Construction and Initial Validation of the Career Maximizing Scale

Applying the concept of maximizing—careful evaluation of options in pursuit of optimal goals—to career decisions, the authors developed the Career Maximizing Scale (CMS). The measure was administered to samples of working adults and university students across 3 studies. Factor analysis indicated that the measure is unidimensional and has favorable psychometric properties. Career maximizing was related to but distinct from general maximizing. Career maximizing was positively related to indicators of decision confidence (e.g., career decision‐making self‐efficacy) and positively related to desirable career outcomes (e.g., career satisfaction). Career maximizing was also modestly related to certain desirable academic outcomes (e.g., commitment to university major). Use of the CMS may facilitate effective career counseling.     

The Planned Happenstance Career Inventory: A Cross‐Cultural Comparison

This study examined the measurement invariance and latent mean difference of an English version (J. H. Lee et al., 2017) of the Planned Happenstance Career Inventory (PHCI; B. Kim, Jung, et al., 2014) across cultures. Participants were 262 American and 291 South Korean undergraduates. Measurement invariance results indicated that the 5‐factor structure was adequate for both groups and that conditions for configural, metric, and partial intercept invariance were met. Latent mean analysis was used to compare the mean scores of the PHCI skills (curiosity, flexibility, persistence, optimism, and risk taking). The latent means of curiosity, flexibility, persistence, and optimism were higher among South Korean undergraduates, but no significant difference was found regarding risk taking. Career counselors should consider differences in planned happenstance perceptions across cultures to provide better career guidance. Future studies are needed to verify the distinctive nature of flexibility by replicating the factor structure of the PHCI with other samples.     

Career Adaptability,Self‐Esteem,and Social Support Among Hong Kong University Students

Career adaptability manifests itself through 4 self‐regulated internal resources for coping with occupational challenges and transitions: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Few studies have examined career adaptability specifically in the Hong Kong context. The Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale–China Form (CAAS‐China; Hou, Leung, Li, Li, & Xu, 2012 ) was administered, along with measures of self‐esteem and social support, to 522 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students. Results indicated that the CAAS‐China is a reliable and valid instrument for use with these students. Data also showed that self‐esteem was strongly associated with career adaptability, and this relationship was partially mediated by perceived social support. Implications for careers counseling in universities and colleges are discussed.     

Effects of a Career Course on Chinese High School Students' Career Decision-Making Readiness

Career decision-making is a critical task for high school students, yet little is known about how career interventions affect their decision-making skills and self-efficacy. We investigated the outcome of a career intervention in a Chinese high school setting to determine whether it would reduce the difficulties students faced in making a career decision and elevate their self-efficacy in career exploration. A career intervention course was delivered to 413 high school students (228 female, 185 male) who completed a demographic questionnaire, the Major Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale (Peng & Long, 2003), and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire–Chinese Version (Shen, 2005) before and after the intervention. Results indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on reducing students' difficulties making career decisions but had mixed results on career self-efficacy. Proactive, systematic, multilevel, and structured interventions over longer periods of time would likely help youth develop their career decision-making skills.     

From Adaptivity to Adaptation: Examining the Career Construction Model of Adaptation

The author examined a multiple mediation model and a moderation model for the relationships among adaptivity (in terms of future work self and proactivity), career adaptability, adapting responses (in terms of career decision self-efficacy [CDSE] and career engagement), and adaptation (in the form of academic satisfaction) among 282 university students. Results showed that career adaptability, CDSE, and career engagement fully mediated the relations of future work self and proactivity with academic satisfaction. Career adaptability also had a mediation role in the relationships of future work self and proactivity with CDSE and career engagement. The relationship between career adaptability and academic satisfaction was fully mediated by CDSE and career engagement. Career adaptability did not moderate the relationships between adaptivity indices and adapting indices. These results support the serial multiple mediation model, which is introduced in the adaptation model. Career education and career coaching could improve clients' agency through working on their self-regulation resources, self-efficacy beliefs, and overt career behaviors.     

Predicting Career Indecision in College Students: The Roles of Identity Formation and Parental Relationship Factors

Students' identity formation and perceptions of parental acceptance and encouragement of independence were investigated as predictors of career indecision. The Mother-Father-Peer Scale (Epstein, 1983), Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (Bennion & Adams, 1986), and Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976) were administered to 169 undergraduate students with a mean age of 19.68. Analysis using multiple regression indicated that career indecision was predicted by a greater degree of identity moratorium and diffusion, less maternal acceptance and fewer years in college. Suggestions for future research and counseling applications are provided.     

A Multi-Trait,Multi-Method Analysis of Three Career Development Measures

Campbell and Fiske's (1959) multi-trait, multi-method analysis was applied to three popular measures of career development. College students completed the Attitude Scale of the Career Maturity Inventory (Crites, 1978a), the Vocational Preference Inventory (Holland, 1978), and the Decision-Making Scale of the Career Development Inventory (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981). Participants also took part in a structured interview to assess their career development. The table of multi-trait, multi-method correlation coefficients for the three measures of career development supported their construct validity. Implications and ideas for future research are discussed.     

Triarchic Model of Grit Dimensions as Predictors of Career Outcomes

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of applying positive psychological theories in the context of career development (Hull et al., 2020; Vela et al., 2015, 2019). However, limited research has been carried out on how specific positive personality traits might contribute to optimal career functioning. We addressed this gap by exploring the link of a triarchic model of grit dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, and adaptability to situations) to career maturity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career goal setting among Hong Kong Chinese secondary school students. Perseverance of effort positively predicted career goal setting and career decision-making self-efficacy. Consistency positively predicted career goal setting and career maturity. Adaptability to situations positively predicted career maturity, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career goal setting. Results point to the importance of designing school-based grit interventions to facilitate optimal career-related functioning.     

Disadvantagement-related correlates of career optimism among college and university students with disabilities

This paper describes research regarding factors predicting career optimism for a group of postsecondary students with disabilities (N = 208) who were enrolled in seven colleges and universities in four states. Career optimism was defined as a student's self-confidence regarding his or her ability to choose, maintain, and advance in an appropriate career. The proposed model incorporated variables related to employment discrimination and disincentives such as perceived impact of disability on one's education and quality of life, racial/ethnic status, gender, and presence of disability benefits. Results indicated that two aspects of "disadvantagement," specifically severity of perceived impact of disability and racial/ethnic status, were significant predictors of career optimism. Implications of the findings were discussed in terms of informational interventions, curricula, development of self-advocacy and self-determination, and research topics.     

Career Adaptability,Resilience, and Life Satisfaction Among Italian and Belgian Middle School Students

Youth need help with planning their future, developing positive life trajectories, and coping with socioeconomic conditions. Using a life design approach, we analyzed the relationship between career adaptability, resilience, and life satisfaction among Belgian (N = 158) and Italian (N = 158) middle school students. We hypothesized that career adaptability, directly and indirectly via resilience, would predict life satisfaction. Furthermore, we predicted that the conceptual model would be comparable between countries. Each participant completed self-report measures to assess career adaptability, resilience, and life satisfaction. The results obtained using a two-step approach to structural equation modeling suggest that career adaptability is directly and indirectly, through resilience, related to students' life satisfaction in both Italian and Belgian students. These results have important implications for supporting middle school students in their life design process.     

The Validity of Career Maturity Attitude Measures Among Black and White High School Students

To investigate the validity of five career maturity attitude measures among Black and White high school students, the Counseling Form of the Career Maturity Inventory Attitude Scale and a measure of appropriateness of career choices were administered to 83 Black and 239 White high school students. White students scored significantly higher than Black students on Involvement, Independence, and Compromise in Career Decision Making, and on Appropriateness of Career Choices. Reliability coefficients are mostly in the .50s and .60s. None of the five Attitude Scale subscales are related to appropriateness of career choices of Black students, and only one subscale, Compromise, is significantly correlated with appropriateness of career choices of White students. The data do not support the theoretical expectation that career maturity attitudes are related to appropriateness of career choices, and raise questions regarding the validity of inferences made about the career maturity of both Black and White students. Some practical and theoretical implications of the study are identified.     

Racial/Ethnic Minority Vocational Research Trends: An 11‐Year Update

This study extends Flores et al.'s ( 2006 ) 36‐year analysis of racial/ethnic minority (REM) career research to identify recent trends in choice of topics and leading individual and institutional contributors. The authors identified 166 articles on REM career research published from 2005 to 2015 in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, The Career Development Quarterly, the Journal of Career Assessment, and the Journal of Career Development. Of these studies, 92% were empirical, with more than three quarters of these using quantitative rather than qualitative methodology. Most frequently, the empirical studies (n = 153) were based on samples of high school (30.7%) or undergraduate (34.6%) students. The authors discuss the implications of their findings and suggest ways to expand REM career research in the future.     

Evaluating Factors Associated With the Career Maturity of High School Students

This study evaluated the career maturity and career decision-making attributional style of high school students in an ethnically diverse, southeastern urban school system. Participants provided information about sex, age, current class standing, ethnic background, type of diploma sought, career goal, and grade point average and completed the Assessment of Attributions for Career Decision Making (Luzzo & Jenkins-Smith, 1998) and the revised Career Maturity Inventory (Crites & Savickas, 1995). Results indicated a significant, positive relationship between career maturity and an optimistic attributional style. Young men perceived more control over their career decision making than did young women. Suggestions for counselors are discussed.     

Leisure Activities in Unemployed Emerging Adults: Links to Career Adaptability and Subjective Well‐Being

The present study examined if frequency and quality of 3 types of leisure activities (i.e., relaxation, achievement, and social) can function as protective factors for subjective well‐being (SWB) and career adaptability (CA) among 184 unemployed emerging adults (84 women, 100 men). Participants responded to measures of leisure frequency and quality, SWB, and CA. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the frequency of relaxation, achievement, and social leisure activities had no effect on SWB and CA. However, regression analyses indicated that the quality of social leisure activities significantly predicted SWB and the quality of achievement and social leisure activities significantly predicted CA. The quality of relaxation leisure activities was not associated with SWB and CA. Findings indicate that counselors who work with unemployed emerging adults can use leisure activities to promote SWB and CA. Future research to better understand the role of leisure in well‐being and career development among emerging adults is encouraged.     

Career Development Attributes and Occupational Values of Asian American and White American College Students

This study examined differences in career development attributes and occupational values between Asian American and White American college students using (a) the Crites' (1978) Career Maturity Inventory; (b) Harren's (1978) Assessment of Career Decision Making: Styles Subscales; (c) Holland, Daiger, and Power's (1980) My Vocational Situation; and (d) Rosenberg's (1957) Occupations and Values Scale. Asian Americans were found to have greater preferences for Dependent decisionmaking styles and also a lower level of career maturity. No differences in vocational identity were found between the cultural groups. Asian Americans also placed greater emphasis on extrinsic and security occupational value clusters (e.g., making more money, having a stable, secure future) relative to White Americans. The counseling and research implications of the results are discussed.     

Career‐Life Preparedness: Revisiting Career Planning and Adjustment in the New Workplace

Although the economic and social context of work appears to be changing for more and more people, the author argues that time‐honored and empirically supported theories of career development continue to be relevant and useful. However, these theories and the core assumptions that underlie them (e.g., the “matching metaphor”) may need to be augmented by models and methods that help students and workers to prepare to a greater degree for difficult developmental transitions, obstacles to preferred career paths, and negative career‐life events such as unplanned job loss. The author offers a view of “career‐life preparedness” that, while informed by social‐cognitive career theory, is largely compatible with other approaches to career development and is linked conceptually to other recent work on career adaptability, resilience, and coping.     

Cultural Dimensions of Career Decision‐Making Difficulties

This study investigated cultural dimensions of career decision‐making difficulties using the Career Decision‐Making Difficulties Questionnaire. Career decision‐making difficulties were compared among White, African, Hispanic, and Asian American high school and university students at U.S. schools. Results indicated Asian American students perceived significantly more difficulties in career decision making than other groups, whereas White American students perceived the fewest difficulties. Asian American students reported more difficulties than White and Hispanic American students before the process and more difficulties than White and African American students during the process. Findings are discussed based on perspectives of cultural differences.     

Group Career Construction Counseling: A Mixed‐Methods Intervention Study With High School Students

This study investigated the value of group career construction counseling in a high school context. The author used purposive sampling to select participants who had sought career counseling. A mixed‐methods intervention study design was also used. Participants (N = 57) completed the Career Adapt‐Abilities Scale–South Africa (CAAS‐SA) before the 1st and after the 2nd intervention. The Career Interest Profile and the Maree Career Matrix were used to facilitate the intervention, and the CAAS‐SA was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that the boys’ and the girls’ career adaptability had improved meaningfully on all of the CAAS‐SA subscales. No gender‐based differences were found. However, differences were detected between both the boys’ and the girls’ pre‐ and posttest Control and Confidence subscale scores. The findings demonstrate the value of career construction counseling in group settings. More longitudinal research with diverse participants is needed.     

Using Multidimensional Career Decision Instruments to Assess Career Decidedness and Implementation

Multidimensional measures of career indecision have been constructed to aid in the differential diagnosis of career problems. This study examined the relative efficacy of individual scale scores on the Career Factors Inventory (CFI) and two calculations of the Career Deciion Scale (CDS-A and CDS-B) in predicting career decidedness and career implementation. Results from separate simultaneous regression analyses indicated that different scales of the CFI and the CDS-B made unique contributions to the prediction of career decidedness and implementation. On the other hand, only one predominant scale emerged in the CDS-A regression analyses. Results supported the use of individual subscales to identify antecedents of career indecision.     

Exploration to Foster Career Development

Responses to the Adult Career Concerns Inventory (ACCI: Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Myers, & Jordaan, 1988) were organized through cluster analysis to identify different ways in which adults use exploratory behavior to cope with career development tasks. Significant differences in life-role salience among the types of adult career explorers identified were also investigated. Findings indicated a variety of ways in which adults use exploratory behavior. However, no significant differences were found in life-role salience among the types of career explorers. The discussion explains how career counselors can interpret their clients' ACCI profiles to select appropriate career interventions.