Evaluating FOCUS‐2's Effectiveness in Enhancing First‐Year College Students’ Social Cognitive Career Development

This study examined the effectiveness of the computer‐assisted career guidance system, FOCUS‐2, on 1st‐year college students’ social cognitive career development. Specifically, the authors assessed career decision self‐efficacy (CDSE) and assessment of attributions for career decision making (AACDM) using repeated measures analyses of variance with a sample of 1st‐year college students (N= 420). Effectiveness was measured as a change in participants’ CDSE and AACDM scores from pretest to posttest. Results demonstrated that participants’ interaction with FOCUS‐2 was associated with increases in participants’ CDSE and alteration to a less optimistic style for AACDM. Gender, race, academic major status, and the amount of time using FOCUS‐2 were also considered. Implications for practice are explored.     

Promoting Career and College Readiness,Aspirations, and Self‐Efficacy: Curriculum Field Test

To address the need for enhanced career and college readiness, a classroom guidance curriculum was studied using a pretest–posttest nonequivalent groups quasi‐experimental design. Data from 163 ninth‐grade students enrolled in a low‐performing high school were analyzed via hierarchical linear modeling. The analyses indicated a treatment effect on postsecondary education‐going knowledge and career and college readiness self‐efficacy, accounting for 100% of the variance explained by classroom‐level factors and indicating potential for the classroom guidance curriculum. The findings encourage career and professional school counselors to proactively employ similar classroom guidance programs aimed at encouraging high school students to consider postsecondary education opportunities. Future research could focus on component analyses of the curriculum, broadening the target populations, using mixed‐method designs, and additional validity studies of the dependent measures.     

Client Anticipations About Computer‐Assisted Career Guidance System Outcomes

Although existing literature suggests that client anticipations affect career counseling, previous studies have not systematically assessed client anticipations prior to using computer‐assisted career guidance (CACG) systems in career counseling. This study describes how 55 clients from a career center at a large, southeastern university anticipated using CACG systems to help in their career decision making and problem solving. Using a Cognitive Information Processing framework, responses to a cued and a free response survey indicated that clients' most frequent anticipations included increased career options, enhanced self‐knowledge, and strengthened occupational knowledge.     

The Past,Present, and Future of Career Counseling in Taiwan

The development of career counseling in Taiwan during the last 40 years suggests priorities for future development. Although many of the basic constructs of career counseling are used in Taiwan, cultural differences are also apparent. At the earliest stage of career development in Taiwan (1960–1980), career guidance was managed through vocational centers and government agencies. The focus was almost exclusively on school‐aged youth seeking employment. At the middle stage (1980–1990), the terms for career counseling were being translated into Chinese, and trained Career Counselors were returning from study abroad. The emphasis was primarily on educational systems. At the present stage (1990‐present), career counseling was provided to adults outside the school setting and corporations were organizing their own career counseling services. The future presents many conflicts between Western and Asian values, traditional or modern demands, and self or family interests. Technological advances in testing and information sciences provide opportunities and problems for career counselors.     

Contextual Factors Related to African American Adolescent Career Development

African American adolescents’ career development has gained increased attention in light of various barriers affecting their educational and career development goals. The author examined relationships among career decision self‐efficacy, ethnic identity, and academic self‐concept of 104 African American high school students enrolled in Upward Bound programs. Participants responded to measures of career decision self‐efficacy, ethnic identity, and academic self‐concept. Results indicated that career decision self‐efficacy was significantly and positively correlated with ethnic identity and academic self‐concept. In addition, academic self‐concept was found to be a stronger predictor of career decision self‐efficacy than was ethnic identity. The results of this study may assist counselors, teachers, administrators, and parents to understand career decision self‐efficacy as it relates to ethnic identity, academic self‐concept, and demographic variables. This research supports the need for continued career‐related interventions within the schools designed to focus on factors related to ethnic minorities to help foster their career development.     

Childhood Career Development in Mainland China: A Research and Practice Agenda

Career development in adolescence and adulthood has been widely researched; however, less is known about childhood career development, particularly in non‐Western cultures. This is especially the case in mainland China, where children grow up in a unique context. The Confucian tradition of emphasizing education as an important social ladder and parents' role in their children's development may restrict children's development of career‐planning skills. By contrast, the shift from a planned economy to a market economy enables individuals to choose careers and demands that individuals have career‐planning skills. The elementary school years could be a starting point to develop such skills by providing career guidance for children. This article considers childhood career development in mainland China, discusses the status quo of childhood career development research and practice, and considers an agenda for future research and practice.     

Training Counselors to Use Computer‐Assisted Career Guidance Systems More Effectively: A Model Curriculum

A model graduate training curriculum that emphasizes the counselor's role in assisting clients in the effective use of computer‐assisted career guidance (CACG) systems is described. This 4‐module graduate training program emphasizes client readiness and exploration using CACG systems, skill building and simulation exercises, and service learning with career clients. The study is evaluated from the perspectives of counselor educators, counselor trainees, and career clients. Findings from 4 institutions support the efficacy of a model curriculum for graduate training and the beneficial outcomes of using CACG systems under appropriate conditions.     

Factors Influencing STEM Career Aspirations of Underrepresented High School Students

A shortage of female and minority students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers has prompted researchers and policy makers to examine the current STEM supply pipeline. This study examined factors influencing STEM career aspirations of a nationally representative sample of 9th‐grade students (N = 21,444). Characteristics of students who aspired to STEM careers and non‐STEM careers were examined. Guided by the career aspirations model (Mau & Bikos, 2000 ), the authors conducted logistic regression analyses to investigate variables predicting STEM career aspirations. Results indicated that race, gender, socioeconomic status, math interest, and science self‐efficacy were the most important predictors of STEM career aspirations. Counselors in school and related career services contexts are encouraged to consider these important factors in identifying high school students who are interested in STEM career choices, as well as in planning career interventions to facilitate their career paths. Future researchers could test the applicability of this model with middle school students or adults.     

The Role of Thinking Styles in Career Development Among Chinese College Students

Thinking styles define individuals' marked preferences in how they learn about or process information. This study considered the function of collecting and processing information in career exploration and decision making, and examined thinking styles as a predictor of career decision‐making difficulties (CDMD) and career exploration as a mediator of this relationship. Chinese college students (N = 463) responded to measures of thinking styles, career exploration, and CDMD. Results partially supported the contribution of thinking styles to career exploration and CDMD. Type I styles, characterized as more creativity‐generating, positively predicted career exploration and negatively predicted CDMD. Type II styles, characterized as more norm‐favoring, positively predicted CDMD. Partial mediation was supported in the link between Type I styles and lack of information through career environment exploration. The benefits of type styles should be highlighted for career guidance and counseling among Chinese college students and should be validated in different cultural contexts.     

Effects of Social Supports on the Career Choice Consideration of Chinese Farmers: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Drawing from social cognitive career theory ( Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994 ), this study explored social supports’ influence on the career choice consideration of farmers during China's current process of urbanization. A questionnaire was designed based on interviews with 140 people and a pretest with a sample of 419 participants. A total of 628 participants were involved in the formal questionnaire survey. Results indicated that social supports had a dual effect: Positive supports were indirectly related to career choice consideration through the mediation of career self‐efficacy, whereas negative supports were related to career choice consideration directly. Implications for future research and the development of a career guidance and social support system for Chinese farmers are discussed.     

How did we get here? The career paths of higher education fundraisers

University‐based fundraisers have career paths that are unique in that most do not come to their careers through traditional training programs that are available to other professions, which may impact their expectations of and experiences in their work. Using the conceptual framework of person‐in‐environment fit, this study uses qualitative data from semistructured interviews of 44 higher education fundraisers to understand factors influencing their career trajectories. While formal educational backgrounds do not necessarily provide specific skills necessary for a fundraising career, findings show that many rely on on‐the‐job training, which was at times inadequate. Findings also counter common reports of fundraisers as “falling into the profession” when choosing to join the fundraising field and demonstrate how organizational factors can influence recruitment and retention.     

Men in Non‐Traditional Occupations: Career Entry,Career Orientation and Experience of Role Strain

This article explores the experiences of men in non‐traditional occupations. In particular it focuses on the dynamics of career entry, career orientation (namely, a preference for intrinsic or extrinsic rewards) and the possible existence, nature and consequences of role strain. Four occupational groups are examined: nurses, cabin crew, librarians and primary school teachers. The results suggest that men fall into three main categories: seekers (who actively chose the ‘female’ occupation), ‘finders’ (who did not actively seek a non‐traditional career but who found the occupation in the process of making general career decisions) and settlers (who actively chose the occupation, often as a result of dissatisfaction with a more ‘masculine’ job, and who then settled in their non‐traditional career). Settlers, in particular, are associated with a more intrinsic career orientation and express a desire to remain close to occupational and professional practice. Role strain is prevalent in men's experiences in their non‐traditional career. The potential sources of such role strain and the implications for career aspirations and career choices are explored.     

The Career Decision‐Making Difficulties Questionnaire: A Case for Item‐Level Interpretation

The Career Decision‐Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ; Gati, Krausz, & Osipow, 1996) has long been demonstrated as a useful instrument for career counseling practice. Several case studies have demonstrated how and why using the CDDQ facilitates the career counseling process (e.g., Amir, Gati, & Kleiman, 2008; Gati & Levin, 2014; Levin & Gati, 2014). This study explores how an in‐depth analysis of a case study conducted at the item level can provide career counselors with a richer understanding of their clients’ needs. The case study also emphasizes how administering and providing feedback on the CDDQ in career counseling sessions is likely to foster working alliances. The study concludes by presenting an intervention map based on the CDDQ taxonomy.     

College Student Psychological Distress: Relationship to Self‐Esteem and Career Decision Self‐Efficacy Beliefs

College students experience a number of stressors, such as adjustment to a new environment, postgraduation planning, and the balancing of changing roles and responsibilities. These stressors may contribute to increased rates of psychological distress that have implications for their educational and career development. The purpose of this study was to extend understanding of the nature of the relationships among psychological distress, self‐esteem, and career decision self‐efficacy (CDSE) beliefs. Results from 292 undergraduate students demonstrated support for the proposed hypotheses. Psychological distress negatively related to self‐esteem and to CDSE. Self‐esteem was positively related to, yet distinct from, CDSE, and both self‐esteem and psychological distress contributed unique variance to the prediction of CDSE. Results highlight the importance of attending to student psychological distress in the provision of career counseling services. Future research that centralizes mental health is needed to better understand relationships among career development processes over time and within diverse student populations.     

Opting Back In: The Influence of Time at Home on Professional Women's Career Redirection after Opting Out

Limited research on professional women's labour force re‐entry after a career break (so‐called ‘opting out’) finds that women redirect away from former careers. Little is known about why this occurs. Our study, based on in‐depth interviews with 54 at‐home mothers, extends prior research to address this question. We find that among women who intended to return to work (who constitute the majority), most planned to pursue alternative careers, typically in traditionally female‐dominated professions or were uncertain about their career direction; few planned to return to their former employers. The reasons for this redirection were women's negative experiences in family inflexible occupations, skill depreciation and perceived age discrimination. Equally or more important, however, was their adaptation to new constraints and opportunities at home (such as increased involvement in mothering and community work), which engendered an aspirational shift towards new, care‐oriented professions that were lower paid and had lower status. We discuss the policy implications of these findings.     

The Origin of Major Choice,Academic Commitment,and Career‐Decision Readiness Among Taiwanese College Students

The present study aimed to examine if and how career‐decision readiness relates to the origin of college major choice among Taiwanese college students. A total of 375 junior and senior college students (147 women, 228 men) responded to measures of college major choice, academic commitment, career self‐efficacy, and career‐decision readiness. Results indicated that students' academic commitment to a college major tend to increase when they choose their majors based on personal and career preferences. In sequence, high levels of academic commitment lead to high levels of career self‐efficacy, and increased self‐efficacy augments the extent of career‐decision readiness that students manifest near the end of their college education. These findings have practical implications insofar as many Asian students choose a college major because of parents and other authority figures, and these findings demonstrate that a full understanding of career‐decision readiness may require incorporating the origin of college major choice and its academic effects into future research.     

Relational Self‐Construal as a Moderator of Social Support in Career Decision Making

The authors examined relational self‐construal as a moderator of the influence of social support on career decision‐making difficulties among 352 college students (65% women, 63% Caucasian). Results of hierarchical regression analyses supported the hypothesis that individuals with higher relational self‐construal reported fewer difficulties in terms of lack of information and inconsistent information in career decision making as social support increased. Social support, however, did not reduce career decision‐making difficulties for those with lower relational self‐construal. Relational self‐construal did not moderate the relationship between social support and lack of readiness in career decision‐making difficulties as expected, possibly because of conceptual and measurement issues. Results suggest counselors work from relational and contextual perspectives to foster clients' self‐views and to use social support to facilitate their career decision making.     

A Phenomenological Study of Career Anxiety Among College Students

This study explored the phenomenon of career anxiety through a qualitative investigation of the experiences of 7 traditional‐aged college students who were in various stages of their undergraduate degree programs. Using Moustakas's ( 1994 ) method of transcendental phenomenology, the authors conducted in‐depth interviews to answer the following questions: (a) What are coresearchers’ (participants') experiences with the phenomenon of career anxiety? and (b) In what contexts do the coresearchers experience career anxiety? Seven themes emerged: general symptoms of anxiety, existential concerns, pressure, lack of career guidance, cognitive distortions, social comparisons, and economic/occupational uncertainty. The findings provide a contextual and developmental perspective on career‐related anxiety that can guide counselors in the implementation of interventions for reducing anxiety associated with career choice and development.     

Table or Circles: A Comparison of Two Methods for Choosing Among Career Alternatives

A sample of 182 young adults about to choose their college major were randomly assigned to 2 guidance methods aimed at facilitating choosing among promising career alternatives: Table‐for‐Choice and Circles‐for‐Choice. Table‐for‐Choice was perceived as more effective, but individuals' confidence in their choice was higher in the Circles‐for‐Choice condition. More factors that serve to compare and evaluate the options were listed by participants in the Circles‐for‐Choice condition. No interaction emerged between the participant's decision‐making style and the usefulness of the two methods. Both methods were perceived as more useful for participants who were already at the choice stage than for those who were only at the prescreening or the in‐depth explorations stage.     

The Clinician's Voice and the Limits of Bioethics

The bioethics movement has long promulgated a model of ‘principled decision‐making’ in which ethical dilemmas and conflicts between various rights, interests, and ethical principles are central. In many respects this movement has had a laudatory impact on health care and on health professionals, but we will also argue that the bioethical model of ethical analysis has important limitations. The model's theoretical orientation is discontinuous with the training and skills of health professionals, the manner in which health professionals conceptualise and solve problems that arise in a clinical setting, and the time constraints inherent in most clinical situations. As such, the model is not readily applicable to much of the day‐to‐day work of clinicians and, in particular, to the routine ethical questions and situations that arise in caring for patients. What we suggest is that the bioethical model does not take into account that health care professionals, as part of their daily work, encounter and manage difficult, often conflictual situations and that they do so by bringing to bear conceptual frameworks and therapeutic techniques that have, embedded within them, the ethical values and goals of their own fields, as well as established ways of dealing with problems and addressing competing priorities. We further argue that from a systems perspective, the bioethical model and the pragmatic, problem‐focused ethical decision‐making of clinicians operate on different levels of complexity; whereas the former is especially appropriate for situations that resist consensus or that raise significant issues of public policy, the latter serves as an effective framework in less difficult or complex situations that can be moved effectively toward consensus and closure.