Academic and Vocational Interests as a Function of Outcome Expectancies in Social Cognitive Career Theory

Abstract

This study examined the function of self-efficacy and outcome expectations as posited in Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) with a sample of nonpsychology majors (N=85) at a large midwestern university. Interest in, and intent to pursue, an undergraduate psychology degree related significantly and positively to self-efficacy and outcome expectations for that degree. A pre-experimental manipulation to raise participants' outcome expectations for the psychology degree allowed for the examination of the effect of changes in outcome expectations on interest and intent. Increased outcome expectations significantly predicted increased pursuit intentions, but not level of interest. Both self-efficacy and outcome expectations accounted for significant incremental variance in predicting interest and pursuit intentions. Results generally supported the relation of outcome expectations to interest, pursuit intentions, and self-efficacy as hypothesized in Social Cognitive Career Theory.