Career Thoughts Research Articles

The career difficulties of university students in the UK: a qualitative study of the perceptions of UK HE career practitioners

ABSTRACT Existing research has identified the key career difficulties faced by those making career decisions, but little is known about career practitioners’ perceptions of the career difficulties of university students in the UK. We conducted 22 in depth interviews with Higher Education career practitioners and analysed their data with a Template Analysis – a version of thematic analysis. Three themes were developed incorporating emotions (anxiety and low confidence), cognitions (unrealistic or limited understanding of themselves, of the labour market, of the processes of career choice and of practitioner career support) and behaviours (engaging late with career thinking, a disproportionate focus on CVs and a reluctance to take ownership of career planning). Findings showed that these emotional, cognitive and behavioural career difficulties were interrelated. The findings are discussed with reference to existing theory and theoretical and practical recommendations are made.

Vocational Identity and its Relationship to Psychological Well-Being and Career Thoughts among University Students

The clarity of vocational identity is an important focus of professional guidance since it is related to many factors, such as career thoughts and psychological well-being. This study examines the relationship between vocational identity, psychological well-being and career thoughts among students at Hashemite University in Jordan, as well as any gender or faculty specific differences in vocational identity, psychological well-being and career thoughts. Randomly selected male and female students (n= 680) aged 18 to 22 completed questionnaires on vocational identity, psychological well-being, and career thoughts. There was a positive correlation between vocational identity and psychological well-being, and its subscales (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relationship, purpose in life, and self-acceptance), but a negative correlation between vocational identity and career thoughts and between vocational identity and career thoughts subscales (decision-making confusion, commitment anxiety, and external conflict). Additionally, there were statistically significant differences in the levels of vocational identity by gender, with males favoured but not by faculty. Finally, variables related to gender and faculty had no significant effect on psychological well-being or career thoughts. The results confirm a positive correlation between vocational identity and psychological well-being but a negative correlation between vocational identity and career thoughts. The results also confirm the level of vocational identity among male students was higher than that of female students. The results of this study can be used in the counseling and career guidance process for university students.

Survey of Prison Inmates’ Career Thoughts and Working Motivation: An Exploratory Study of Inmates of Private Finance Prisons

Survey of Prison Inmates’ Career Thoughts and Working Motivation: An Exploratory Study of Inmates of Private Finance Prisons

Impact of a Cybersecurity Work-Related Course on Students' Career Thoughts and Attitudes

This article proposes a research study conducted at Murray State University Cybersecurity and Network Management program to investigate the impact of work-related experiential learning on college students' career thoughts and attitudes within the context of cybersecurity career development. The Cybersecurity and Network Management program introduced the CNM 518 course based on the Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System (PISCES) project that offers practical, hands-on experiences. The proposed research project slated for Spring 2024, aims to assess how this work-related experiential learning influences students' career thoughts and attitudes, using the Career Thoughts Inventory as a measurement tool. This research project emphasizes the importance of reflective learning within CNM 518 and aims to contribute empirical evidence on the impact of work-related experiential learning on students' career thoughts and how such learning experiences positively influence the career decision-making processes and, subsequently, the broader field of cybersecurity education.

How do medical schools influence their students' career choices? A realist evaluation.

The career choices of medical graduates vary widely between medical schools in the UK and elsewhere and are generally not well matched with societal needs. Research has found that experiences in medical school including formal, informal and hidden curricula are important influences. We conducted a realist evaluation of how and why these various social conditions in medical school influence career thinking. We interviewed junior doctors at the point of applying for speciality training. We selected purposively for a range of career choices. Participants were asked to describe points during their medical training when they had considered career options and how their thinking had been influenced by their context. Interview transcripts were coded for context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations to test initial theories of how career decisions are made. A total of 26 junior doctors from 12 UK medical schools participated. We found 14 recurring CMO configurations in the data which explained influences on career choice occurring during medical school. Our initial theories about career decision-making were refined as follows: It involves a process of testing for fit of potential careers. This process is asymmetric with multiple experiences needed before deciding a career fits ('easing in') but sometimes only a single negative experience needed for a choice to be ruled out. Developing a preference for a speciality aligns with Person-Environment-Fit decision theories. Ruling out a potential career can however be a less thought-through process than rationality-based decision theories would suggest. Testing for fit is facilitated by longer and more authentic undergraduate placements, allocation of and successful completion of tasks, being treated as part of the team and enthusiastic role models. Informal career guidance is more influential than formal. We suggest some implications for medical school programmes.

대학생의 부모애착이 사회적 지지와 정서지능을 매개로 역기능적 진로사고에 미치는 영향

Objectives This study aimed to identify the impact the parental attachment of 4-year college students has on their dysfunctional career thoughts through social support and emotional intelligence to provide primary data that can be used for education and counseling for college students' career choice and preparation.
 Methods In order to verify the research question, an online survey was conducted on students currently attending universities in Korea by selecting a total of 17 regions, including Seoul, Sejong, Jeonnam, Ulsan, and Jeju. A total of 300 questionnaires were used for the final analysis, and a structural equation model was used to investigate the relationship among latent variables and to verify the significance of model goodness of fit, and single- and dou-ble-mediated effects.
 Results First, a single-mediated impact of social support was identified in terms of the relationship between pa-rental attachment and emotional intelligence, while emotional intelligence was determined as a single-mediated effect for social support and dysfunctional career thoughts. Second, the fully double-mediated effect of social support and emotional intelligence was identified in parental attachment and dysfunctional career thoughts.
 Conclusions This demonstrates that in the short term, interventions focusing on social support and emotional in-telligence rather than parental attachment are expected to have a direct and short-term effect. In a fundamental aspect, this means that counseling strategies and interventions are needed to help recognize and understand cli-ent problems, considering mediation for parental attachment.

Work styles in the team depending on the education level of the students

Abstract The present study aims to identify the types of students’ roles in work teams for different didactic activities in the academic environment. In the study, a questionnaire was applied that measures teamwork styles, a questionnaire that includes three scales: leader, doer, thinker and carer, each scale with 10 items. This studiy was attended by 195 female students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s studies in the field of educational sciences, between the ages of 18 and 55. The hypothesis underlying this study presupposes the existence of a statistically significant difference between students from the bachelor program and students from the master’s program according to the types of roles within the teams formed by them. The results of the study indicated that teamwork styles such as career thinking and work style are more defined in master’s students than in undergraduate students, and the other work styles are better defined in undergraduate students than in master’s students. In conclusion, the objective of the study was achieved.

The experiential salience of music in identity for singing teachers

Professional musicians with strong identities in music may also have a high degree of music in their identities. Accordingly, a rigid identification with work may be problematic for musicians, particularly when forces beyond their control change their work circumstances. In this study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 singing teachers, representing a subset of professional musicians, and used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the ways in which they enacted music in their identities. The framework of musical identities in action was used to interpret the findings, revealing the dynamic, embodied, and situated complexity of music in participants’ identities. Music had existential salience in the accounts of nine participants. Its salience resulted from the dynamic and situated presence of music across the lifespan, the literal embodiment of the singing voice, and the metaphorical embodiment of the presence of music in participants’ experiences. While a strong sense of music in people’s identities can promote lifelong engagement with music, if the emphasis on music is existential, the identity of a professional musician may be at risk when they are faced with an external threat to their livelihood. This is important knowledge for music educators and professional musicians’ career thinking.

Dysfunctional career thoughts and peer relationships in adolescents with ADHD

Dysfunctional career thoughts and peer relationships in adolescents with ADHD

국어교과통합 진로탐색 프로그램이 중학생의 진로결정 자기효능감과 역기능적 진로 사고에 미치는 효과

The purpose of this study is to find out how it affects students’ career decision-making self-efficacy and career thinking by devising a career education program that integrates Korean language subjects and integrating the contents of Korean language classes with career education that enables students to develop their dreams. there is. The research method is as follows.
 First, the need for career education integrated with Korean subjects was examined for the third year of middle school. Second, a career education program integrated with Korean language subjects was conceived by converging Korean language subject achievement standards and career-related learning elements. Third, the Korean language integrated career education program was applied to the 8th class for an experimental group of 63 out of 127 third-year middle school students in Seoul.
 As a career decision self-efficacy test tool, the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale-SF developed by Taylor and Betz (1983) was validated by Lee Eunkyung(2001) for middle and high school students. used The self-efficacy scale for career decision-making consists of a total of 25 questions of 4 sub-factors: goal selection, job information, problem solving, and future planning (Lee Eunkyung 2001:49).
 The Career Thought Inventory (CTI) tool developed by Sampson et al. (1996) and validated by factor analysis by Jang Seon-Cheol(2003) was used. This questionnaire measures career-related dysfunctional career thinking and consists of a total of 26 questions in three sub-factors: generalized decision-making confusion, performance anxiety, and distorted identity regarding the career decision-making process.
 The collected data was verified for homogeneity between the two groups through an independent sample t-test using SPSS 25.0, followed by a paired samples t-test. As a result, the experimental group's total pre-average score for career decision self-efficacy was 84.35 points, and the post-average average score was 98.90 points. (t=-7.644, p<.001).
 In addition, the overall mean score of the career thinking test in the experimental group was 54.21 points, and the mean post-test score was 46.84 points. (t=3.430, p<.01).
 As such, it was confirmed that the overall self-efficacy in career decision-making improved and dysfunctional career thinking decreased after the implementation of the integrated Korean language career education program in the experimental group compared to before the implementation.
 This study has the following significance. First, the career decision-making self-efficacy of students was improved through the career education program integrated with Korean subjects. Second, it reduced the dysfunctional career thinking that interferes with students’ career exploration.

Career Thoughts of Incarcerated Students

In 2018, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released the results of a nine-year longitudinal study that among 412,731 inmates released in 2005, 84% of them were rearrested. This high recidivism rate shows a clear need for reentry intervention to reduce these rates. A key part of reentry intervention should include career readiness, which helps individuals attain skills and education that are congruent to the skills needed in the labor force. Providing career assistance and interventions to those entering the workforce is understanding an individual’s desire and motivation in career and education, and negative career thoughts predict job attainment and satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the career thoughts of incarcerated students and determine if intersections of their identities effect their career thoughts using the Career Thoughts Inventory and demographic information. The intersections examined include (a) re-offense, (b) disability status, (c) education level, and (d) employment experience. This study focuses on investigating the career thoughts of incarcerated students at a technical college serving only incarcerated adults. Results of this study indicate that these intersections do not have a significant difference with incarcerated students’ career thoughts.

The relationships among the big 5 personality factors and negative career thoughts

AbstractCollege students may present with career concerns that are interrelated with personality and psychological factors. Various authors have highlighted the need for career practitioners to take a holistic approach with clients seeking assistance. This research examined the intersection of personal and career characteristics, specifically personality and negative career thoughts. A total of 128 undergraduate students in five career course sections completed the NEO‐Five Factor Inventory and the Career Thoughts Inventory. A hierarchical multiple regression showed that 27.1% of the variability in negative career thoughts was explained by the combined effect of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Personality factors had significant moderate correlations with specific aspects of negative thinking, including Decision‐Making Confusion (DMC) and Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. Commitment Anxiety (CA) was significantly correlated with Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. We discuss how the findings highlight the intersection of career and personality factors, and the implications for theory, practice, and future research

일반계 고등학생의 불확실성에 대한 인내력 부족과 진로미결정 관계에서 역기능적 진로사고 매개효과 검증

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty, career indecision, and dysfunctional career thinking in ordinary high school students, and to verify the mediating effect of dysfunctional career thinking in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and career indecision. Methods: Research data were collected from 443 high school students in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea, and the data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro (Model=4) of Hayes (2022), which is a method of verifying mediating effects using bootstrapping. Results: The research results are as follows: First, there was a significant correlation between intolerance of uncertainty, career indecision, and dysfunctional career thinking of high school students. The higher intolerance of uncertainty, the higher dysfunctional career thinking, and the higher dysfunctional career thinking, the higher career indecision. Second, dysfunctional career thinking showed a complete mediating effect in the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and career indecision. Conclusion: The above research results suggest that not only intolerance of uncertainty, but also educational and counseling interventions that can correct dysfunctional career thinking in a desirable direction are needed to resolve career indecision of high school student.

Moderating role of Negative Career Thoughts in the Relationship between Motivation and Burnout in Portuguese Dual Career Athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motivation and burnout among Portuguese dual career athletes, and moderating role of negative career thoughts in the relationship between both. A total of 187 student-athletes, playing various sports, participated in the study and completed questionnaires on motivation, burnout and negative thoughts about their careers. Moderation effects were tested using linear regression models. The results indicated that there was a negative association between motivation and burnout and a moderating effect of anxiety and decision insecurity on the relationship between motivation and burnout. Understanding these variables is essential for the development of career intervention programs suitable for dual career of student-athletes.

Standardized career course curriculum: Effects on negative career thoughts

AbstractCollege students today face numerous pressures, which complicate a student's career decision‐making process and make it imperative that career development practitioners utilize interventions that are empirically proven to enhance outcomes related to career development. This study examines a theoretically based career course and assesses negative career thoughts and metacognitive knowledge of students at the beginning and end of the course. Rooted in cognitive therapy theoretical concepts, cognitive information processing theory highlights how negative thoughts can have a detrimental impact on one's behavior and emotions. The best‐fitting mixed linear model with random intercepts for 78 students with complete data observed significant improvements in negative career thoughts without being differentially impacted by instructor effects. Additionally, students with lower estimations of their career‐related knowledge at the pre‐test had smaller changes in negative career thoughts at post‐test. These results are unique because despite various instructors teaching, the reduction in negative metacognitions remained stable across all sections.

Changes in Career Thinking and Work Intentions Among Family Medicine Educators in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study examined the attitudes and perceptions of family medicine educators with regards to COVID-19's impact on both career thinking and work intentions. We surveyed 949 Family Medicine educators and practicing physicians as part of the 2021 Council of Academic Family Medicine's (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) survey. Changes in thinking about their nonwork lives (P < .001, OR = 2.82), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 2.07), along with recent changes to the educator job that are perceived as less enjoyable (P < .001, OR = 1.31), are associated with career thinking changes. Perception of being treated fairly (P = .002, OR = 0.83), changes in thinking about nonwork lives (P = .003, OR = 1.29), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 1.65), and recent less enjoyable changes to the educator job (P < .001, OR = 1.26), are associated with an intent to reduce work hours. Perception of being treated fairly (P < .001, OR = 0.81), changes in life priorities (P < .001, OR = 1.31), recent work changes that are less enjoyable (P < .001, OR = 1.38), and workload increases (P = .02, OR = 0.87), are associated with increased thoughts of doing something different in 5 years. Older participants were more likely to intent to reduce hours (P < .001, OR = 1.05) and have increased thoughts of doing something different in 5 years (P < .001, OR = 1.04). Meanwhile, women were more likely to experience career thinking changes (P = .02, OR = 1.42). Our findings suggest that the career thinking and work intentions of family medicine educators have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. There may be consequences for how they think about and approach their careers and jobs in the future. Additional research is needed to determine what these actual consequences mean. In addition, employers should carefully assess these types of changes, identify which educator subgroups they may affect the most, and act accordingly, particularly in areas like recruitment and retention.

대학생의 진로결정자기효능감이 역기능적 진로관여사고와 진로스트레스에 미치는 효과

Objectives This study was conducted with the purpose of examining how college students' career decision self-efficacy affects dysfunctional career involvement thinking and career stress, and whether there is a mediating effect on career adaptability in this process. Methods For data collection, 248 university students from city D were sampled and a survey was conducted. In the process where the independent variable, career decision self-efficacy, affected the dependent variables, dysfunctional career thinking and career stress, the effect of career adaptability, a mediating variable, was verified. To analyze the mediating effect of career adaptability, SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 were used to analyze the data, and Hayes' Bootstrapping method was used to verify the mediating effect. Results The self-efficacy of career decision-making of college students showed a negative correlation with dysfunctional career involvement thinking and career stress, and a positive correlation with career adaptability. It was confirmed that the higher the career decision self-efficacy, the lower the level of dysfunctional career involvement thinking and career stress. It was confirmed that there was a mediating effect of career adaptability on career stress. As a result of analyzing the gender difference between male and female students on the mediating effect of career adaptability, it was found that male students had a higher mediating effect than female students. Conclusions Career experts should explore strategies to reduce dysfunctional career involvement thinking and career stress that hinder college students from displaying their career competencies. In the career education department and career counseling field of college students, it is necessary to try to change the cognitive factors suitable for the developmental stage of college students, and a microscopically differentiated career counseling approach should be taken in consideration of gender differences. In the current difficult and complex career environment, the direction of assistance from career experts was suggested so that college students can maximize their career adaptability and improve their sense of career efficacy.

The Impact of Racial Trauma on Black Students’ College and Career Outcomes: An Antiracist Approach

Black students experience a unique form of pervasive trauma based on their racial identity. Discrimination—a social determinant of health (Social determinants of health)—results in racial trauma that negatively affects students’ college and career outcomes, such as career adaptability, career thoughts, career decision making, and postsecondary attainment. We share recommendations for school counselors to adopt an antiracist and trauma-informed approach to implementing career development interventions that address SDOH-related challenges for Black students.

Understanding the musical identity and career thinking of postgraduate classical music performance students

The classical music sector faces an urgent challenge as increasing numbers of performance graduates struggle to establish themselves as full-time professional musicians. In part, this situation relates to narrow higher music education curricula that do not sufficiently prepare musicians for the precarious and nonlinear careers that characterize music work. The study reported here employed Version 1 of the Musical Identity Measure (MIMv1) together with three open-ended questions to explore student musicians’ motivations to engage in music and their career-related meaning-making. A lexicometry analysis based on Bayesian statistics was applied to six psychological and environmental areas identified in MIMv1: (1) resilience and adaptability, (2) approach to learning, (3) emotional attachment, (4) social factors, (5) music and self, and (6) career calling. Results indicate that postgraduate classical music performance students have a strong musical calling and emotional attachment to music. They also recognize the importance of identifying themselves as learners to thrive in the profession, and they accept that the development of social capital, resilience, and adaptability needs attention both during their studies and during their professional life. The article presents recommendations for higher music education and identifies potential risks related to strong identification with music.

The Effectiveness of Strengths-based Career Counseling on Career Exploration, Self-efficacy and Dysfunctional Career Thoughts in Unemployed Female Graduates

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of strengths-based career counseling on career exploration, career self-efficacy and dysfunctional career thoughts regulation among unemployed graduates. Methods: study was a quasi-experimental research with a pre-post-follow up design and a control group. Research population consisted of all unemployed female graduates in city of Islamabad Gharb in 2018. Convenient sampling method was employed and through inclusion criteria, 28 individuals were selected and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (14 in each group). The intervention involved four 90-minute weekly sessions using strengths-based career counseling. The control group did not receive any intervention. Career exploration survey, career self-efficacy scale and dysfunctional career thoughts scale were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA statistical method. Findings: The results showed that there is a significant difference at the post-test stages between experimental and control group in career exploration (P &lt;0.001; F = 68.66; P &lt;0.001; F = 102.99), career self-efficacy (P &lt;0.001; F = 34.31; P &lt;0.001; F = 47.94) and dysfunctional career thoughts (P &lt;0.001; F = 7.89; P &lt;0.001; F = 88.22). Also this difference is stable over the time, at the follow up in three month. Conclusion: It is recommended that executive directors and education officials conduct strengths-based career counseling for students on a large scale.