Career Decision-making Difficulties Research Articles

The influence of group career construction counselling on Tanzanian high school students’ career decision-making difficulties

ABSTRACT This study examined the influence of a group career construction counselling intervention on the career decision-making difficulties of Tanzanian students. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select 35 high school participants from a single public school in Tanzania. A qualitative approach was employed and an intrinsic single-case, descriptive, intervention career design was implemented. An eight-week career construction counselling intervention was executed. The data were generated using different qualitative data sources. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the intervention enhanced most of the participants’ career decision-making capacity, bolstered participants’ psychological selves, improved their career adaptability, and bolstered their ability to make informed career decisions. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies in various contexts with different participants. Career construction counselling interventions for students of different ages and strategies to establish the long-term impact of these interventions should be devised.

The relationship between time perspective and career decision-making difficulties

The relationship between time perspective and career decision-making difficulties

High School Student’s Career Indecision Reviewed Based on Major and Gender

Career indecision is a condition that occurs in individuals when experiencing problems or difficulties when starting or being in the career decision-making process that causes incompetence or uncertainty in determining their career choices. Career indecision is caused by various factors, both internal and external factors of the individual. In this study, the factors studied were major and gender. The analytical method used in the study was a two-way ANOVA. The study sample was 148 high school X students. The collected data with the form of a scale. The scale used in the study was a career indecision scale compiled based on the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ). the significance value of the sex variable is 0.029 (< 0.05). The significance value of the major is 0.06 (> 0.05). The results showed that there was no difference in high school students' career indecision based on major, while by gender, male students experienced greater career indecision compared to female students.

SELF-ESTEEM AND CAREER DECISION-MAKING DIFFICULTIES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: THE MODERATING IMPACT OF AGE AND GENDER

This study investigated the moderating impact of age and gender on the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population included 16,473 Senior Secondary two (SS 2) students from public secondary schools in Delta North Senatorial District. The sample size comprised 378 senior secondary school students. The students were sampled using a multistage sampling procedure. A questionnaire was used to gather data in this study. Expert judgment was used to determine the instrument's face validity, while factor analysis using the Principal Component Analysis method was used to determine the content and construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha reliability index was used to determine the internal consistency of the items in the instrument. Self-Esteem Rating Scale = 0.71, and Career Decision-Making Difficulties Rating Scale = 0.82 are the reliability coefficients found. The hypotheses were tested and answered using regression statistics of F-ratio at 0.05 level of significance, while the research questions were answered using Pearson’s coefficient of determination. The findings of the study revealed that there is no significant relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students; that there is no significant moderating impact of age and gender in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students. The study recommended that more studies should be carried out to explore the reason why no significant relationship was found between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties among secondary school students in Delta North Senatorial District.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0600/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Career decision-making difficulties among socioeconomically disadvantaged students (Bidikmisi Students)

This study aims to explore the career decision-making difficulties (CDMD) of Bidikmisi students, especially the factors that may cause difficulties, such as parents’ education level and students’ gender. The measuring instrument used was Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire. Random cluster sampling was conducted, and there were 154 Unpad students from four selected faculties. The CDMD data were analyzed using descriptive and differential tests. The results of the study showed that the majority of Bidikmisi students had moderate CDMD, with the highest difficulty in the Lack of Readiness category. There was a significant difference in CDMD based on parents’ education level in which individuals with parents with secondary and college levels of education had higher CDMD. There was no significant difference between male and female students regarding CDMD. These findings highlight the importance of career guidance for Bidikmisi students to make appropriate career decisions, mainly those with parents from specific educational backgrounds

Trajectories of Change in Career Decision Difficulties During a Manualized Individual Career Counseling Intervention: The Influence of Counselor Adherence, Working Alliance and Client Personality Traits

This study aimed to identify trajectories of change in client career decision difficulties during a manualized career counseling intervention and examine the role of counselor adherence, working alliance, and personality traits in predicting these trajectories. Participants were 257 individuals who received an average of 7.79 career counseling sessions at a university career services center. Using growth mixture modeling, four class-trajectories were identified. Clients in class 1 had a moderate level of decision difficulties at the beginning of counseling while clients in classes 2, 3 and 4 had moderate-salient initial levels of difficulties. Clients in classes 1 and 2 experienced a very large reduction of their decision difficulties during counseling and left the process with negligible levels of difficulties. Clients in class 3 saw a large reduction of their decision difficulties during counseling and left the process with moderate levels of difficulties. Clients in class 4 did not experience change and left the process with moderate-salient levels of difficulties. Counselor adherence to the intervention manual significantly contributed to discriminate between clients from class 4 and clients from classes 1, 2 and 3. Client level of neuroticism significantly contributed to distinguish clients belonging to class 4 from clients belonging to class 1.

Self-Esteem and Career Decision-Making Difficulties Among Secondary School Students: The Moderating Impact of Age and Gender

Self-Esteem and Career Decision-Making Difficulties Among Secondary School Students: The Moderating Impact of Age and Gender

Career Decision-Making Difficulty in Relation to Ethnicity, Gender, and Academic Achievement among Final Year Students in a Public University in East Malaysia

Career Decision-Making Difficulty in Relation to Ethnicity, Gender, and Academic Achievement among Final Year Students in a Public University in East Malaysia

Testing the career adaptability model with senior high school students in Hong Kong

This study examined the career adaptability model of the career construction theory (CCT, Savickas, 2021) using data collected from two time points and measures that covered the inter-related domains of career and life planning. Participants were high school students (470 women and 338 men) from 14 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Students completed the adaptive readiness (interests and competence flexibility) and adaptability resources (Career Adapt-Ability Scale, CAAS) measures in their sophomore or junior year of study (Time 1), and the adapting responses (life-skills competencies) and adaptation results (presence of life purposes, career decision-making difficulties) measures at the end of their senior year (Time 2). Findings from SEMs suggested a good fit of the data with the career adaptability model. Interest and competence flexibility, adaptability resources from Time 1 contributed directly and indirectly to the prediction of life-skills competencies, the presence of life meaning, and decision-making preparedness in Time 2 as hypothesized. Interest and competence flexibility were instrumental in activating adaptability resources and maintaining movement through transitions, and the CAAS and life skill measures were mediating variables in the adaptability process. The SEM using the CAAS dimensions revealed that the concern and the confidence subscales were involved in the sequence of direct and indirect effects. Results demonstrated that the adaptability model could be used to understand the transition experience of high school students who were facing rapid social changes. Conceptual, practice, and research implications were discussed.

The Relationship between Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy, Career Preparation Behaviour and Career Decision Difficulties among South Korean College Students

Few studies have continuously examined the relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy variables and career-related variables in South Korea’s specific cultural context. Accordingly, this study aims to analyse (using Pearson’s correlations and structural equation modelling) the relationships between South Korean college students’ career decision-making self-efficacy, career preparation behaviour, and career decision difficulties. There were positive and negative relationships between career decision-making self-efficacy and career preparation behaviour career decision difficulties, respectively. In addition, we found a positive effect between career preparation behaviour and career decision-making self-efficacy, while career decision difficulties negatively affected career decision-making self-efficacy. Considering the standardised coefficient of the specific direct effect, the effect on career decision-making self-efficacy of career preparation behaviour was larger than that of career decision difficulties. It is recommended that career programmes are developed that help college students to independently set their career goals, actively search for career information, and promote career preparation behaviour while considering their majors. It is also recommended career counselling programmes be designed that can help them establish their self-concept and identity. These findings could provide the necessary basic data for the construction of an effective college career guidance system and inform strategies for improving college students’ career decision-making self-efficacy.

Transforming the “SEAD”: Evaluation of a Virtual Surgical Exploration and Discovery Program and its Effects on Career Decision-Making

The abrupt cessation of in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for preclerkship students to explore a career in surgery. To supplement the lack of exposure, the Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program was transitioned to an entirely virtual format. This study aims to describe the virtual SEAD program and evaluate its effectiveness as a career decision-making (CDM) intervention. The week-long program was delivered on Microsoft Teams, featured 11 surgical specialties, and comprised four activities: live demonstrations, virtual operating room observerships, career talks, and technical skills workshops. The program was evaluated using the four levels of the Kirkpatrick model: (1) reactions, (2) knowledge, (3) CDM behaviors - assessed using the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) - and (4) results. The latter was indirectly assessed using CDDQ scores from an in-person SEAD program, where lower CDDQ scores indicate less difficulty with CDM. Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Forty pre-clerkship students (27 first and 13 second year students) at the University of Ottawa RESULTS: Level 1: 97.5% of participants rated the program as good or very good. Live demonstration and technical skills workshops were the highest rated activities. Level 2: participants' scores on knowledge-based questions about a surgical career significantly increased following the program (pre: 9/25 vs post: 15/25, p = 0.008). Level 3: overall mean CDDQ scores (±SD) decreased difficulties with significantly following the program (pre: 45.6 ± 10.5 vs post: 38.8 ± 10.9, p < 0.001), which indicates decreased CDM difficulties. Level 4: Except for one sub-category, the difference in mean CDDQ scores between the virtual and in-person programs were not significantly different. The program received the positive reactions and significantly increased participants' knowledge. The change in CDDQ scores following the virtual program suggests it may reduce career decision-making difficulties in the short-term. In-person surgical exposure remains important; however, a hybrid model may be valuable in resource limited settings. WC: 300.

재외국민⋅외국인 대학생과 내국인 대학생 간의 진로결정 자기효능감 비교

Objectives Overseas Korean/foreign (OKF) students―those who were admitted to university through a special admission process―are a minority group on campus who may face challenges in campus life and have difficulties in career decision-making. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the effect of students’ social interactions on campus differs between OKF and local students, as this effect serves to improve their self-efficacy in career decision-making. Methods Using a survey dataset for 1,866 undergraduate students at a university in Seoul, this study conducted a series of regression analyses to model the differential effects of faculty-student and peer interactions on self-efficacy in career decision-making between OKF and local students. Results The results clearly showed that OKF students had a lower sense of self-efficacy in career decision-making than local students. However, in both groups, students who actively engaged in social interactions with faculty members or peers tended to demonstrate a higher sense of self-efficacy in career decision-making. This pattern slightly differed between the two groups though. While the effect of social interaction with faculty members was quite the same for both groups, the effect of social interaction with peers was smaller for OKF students than for local students. Conclusions These findings suggest the possibility that peer relationships on campus differ qualitatively between the two groups. Interventions for improving OKF students’ self-efficacy in career decision-making may work better if universities develop educational programs that specifically suit their needs.

Viewing the Joint Operation of Five Major Decision Difficulties Within the Dual-Process Theory of Career Decision-Making

While research has identified a five-factor model of career decision-making difficulty based on meta-analytical evidence and cross-cultural comparison, the field lacks an elaborated theoretical account of the joint operation of the five decision difficulties. The current study drew on the dual-process theory of career decision-making (DTC) to examine the interplay of the five decision difficulties in predicting career decidedness in the Chinese context. Study 1 developed and validated measures of decision ambiguity, advance in narrowing down, and career decidedness in a sample of Chinese college students ( n = 180). Study 2 examined the structural model using another sample of Chinese college students ( n = 408). Focusing on the relations of the five major decision difficulties to career decidedness, the results did not support the standalone mechanism of confusion management but supported the standalone mechanism of ambiguity management. Additionally, the results supported the crossover mechanism from confusion management to ambiguity management and the crossover mechanism from ambiguity management to confusion management. The results not only shed light on the role of each difficulty but also offer evidence for the interplay of key DTC macro elements. The practical implications based on the joint operation of the five decision-making difficulties are discussed.

The Relationship Between Occupational Values and Career Decision-Making Difficulties of College Students: The Mediating Role of Professional Identity

The Relationship Between Occupational Values and Career Decision-Making Difficulties of College Students: The Mediating Role of Professional Identity

The identification and validation of five types of career indecision: A latent profile analysis of career decision-making difficulties.

Diagnosing the causes of clients' career indecision is among the first steps in career counseling. The present study applied latent profile analysis to identify career indecision types using the 10 difficulty scale scores of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (Gati et al., 1996). In two random U.S. samples (Ntotal = 8,918; age range = 14-50), five profiles of career indecision were identified and replicated: (1) unmotivated (6%), (2) generally indecisive (31%), (3) unrealistic (12%), (4) uninformed (39%), and (5) conflicted (12%). Age and gender negligibly predicted career indecision type, thereby supporting the stability of the five-profile typology. Nonetheless, the female gender was associated with a greater likelihood of being classified as indecisive as opposed to unmotivated (OR = 2.13). Furthermore, the five types differed in career decision status (η² = .28) and perceived career decisional distress (η² = .29). Uninformed and conflicted individuals reported multiple career decision-making difficulties and were still considering many career alternatives, whereas the three remaining types had one salient difficulty and had already identified a few (or even one) preferred alternative(s). Typological classification of individuals based on their salient causes of career indecision facilitates intervention planning as well as prescreening clients for individual counseling or group interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship Between College Students’ Perception of School Climate and Career Decision-Making Difficulties: The Mediating Role of Professional Identity

The Relationship Between College Students’ Perception of School Climate and Career Decision-Making Difficulties: The Mediating Role of Professional Identity

“Be perfect in every respect”: the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between perfectionism and career decision-making difficulties of college students

BackgroundConsidering the weakening of the economy and the shrinkage of jobs under the current global epidemic crisis, the employment of college graduates is facing unprecedented and cruel competition. However, many college students lack a reasonable understanding and orientation of themselves, which leads to them having high expectations for future careers and not considering whether they are competent or not. Due to a lack of ability and self-confidence, they appear to be at a loss and hesitant when facing career choices. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perfectionism, career adaptability and career decision-making difficulties from both positive and negative aspects.MethodsWe sampled 400 college students in China and used a questionnaire to obtain cross-sectional data through the Perfectionism, Career Adaptability, and Career Decision Difficulties scales. This study explored the relationship between them using statistical analysis software such as SPSS and AMOS through the results of correlation analysis and mediating role analysis.ResultsCollege students’ perfectionism, career adaptability, and career decision-making difficulties were significantly correlated (p < 0.01). Positive perfectionism has a negative predictive effect on career decision-making difficulties, and career adaptability plays a completely mediating role in it (the direct effect is −0.032, the mediation effect is −0.244, and the total effect is −0.276.). Negative perfectionism plays a positive predictive role in career decision-making difficulties, and career adaptability plays a part in mediating roles (the direct effect is 0.334, the mediating effect is 0.099, and the total effect is 0.433.).ConclusionsCollege students will more or less pursue “perfect”, but often with their own preferences to pursue, cannot be done based on the rational analysis of things to pursue perfect. College students have higher positive perfectionism and negative perfectionism, and their career adaptability is also at a higher level, but there is a higher degree of career decision-making difficulties. Positive perfectionism of college students can reduce the difficulty of career decision-making, and career adaptability plays a completely mediating role in it. Negative perfectionism of college students will lead to difficulties in career decision-making, in which career adaptability plays a mediating role.

Construction and Initial Validation of the Higher Education Orientations Questionnaire

Attaining higher education continues to be important for successful integration into the 21st-century world of work. The goal of the present study was to develop and test a 5-dimensional model and a corresponding measure of individuals’ orientations toward higher education––the Higher Education Orientations (HEO) questionnaire. The proposed model comprises five orientations: Profession (attaining an occupation), Knowledge (expanding knowledge and intellectual horizons), Social (expanding social affiliation and integration), Prestige (attaining social status), and External (pleasing significant others). Study 1a ( N = 798) supported the HEO questionnaire’s psychometric properties, and an EFA supported its five-factor structure. The results of a CFA in Study 1b ( N = 748) confirmed the HEO’s five-dimensional structure. Study 2 ( N = 395) supported the psychometric qualities of the HEO’s English version. In Study 3 ( N = 713), using SEM, we found the HEO associated with (a) career decision status, (b) career decision-making difficulties, and (c) coping strategies, supporting its validity. Implications for research and counseling are discussed.

One-to-one career conversations in UK higher education: practical approaches and professional challenges

ABSTRACT One-to-one work with students remains at the core of many higher education career services in the UK, but there is limited empirical evidence detailing the nature of these interactions. Drawing together existing strands of literature on the process and effectiveness of one-to-one career conversations, career decision-making difficulties, and career practice training, we report the findings of interviews with 22 career professionals in HE in the UK who were invited to reflect on their one-to-one practice with university students, describe their approaches and techniques and to identify any challenges they face. Through template analysis, we identified three key aspects to the career professionals’ practice: the relationship, the structure of the conversation and specific techniques. The participants described aspects of their practice which diverge from the approaches they were taught during their initial professional training, notably the use of a flexible conversation structure and limited use of career development theories. We identified that the key challenge practitioners reported was feeling that they disappoint some of their clients. We highlight some theoretical implications and offer some recommendations for practitioner training.

The Structure of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire Across 13 Countries

Assessing the causes of career indecision is among the first steps in career counseling. Gati et al. (1996) proposed a multidimensional taxonomy of career indecision and developed the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), consisting of 10 scales that cohere into three higher-order clusters and a total score. However, studies investigating the CDDQ reported cross-cultural variations in its factor structure. To examine the cross-cultural generalizability of the CDDQ, we compared four alternative factor models using data from 39 diverse samples from 13 countries with nine language versions ( N = 19,562). Using weighted least squares mean- and variance-adjusted estimation, a robust estimator for nonnormal data, comparison of fit indices supported the original CDDQ structure across countries and languages. These findings support the cross-cultural generalizability of the structure of the CDDQ and the use of 10 scale scores, three cluster scores, and a total score, consistent with the taxonomy underlying the CDDQ.