Jae Yup Jung

The Occupational Decision: A Cultural and Motivational Perspective

This study tested a new model of the occupational decision-making processes of senior high-school students, which incorporates cultural and motivational perspectives. A theoretical framework guided the study. A refined version of a previously used survey instrument was administered to 566 Australian Grade 11 students attending a stratified random sample of 16 government high schools in the Sydney metropolitan area. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The major finding of the study is the confirmation of a new model of the occupational decision-making processes of senior high school students, that incorporates the predictive roles of idiocentrism oriented toward the future and allocentrism toward the family, and the strong mediating role of occupational interest/enjoyment, in arriving at occupational attitudes, and ultimately, occupational intentions. Psychologists, career managers, counselors, educators, and families may be able to use the findings to understand, and guide, the occupational decisions of senior high school students.

Levels of Intellectual Giftedness, Culture, and the Forced-Choice Dilemma.

This study investigated whether intellectually gifted students in Australia, with different levels of giftedness and cultural orientations, had different experiences of the forced-choice dilemma—choosing between the needs for peer acceptance and academic achievement. A random sample of 231 intellectually gifted students attending secondary school completed and returned a self-report questionnaire. The data were analyzed using factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. The study found some support for the hypothesis that level of intellectual giftedness was positively related to the experience of the forced-choice dilemma. It was also shown that those with medium-level vertical allocentric orientations toward the family were likely to be the most vulnerable to the phenomenon. Intellectually gifted male adolescents, intellectually gifted students in early adolescence, and intellectually gifted students with peers of different cultural backgrounds were additional groups identified as being at risk.

The Forced Choice Dilemma: A Model Incorporating Idiocentric/Allocentric Cultural Orientation.

This study developed and tested a new model of the forced choice dilemma (i.e., the belief held by some intellectually gifted students that they must choose between academic achievement and peer acceptance) that incorporates individual-level cultural orientation variables (i.e., vertical allocentrism and vertical idiocentrism). A survey that had previously been administered to a sample of intellectually gifted Australian adolescents was modified and then administered to a new sample of 450 intellectually gifted Australian students enrolled in Grades 7 through 12. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling procedures. The major findings of the study were that: (a) motivation for academic success and need for peer acceptance generally predict the experience of the forced choice dilemma, and (b) vertical allocentric and vertical idiocentric orientations strongly predict motivation for academic success. The findings of the study provide insights that may assist educators, psychologists, counselors, and family members to better understand, and guide, intellectually gifted students affected by the forced choice dilemma. Putting the Research to Use Educators, psychologists, counselors, and families may be able to use the model developed and confirmed in this study to better understand how some intellectually gifted students experience the dilemma arising from a perceived conflict between academic achievement and peer acceptance. The model provides insights on how specific cultural orientations of students may play a part in how the dilemma is experienced. It appears that intellectually gifted students who value human inequality and interdependence are more able to resolve the dilemma; hence, attention in this realm should be focused on those students who place greater importance on human equality and/or independence, for whom the dilemma may be a more difficult issue.

Occupational Decision-Related Processes for Amotivated Adolescents Confirmation of a Model

This study developed and (statistically) confirmed a new model of the occupational decision-related processes of adolescents, in terms of the extent to which they may be amotivated about choosing a future occupation. A theoretical framework guided the study. A questionnaire that had previously been administered to an Australian adolescent sample was refined and then administered to a sample of 566 Australian Grade 11 students attending a stratified random sample of 16 government high schools in the Sydney metropolitan area. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The major finding was the development and empirical confirmation of a model of the occupational decision-related processes of amotivated Australian adolescents, which suggested that within the context of the study: (a) social influences from the family may allow adolescents to see the relationship between making an occupational decision and its consequences, (b) occupational amotivation may be associated with a lack of decidedness about a future occupation, a non-expectancy for occupational success, and a non-valuing of interest/enjoyment in occupations, (c) those who value recognition are likely to be expect success in a future occupation, and (d) those with an expectancy for occupational success are likely to be undecided about their future occupation. Psychologists, career managers, counselors, educators, and families may be able to use the findings to assist amotivated adolescents in their occupation-related decisions.

Amotivation and the Occupational Decision: An Investigation of Australian Senior High School Students.

ABSTRACT This exploratory study investigated the occupational decision-related processes of senior high school students, in terms of the extent to which they may be amotivated in choosing a future occupation. Data were gathered using a newly developed questionnaire, which was largely adapted from a number of psychometrically proven instruments, and administered to 492 Grade 11 students attending a stratified random sample of six independent high schools in Sydney, Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The major findings of the study include the development of a new empirically supported model that relates amotivation and vocational decision-related processes. The findings may be used by career advisors, psychologists, educators, and family members to advise and assist amotivated senior high school students to make occupational decisions.

Predictors of Attitudes to Gifted Programs/Provisions: Evidence From Preservice Educators

This study investigated whether a number of cultural orientation, sociodemographic, academic achievement, and personal/personal experience variables predict attitudes toward the provision of special programs/provisions for gifted students. Surveys completed by 241 Australian preservice teachers were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses and multiple regression analyses. The findings suggest that (a) low power distance orientation, contact with gifted persons, and older age predict support for special gifted programs/provisions and (b) the lack of prior experience of an advanced/extended curriculum in a regular classroom and younger age predict the perception that special gifted programs/provisions are elitist.

Giftedness as a Developmental Construct That Leads to Eminence as Adults: Ideas and Implications from an Occupational/Career Decision-Making Perspective.

The proposal of Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, and Worrell (2011) on rethinking giftedness and gifted education has a number of implications from an occupational/career decision-making perspective. In this examination of their ideas, consideration is given to the literature in vocational psychology/career development, the emerging findings on the occupational/career decisions of gifted adolescents, and the existing research in gifted education. The new model represents a timely platform and impetus for a constructive discussion and debate on rethinking and advancing the field of gifted education.

Modeling the Occupational/Career Decision-Making Processes of Intellectually Gifted Adolescents: A Competing Models Strategy

This study developed and empirically tested two related models of the occupational/career decision-making processes of gifted adolescents using a competing models strategy. The two models that guided the study, which acknowledged cultural orientations, social influences from the family, occupational/career values, and characteristics of intellectually gifted adolescents, differed in the manner in which the various constructs that form part of the occupational/career decision-making processes of gifted adolescents were sequenced. To collect data, the refined version of a rigorously developed survey instrument was administered to 687 adolescents attending three academically selective high schools in the Sydney metropolitan area (Australia). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling procedures. The finally accepted model suggested that, generally, the occupational/career decision-making processes of gifted adolescents incorporate a predictive role for cultural orientation and an intermediary role for motivation-related values, in the formation of attitudes toward occupations, and in turn, intentions to pursue particular occupations. Some notable aspects of the model included a strong association between the valuing of interest or enjoyment in an occupation and a need for intellectual stimulation, and a negative predictive relationship between a desire to fulfill one’s potential and occupational attitudes.

The Cognitive Processes Associated with Occupational/Career Indecision A Model for Gifted Adolescents

This study developed and tested a new model of the cognitive processes associated with occupational/career indecision for gifted adolescents. A survey instrument with rigorous psychometric properties, developed from a number of existing instruments, was administered to a sample of 687 adolescents attending three academically selective high schools in Sydney, Australia. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and related procedures. The findings suggested that three cognitive process pathways may be associated with occupational indecision for gifted adolescents, all of which incorporated amotivation with the occupational decision. Within these pathways, both idiocentric orientations toward the future and social influences from the family were identified as negative predictors of occupational amotivation, while perfectionism (which was itself negatively predicted by multipotentiality) appeared to be a positive predictor of occupational amotivation. Educators, psychologists, and counselors may be able to use the findings to reassess their career guidance to gifted adolescents.

Adolescent Decision-Making Processes Regarding University Entry: A model incorporating cultural orientation, motivation and occupational variables

This study tested a newly developed model of the cognitive decision-making processes of senior high school students related to university entry. The model incorporated variables derived from motivation theory (i.e. expectancy-value theory and the theory of reasoned action), literature on cultural orientation and occupational considerations. A modified version of a psychometrically proven survey instrument was administered to 349 senior high school students attending three high schools in Sydney, Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Among the findings was evidence that: (a) variables related to allocentrism and idiocentrism directly or indirectly predict the valuing of interest/enjoyment; (b) the valuing of interest/enjoyment predicts attitudes toward university entry; and (c) attitudes toward university entry predict intentions to enter university. The final model may provide a useful framework for the provision of guidance to adolescents contemplating the decision to enter university.