest were 17 and 19 years, with only one case aged 20 years. The average
age of the sample of students is 17.9.
The analysis of subjects by area of residence shows an uneven distribution, the majority (68
cases) declaring their urban origin.
In terms of ethnic distribution, the majority of the subjects stated that they belong to the
Romanian ethnic group, only 4 subjects are ethnic Hungarian.
University Students
The total number of students enrolled in the project target group was 190. The total number
of responses to the questionnaires was 114 (60%).
The distribution of students according to the gender of the subjects is more homogeneous
compared to the sample of highschool students, although more than half of the respondents are female: 68 cases are female subjects (59.6%) and 46 cases are male subjects (40.35%).
In what concerns their age, the university students are mainly aged between 21-24 years
(figure 1), with an aver age of 23.5 years.

52328
16
14
10
7
112221
051015202530
21
2223
24
25
26
2728
29
32
36
53Age distribution – university students

Figure 1. Age distribution – university students (absolute values)

Regarding their residence, the majority of respondents from the university students sample
say they come from urban areas (83 cases).
In terms of ethnic distribution, the sample of university students is similar to that of
highschool students, the majority of subjects being Romanians (103 cases), while 11 Hungarian.

RESULTS AND IN TERPRETATIONS
The evaluation of the actions develope d to achieve the project objectives
The respondents from both sample groups were aske d to evaluate if the project developed for
tracking the career path of highschool and universit y students in the concerned fields, but also for
identifying the integration into the labour market, achieved its goal of professional counselling and
orientation of the target group. The feedback is positive, most of the respondents (highschool or university students) considering that that objective has been achieved toa large and very large extent.
Only a few of the interviewed subjects placed their answer at the opposite extremity (figure 2).

Research on the Professional Trajectory of the Highschool and University Students…
57
127325
56719
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 0In a small
manner Strongly Very  stronglyUniversity students Highschool students

Figure 2. The objectives of the project (absolute values)
(In which measure do you consider that the project of professional counselling and guiding reached its objective?

The evaluation of the professional counselling and guidance services
In what concerns the vocational counselling and guidance, the respondents were asked to
evaluate their usefulness on a scale from 1-10, where 1 = Not at all, and 10 = strongly. The
averages of the responses received for each of th e two sample groups indicate elevated values:
8.02 in the case of highschool students and 7.76 in the case of university students. Therefore, we can say that both university and highschool students consider that the services of professional
counselling and guidance are useful, the average values obtained for the two samples groups being
similar, with no significant differences. Most of the respondents from the highschool students
sample group consider that the professional counselling and guidance activities could be improved
to a large and very large extent both by introduc ing in the curricula cert ain disciplines focused on
guidance and counselling and by establishing a permanent centre for counselling and guidance. Few subjects consider the usefulness of introducing such improving measures as low (figure 3).

100
711
5255
2723
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 0The introduction  in the
curricula of several
counselling  and guidance
disciplinesThe creation of a
permanent  centre for
professional  counselling
and guidanceNot at all In a small manner Strongly Very strongly

Figure 3. Methods of improving the professional counse lling and guiding activities – highschool students
(absolute values)

The answers given by the university students when it comes to the improvement
methods that could be applied in the activit ies of professional counselling and guidance are
similar to the answers given by the highschool students. The university students strongly and
very strongly consider that the introduction in the curricula of several counselling and
guidance disciplines and also the creation of a permanent centre for professional counselling
and guidance can be useful (figure 4).

Grigore HERMAN, Vasile GRAMA, Dorina ILIE Ș, Raluca BUHA Ș, Lucian STANCE
58

20
109
4942
5060
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 0The introduction  in the
curricula of several
counselling  and guidance
disciplinesThe creation of a
permanent  centre for
professional  counselling
and guidanceNot at all In a small manner Strongly Very s t ro n g ly

Figure 4. Methods of improving the professional counsellin g and guiding activities – university students
(absolute values)

The evaluation of the study visits and internships
In what regards the highschool students’ evaluation of the usefulness of study visits,
the average value is 8.48. The an swers were scored on a scale from 1-10, where 1 = not at all,
and 10 = Strongly. This average suggests that students show satisfaction towards the performance of such school activities. Thus, we can hypothesize that activities such as study
visits or other similar actions may contribute to the development and vocational guidance of
high school graduates into the labour market. Most students who were questioned strongly
and very strongly consider that the study visits could be improved through partnerships with
representatives from the social-economic environment and by introducing a compulsory
conduct of these study visits in the curricula (figure 5).

21
1013
5355
1921
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 0Partnerships  with
representatives  from the
social‐economic
environmentIncreasing  the duration
of the practiceNot at all In a small manner Strongly Very s t ro n g ly

Figure 5. Methods of improving the study visits – highschool students (absolute values)

The students were asked to evaluate the usefulness of the practical training on a scale
from 1-10, where 1 = not at all and 10 = strongly. The average value of this is of 8.31, which
suggests a positive evaluation of the usefulness of internships. Almost like the highschool
students, the university students consider that th e practical training could be improved to a large
and very large extent, in particular by increasing the duration of the practice, but also through
partnerships with representatives from the social-economic environment. When it comes to the

Research on the Professional Trajectory of the Highschool and University Students…
59
extension of the apprenticeship duration, 27 of the respondents consider that this measure would
hardly help improve internships (figure 6).

827
5649
4636
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 0Partnerships  with
representatives  from
the social‐economic
environmentIncreasing  the
duration of the
practiceUnlikely Likely Very Likely

Figure 6. Methods of improving internships – uni versity students (absolute values)

The employment status of the respondents
In what concerns the employment status of the respondents, the majority of the highschool
students answered thatcurrently they are not employees; only 7 of them are employed. The
situation changes for the university students, 48 of them saying at the moment of the survey
thatthey were employed (figure 7).

6685
487
0 1 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0University  studentsHighschool  studentsUnemployed Employed

Figure 7. Occupational status (absolute values)

The following analysis is performed on sample sub-groups of students who confirmed
their employment during the execution of the research. Thus, the occupational status of the
two sample sub-groups is illustrated in the image below; the highschool students are mainly
active as sportspeople and workers. Most of the university students (21 cases) declare that they are working in the commercial/tourism fields or other fields, while 7 students are
workers and 5 students are teachers (figure 8).
In what concerns their satisfaction towards their income, the majority of the employed
students (30 students) declare th at their income is sufficie nt for a decent lifestyle but

Grigore HERMAN, Vasile GRAMA, Dorina ILIE Ș, Raluca BUHA Ș, Lucian STANCE
60
doesn’t actually allow them to buy expensive go ods. The research show s the fact that the
employed highschool students tend to be more satisfied with their income than university students (figure 9).

35321117
133
Entrepreneur,  freelancerTeacherEngineerWorker in  commerce,  tourism 
field or other servicesFarmer with own householdSports personWorkerHighschool  students University  students

Figure 8. Main employment areas (absolute values)

30747
1231
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35Is sufficient for a decent 
lifestyle but doesn’t  allow the 
acquisition  of more expensive  …Is sufficient for the acquisition  
of more expensive  goods but 
requires savingsAllows the acquisition  of any 
type of goods, without savingsDo not suffice to cover basic 
expenses
Highschool  students University  students

Figure 9. Satisfaction towards the income (absolute values)

The major differences between the two sample sub-groups are noticeable in the way in
which the two categories evaluate their current wo rkplace. Highschool stude nts are more satisfied
with their workplace as it corresponds to their pr ofessional expectations, while university students
declare that their current workplace hardly corre sponds to their professional expectations.
Moreover, many students declare that their curr ent working place is only a temporary compromise
(figures 10 and 11).

Research on the Professional Trajectory of the Highschool and University Students…
61

1
55
21
0123456Is only a temporary  compromiseCorresponds  to your expectations
Agree strongly Agree Not at all/Disagree  strongly

Figure 10. Evaluation of the curren t workplace – highschool st udents (absolute values)

622
181820
56
0 5 10 15 20 25Is only a temporary  compromiseCorresponds  to your expectations
Agree strongly Agree Disagree Not at all/Disagree  st rongly

Figure 11. Evaluation of the current workplace- university students (absolute values)

CONCLUSIONS
The analysis conducted for the two groups indi cates the fact that the developed project is
considered a success in the opinion of both highschool and university students as they consider
that the objectives of the project have been su ccessfully reached. The prof essional counselling and
guiding services received positive feedback, as respondents from both gr oups appreciated the
usefulness of the carried out study visits and internships Nevertheless, an improvement of these

Grigore HERMAN, Vasile GRAMA, Dorina ILIE Ș, Raluca BUHA Ș, Lucian STANCE
62
services and activities is required, through part nerships with actors from the social-economic
system and through an obligatory extension of the internship period. As a general conclusion in what concerns the occupation profile of the respondents from both sample groups, we can
highlight the fact that university students are employed in a larger number that the highschool
students (which can also be expl ained by the difference in age), but their current working place is
considered a temporary solution because it does not correspond to their profe ssional expectations.

Aknowlegments
This paper is a result of research made po ssible by the financial support of the Sectoral
Operational Programme for Human Resources Development 2007-2013, co-financed by the European Social Found, under the project POSDRU/161/2.1/G/133169 – “ Facilitarea tranzi ției de la
școală la viața activă a studenților și elevilor din domeniile Geografie și Educație Fizică și Sport” .

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Submitted: Revised: Accepted and published online
December 17, 2015 February 12, 2016 March 24, 2016