Kevin R. Kelly

Emotional and Personality-Related Aspects of Career-Decision-Making Difficulties

This research focuses on developing a theoretical framework for analyzing the emotional and personality-related aspects of career-decision-making difficulties. The proposed model is comprised of three major clusters: pessimistic views, anxiety, and self-concept and identity. In Study 1, the Emotional and Personality Career Difficulties Scale (EPCD) was developed, refined, and used to empirically test the model with an Israeli Internet sample (N = 728). Study 2 (N = 276) provided evidence for the cross-cultural validity of the proposed model, using an American college student sample. The relations between the cognitive and emotional components of career-decision-making difficulties are discussed, and theoretical, research, and counseling implications are explored.

Academic and Social Self-Concepts of Gifted, General, and Special Students.

no appreciable differences regionally. 4. There are no appreciable differences in the admission policies and practices of residential schools for the deaf by type of governance. 5. Local school districts playa major role in the admission process. Unless the referral is from the local school district, 53% of the schools do not accept students for admission. 6. The data reported in this study revealed that parents are included, as required by P.L. 94-142, in placement, individualized education plan development, and related decisions for students admitted. 7. State-operated residential schools for the deaf retain a high degree of autonomy in decisions to admit or deny admission to a prospective student. The authority to deny admission is established in policy in 70% of the residential schools included in this study.

Specialized Counseling Services for Gifted Youth and Their Families: A Needs Assessment

Although many authors have recommended counseling for the gifted (Colangelo, 1991; Kerr, 1986; Silverman, 1993b), little research has been done to find out what types of counseling services parents, teachers, and counseling professionals believe to be most beneficial to the development of gifted and talented individuals (Myers & Pace, 1986; Passow, 1991; Shore, Cornell, Robinson, & Ward, 1991). In this study 335 parents, school personnel, and related counseling professionals were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the specialized counseling needs of gifted children and adolescents as part of a needs assessment for a proposed university-based counseling center. Results indicated that all groups of respondents believed that gifted and talented youth have important social, emotional, family and talent and career development needs that can best be met by differentiated counseling services; and that such services are not readily available to gifted youth. Implications of the study for the development of counseling services and the training of counseling professionals are discussed.

A profile of the career development characteristics of young gifted adolescents: Examining gender and multicultural differences

This study documents the career development characteristics of gifted adolescents. Gifted students, male and female, were found to have knowledge of career decision‐making factors typical of students several years their senior. They also were precocious in the amount of career planning they had completed. The gifted female adolescents indicated career preferences for occupations paying far less money than the careers to which their male peers aspired. No multicultural differences were evident. The implications for career counseling of gifted students are discussed.

Effects of Academic Ability and Gender on Career Development

This investigation explored the effects of academic ability and gender on career maturity. Groups of gifted, regular curriculum, and special learning needs students were compared. Level of academic ability appeared to exert a strong positive effect on career maturity. Although gender differences were anticipated, the scores for male and female groups were almost equal. The results are discussed within the context of clarifying the career development needs of gifted students.

Relation of Neuroticism and Negative Career Thoughts and Feelings to Lack of Information.

The purpose of this study was to explore correlates of chronic career indecision with multivariate modeling. We examined the effects of neuroticism and negative career thoughts and feelings on lack of information, which is one of the core elements of chronic career indecision. The sample included 310 first-semester students who had entered university study without a declared academic major. The results yielded support for the hypothesized multivariate model. Negative career thoughts and feelings explained a large amount of the variance in lack of information. The influence of neuroticism on lack of information was indirect and fully mediated by negative career thoughts and feelings. These results have significant implications for counseling for chronic career indecision.

The Relation of Gender and Academic Achievement to Career Self-Efficacy and Interests.

Career self-efficacy has been identified as an important variable in career choice and development. In this study, gender and academic achievement were studied in relation to career self-efficacy for female, mate, and sex-balanced occupations. Girls had higher efficacy expectations for some female careers and lower efficacy expectations for some male careers than boys. Girls and boys did not differ in their efficacy expectations for sex-balanced occupations. The overall influence of gender on career self-efficacy was quite modest. Achievement was found to be a more powerful predictor of career self-efficacy than gender. These findings are discussed in relation to the need to enable talented young women to realize their abilities through career achievement.

Incremental Validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Predicting Academic Major Selection of Undecided University Students

This study examined the incremental validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a predictor of academic major choice. Undecided university students were administered the MBTI and Strong Interest Inventory (SII). Their academic major choice was recorded at the end of their fourth semester and categorized as realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional. We conducted sequential discriminant analyses based on the (a) SII alone and (b) combined use of the SII and MBTI. The SII general occupational theme scales correctly predicted 45.4% of cases, which was significantly better than chance. The hit rate based on the combined use of the SII and MBTI was 48.3%, which was not a significantly higher predictive increment. Implications of these findings for career counselors are discussed.

Career Maturity of Young Gifted Adolescents: A Replication Study

The purpose of this study was to replicate previous findings of a positive association between academic achievement and career maturity in young adolescents. Academic achievement and gender were the independent variables. The dependent variables were vocational identity, need for occupational information, perceived career barriers, and range of occupational aspiration. Gifted students perceived fewer career barriers than students in the regular curriculum. There were two interactions of gender and academic curriculum. First, gifted boys expressed a greater need for occupational information than gifted girls or students from the regular curriculum. Second, gifted boys expressed an interest in a wider range of occupational aspirations than gifted girls. The implications of these findings for program development in the area of career education and guidance are identified.

A Comparative Analysis of the Interpersonal Process in School-Based Counseling and Consultation.

The verbal responses of school counselors conducting initial counseling and consultation sessions were compared in this study. Information-providing, paraphrase, closed question, and open question were the most common responses in both counseling and consultation. There were some differences in the frequency of responses used in counseling and consultation. School counselors provided less information and asked more closed and open questions in counseling than in the consultation sessions. The training implications of these findings are discussed.