College Women's Career Self‐Efficacy and Educational Environments

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between the composition by sex of women's high school and college environments as well as the sex of their selected influential teachers in each of these settings and their reported self‐efficacy in careers judged traditional or nontraditional for women. Two hundred and seventy‐four junior and senior female students from both single‐sex and coeducational private liberal arts colleges served as participants. Results indicated no main effects for composition by sex of an institution, or the sex of influential teachers, nor were there any significant two‐way interactions. Two significant (p > .05) three‐way interactions did emerge, however. One indicated that nontraditional career self‐efficacy was predicted by a single‐sex high school and college environment with either no high school influential teacher or the choice of a male one. The second predicted three‐way interaction indicated increased nontraditional career self‐efficacy by students attending single‐sex high schools and colleges and choosing a male college influential teacher.