Career Self-Efficacy Development and Students With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

This study investigates self-efficacy beliefs, sources of efficacy information, person input variables (e.g., ability), and outcome expectations in relationship to the career interests of adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). The sample consisted of 96 high school students with LD and included substantial diversity in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. The California Occupational Preference System, or COPSystem, was used to assess career interests and aptitudes, with self-report rating scales used to measure self-efficacy beliefs, sources of efficacy information, and outcome expectations for corresponding career areas. Person input variables other than aptitude (e.g., gender) were also included in the study design. Ratings of self-efficacy beliefs were found to be a substantial predictor of career interest and to consistently mediate the relationship of other measures (e.g., person input variables) to career interest. Ratings of outcome expectations also exhibited associations with career interest, but only to a limited extent when controlling for their shared variance with self-efficacy ratings. Findings indicate the importance of considering subjective factors (i.e., self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations) rather than only objective skills (i.e., aptitudes and abilities) as being influential in shaping the career development of adolescents with LD.