Margaret M. Nauta

A multiple-groups analysis of predictors of higher level career aspirations among women in mathematics, science, and engineering majors

This study investigated a model of predictors of higher level career aspirations among 2 groups of women: students in mathematics, physical science, and engineering majors and students in biological science majors. On the basis of social-cognitive theory, it was hypothesized that ability, self-efficacy, positivity of role model influence, and role conflict would influence the higher level career aspirations of these women. Data obtained from a mail survey of 546 students revealed that the hypothesized model provided a good overall fit to the data. In contrast to the women in math, physical science, and engineering majors, the relationships between ability and self-efficacy and between positivity of role-model influence and self-efficacy were significantly lower in magnitude for women in the biological sciences group. These findings suggest ideas for interventions designed to increase the number of women aspiring to top positions within nontraditional careers.

Women's Career Development: Can Theoretically Derived Variables Predict Persistence in Engineering Majors?.

Factors related to persistence in engineering, particularly for women, were examined in 278 upper level undergraduate women and men who, as entering students, enrolled in the college of engineering at a large midwestern university. An overall model of persistence was created by integrating constructs derived from a number of theories relevant to womens career behavior, including self-efficacy theory, expectancy-valence theory, interest congruence theory, and influences on womens career development. Hierarchical logistic regression revealed that ability, self-efficacy, support-barriers, and interest congruence each added significantly to the model predicting persistence, which correctly identified 92.6% of persisters and 62.3% of nonpersisters. Gender and expectancy-valence variables were not significant predictors, nor were any of the 2-way interactions with gender. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.

The development, evolution, and status of Holland's theory of vocational personalities: Reflections and future directions for counseling psychology.

This article celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of John L. Hollands (1959) theory of vocational personalities and work environments by describing the theorys development and evolution, its instrumentation, and its current status. Hallmarks of Hollands theory are its empirical testability and its user-friendliness. By constructing measures for operationalizing the theorys constructs, Holland and his colleagues helped ensure that the theory could be implemented in practice on a widespread basis. Empirical data offer considerable support for the existence of Hollands RIASEC types and their ordering among persons and environments. Although Hollands congruence hypotheses have received empirical support, congruence appears to have modest predictive power. Mixed support exists for Hollands hypotheses involving the secondary constructs of differentiation, consistency, and vocational identity. Evidence of the continued impact of Hollands theory on the field of counseling psychology, particularly in the area of interest assessment, can be seen from its frequent implementation in practice and its use by scholars. Ideas for future research and practice using Hollands theory are suggested.

A longitudinal examination of the social-cognitive model applied to high school girls' choices of nontraditional college majors and aspirations

This study tested a partial version of R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, and G. Hacketts (1994) social-cognitive career theory model. Among 204 high school girls who attended science, math, and engineering (SME) career conferences, the authors used a 4-year longitudinal design to predict the choice of an SME college major and SME self-efficacy and outcome expectations in college. In addition, among students who had declared SME majors, variables assessed in high school and college were used to predict aspirations to become leaders in SME fields. The results generally provided empirical validation of the model. Regression analyses revealed that college SME outcome expectations were associated with plans to become a leader in an SME field. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.

Identifying the Antecedent in the Relation Between Career Interests and Self-Efficacy: Is It One, the Other, or Both?

Social– cognitive career theory (R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) postulates that changes in self-efficacy precede changes in interests, but the cross-sectional nature of most research has precluded the examination of temporal precedence in the relation between these variables. The authors assessed college students’ career interests and self-efficacy at 3 separate times over the course of an academic year and examined the temporal nature of the relationship using a cross-lagged panel design. Structural equation modeling with observed variables generally revealed a reciprocal relationship between the 2 constructs over time, but the temporal precedence was inconsistent across time periods. The authors discuss these results in the context of A. Bandura’s (1986) self-efficacy theory and provide recommendations for theory refinement and career counseling practice.

Assessing College Students' Satisfaction With Their Academic Majors

A six-item measure of global satisfaction with ones major, the Academic Major Satisfaction Scale (AMSS), was developed and validated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a unidimensional structure. The measure had high internal consistency and distinguished between students who remained in their majors versus those who changed majors during 1- and 2-year periods. AMSS scores were positively associated with career decision self-efficacy and negatively associated with career choice anxiety and generalized indecisiveness. AMSS scores were also associated with indices of socially desirable responding, but social desirability did not account for the relationships between major satisfaction and the career decision-making variables. Implications for theory and ideas for using the AMSS in research and practice are presented.

Self-Efficacy as a Mediator of the Relationships between Personality Factors and Career Interests

Relationships among the Big Five personality factors (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), career interests, and career self-efficacy (using Holland’s realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional types for both of the latter) were examined. Among a sample of 147 college students, self-efficacy mediated four out of five personality-interest relationships that have been found to be robust across a number of other samples. The findings generally support social cognitive career theory’s model of interest development and have implications for career counselors who are working to help clients understand their interest assessment results.

Identity Status, Consistency and Differentiation of Interests, and Career Decision Self-Efficacy.

Relationships between young adults’ identity status, the consistency and differentiation of their career interests, and their career decision self-efficacy were assessed. Among 111 college students, identity status was related to career decision self-efficacy and differentiation of interests, but it was not associated with consistency of interests. In general, more advanced identity status dimensions were associated with higher career decision self-efficacy and more differentiation of interests. The findings highlight the importance of integrating identity status into the conceptualization of career development in research and practice. Ideas for future research and implications for career assessment and counseling are presented.

Separation-Individuation, Exploration, and Identity Diffusion as Mediators of the Relationship Between Attachment and Career Indecision

The purpose of this study was to test the fit of a theoretical model in which separation-individuation, career exploration, and identity diffusion were specified as mediators of the relationship between attachment functioning (anxious and avoidant) and career indecision (informational and personal—emotional). Structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables was used to examine the fit of the model to self-report data provided by college students (N = 285). The model provided a good fit to the data, with most theorized paths being significant and in the predicted direction. However, expected paths between separation-individuation and the career-related variables were not significant, raising questions about this construct as a mediator of attachment—career indecision relationships. Implications for future research and for intervention are presented.

The Utility of Career and Personality Assessment in Predicting Academic Progress.

We examined the ability of four career and personality assessment inventories to predict students’ first-year college performance and persistence. Among our sample of 677 college freshmen who enrolled in a freshman orientation course, subscales from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory, and Social Skills Inventory uniquely predicted first-year college GPA, and subscales from these three instruments and the Career Factors Inventory uniquely contributed to the prediction of freshman-to-sophomore persistence, each after controlling for ACT/SAT scores. Our findings suggest that college counseling and career center staff may provide valuable retention-promotion efforts by helping to identify students at risk for poor academic performance or attrition on the basis of commonly used career and personality assessment inventories.