Career Maturity in College Students With Learning Disabilities

This study compared levels of career maturity between college students with and without learning disabilities and investigated factors associated with career maturity. Few differences in career maturity were found. However, different predictors of career maturity for the two groups emerged. For students with learning disabilities, number of accommodations and quantity of work experience accounted for 22% of the variance in career maturity. For students without disabilities, academic achievement and type of work experience accounted for 21% of the variance in career maturity. Students with learning disabilities who received more instructional accommodations had lower levels of career maturity.     

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.     

Effects of DISCOVER on the Career Maturity of Middle School Students

This study evaluated the effects of DISCOVER (American College Testing [ACT], 1991), a computer-assisted career guidance system, on the career maturity of 38 students (22 girls and 16 boys) enrolled in a rural middle school. Students randomly assigned to the treatment group worked with DISCOVER for approximately 1 hour a day over a 2-week period, whereas students in the control group did not have access to the DISCOVER program. Results indicated significant gains in career maturity among students in the treatment group (p <.05).     

Developmental Issues in Career Maturity and Career Decision Status

There is considerable diversity in the literature regarding age and gender differences on career maturity and career decision status. There is also a dearth of data on high school samples. The present study reports cross‐sectional data from 1,971 Australian adolescents, ages 12.51‐17.99 years, who completed the Career Decision Scale (S. H. Osipow, C. G. Carney, J. Winer, B. Yanico, & M. Koschier, 1976) and the Career Development Inventory (Australian; J. Lokan, 1984). Results illustrated a developmental progression in career maturity, although a less uniform pattern emerged with gender differences. Findings regarding career indecision also presented a complex picture and highlight the need to focus on other demographic and contextual factors.     

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.     

A Comparison of Accelerated and Traditional MSW Students: Twenty Years Later

Abstract

There has been concern about the ideal length of time to effectively offer graduate content. Programs of less than two full years have been suspect. Thus study reports on two groups of social workers in the same program who have been professionally active for over twenty years. They completed the master's requirements under two different time conditions: One group completed study in twelve months; the other in the traditional two year period. The accelerated group reported the five major curriculum areas were more useful in their practice. In addition, they reported higher long-range achievement scores on the identical objectives of both programs.     

Career Maturity Levels of Male Intercollegiate Varsity Athletes

This study examined the readiness of male intercollegiate varsity athletes to make career-related decisions. The research questions compared students participating in revenue- and nonrevenue-producing sports as well as Caucasian and minority (Black, Asian American, Hispanic American, Native American, and other) student-athletes on eight dimensions of career maturity measured by the Career Development Inventory (Super, Thompson, Lindeman, Jordaan, & Myers, 1981). No significant differences were found in the overall career maturity of the student-athletes based either on the type of sport played or on their race. Also, the interaction of type of sport and race was not significant in determining differences in student-athletes' career maturity levels. Implications for career counseling programs for student-athletes and future research are discussed.     

The Role of Work‐Related Skills and Career Role Models in Adolescent Career Maturity

The authors used data for 2,722 British adolescents, ages 14–18 years, to explore whether work‐related skills and career role models are associated with career maturity when sociodemographic characteristics (age, socioeconomic status, gender, family structure), family support (mother involvement, father involvement), and personal characteristics (self‐confidence, academic motivation) are controlled. Having work‐related skills and having a career role model were positively associated with career maturity, and having career pressure was negatively associated with career maturity. Family structure and socioeconomic status were unrelated to career maturity. Academic motivation, mother involvement, father involvement, and self‐confidence were related to career maturity at the bivariate but not at the multivariate level.     

Chapter 13: Family Versus Career Responsibilities

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