EN
The transition of pupils between lower and upper secondary education represents a crucial phase in one’s life and is connected with several critical moments. Whether the chosen educational and career pathway correlates with his or her capabilities and interests, it is crucial both to nurture positive growth, achieve personal satisfaction and success, and realize his or her full potential. The advances synthesise conclusions of selected researches conducted largely in anglo-american countries and in the Czech Republic. A particular attention has been paid to the impact of social background on the pupils’s career choice, rate of autonomy in the decision-making process, applied parental strategies, forming educational and occupational aspirations of pupils and other research problems.