Susan D. Phillips

A Theory-Building Investigation of the School-to-Work Transition

This study sought to enhance an understanding of the school-to-work transition for work-bound high school students. The objective was to identify individual and contextual factors relevant to the school-to-work transition. The authors obtained interview data from a diverse sample of 45 employed young men and women (aged 18-29) who have been in this transition during the past 10 years. Using a grounded theory approach, a coding system was developed with quantitative and qualitative indexes. The authors used job satisfaction and occupational choice congruence as subjective and objective means of capturing an adaptive school-to-work transition. Initial correlational analyses were conducted with quantitatively derived variables to provide a framework for qualitative analyses. Qualitative analyses of participant narratives revealed several individual and contextual factors that characterize the adaptive school-to-work transition. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for career development theory as well as some propositions to guide future inquiry in this area.

Making Career Decisions in a Relational Context

The authors describe the results of a discovery-oriented investigation in which they examined the role of relationships in career decision making. Using the responses of 58 young adults who were asked about their real-life career decision making in the course of the transition from school to work, the authors performed a qualitative analysis that addressed questions about the ways in which others are involved in individual decision making. Their analysis suggested 18 different categories and three overarching themes that show the ways in which others involve themselves (Actions of Others), are invoked by the decider (Recruitment of Others), or are excluded from an individual’s deliberations (Pushing Others Away). Examples of each category and theme are provided. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for existing career decision-making style taxonomies, for counseling practice, and for future research and theory.

Individual and contextual factors in career exploration

Abstract Drawing from theoretical propositions about the nature of career exploration and career decision making, this study sought to identify individual and contextual factors that might contribute to exploratory activity in late adolescence. Specifically, differences in vocational decision-making style and contextual anxiety were proposed to account for variability in exploration of the self and the environment. Measures of vocational decision-making style, contextual anxiety, and exploratory activity were administered to 148 undergraduates (mean age = 18.52), and a canonical analysis was employed to examine the relationships between the individual and contextual factors, and exploratory activity. One significant canonical root was extracted, which accounted for 27% of the variance between canonical composites. This root suggested that individuals who rely upon thinking-oriented approaches to decisions and who experience stress with regard to the specific tasks of exploration are likely to engage in exploration of the environment, and to a somewhat lesser extent, the self. The results were related to theory, research, and practice on the role of individual and contextual factors in career exploration.

Career exploration in adulthood

Abstract The study described was designed to examine career exploration in the adult years, as seen from the perspective of decision-making behavior. Using conceptual models provided by H. B. Gelatt ( Journal of Counseling Psychology , 1962 , 9 , 240–245) and D. V. Tiedeman ( Personnel and Guidance Journal , 1961 , 40 , 15–21), two research questions were posed: (1) To what extent does exploration occur prior to more terminal career behaviors? and (2) To what extent are exploratory and terminal career decision modes interdependent? These questions were addressed by examining the series of decisions made by 95 subjects over a period of 18 years. The results supported the expectation that decisions made at earlier stages of development are more likely to be of an exploratory nature and that decisions made at later stages are more likely to be of a terminal nature. In addition, support was found for the hypothesis that decision-making strategies at various stages of development are interdependent.

Decision Making Styles and Progress in Occupational Decision Making.

Abstract This study provides a reexamination of the role of different decisional strategies in facilitating progress in occupational decision making. Although the assumptions that a rational decision making style is the preferred mode of vocational functioning has been endorsed in a variety of career theories and interventions, there has been conflicting evidence about the validity of this assumption. To examine the role of different decisional approaches in the progress of making an occupational decision, the rational, intuitive, and dependent decision making style scores of 71 undergraduate students were used to predict progress in occupational decision making. The results of the regression analyses failed to provide support for the assumption that a rational style is the most effective in accomplishing this careerrelated task, but indicated strong support for the conclusion that the use of dependent decisional strategies is damaging, particularly in early stages of the decisional process.

Decision-making style and vocational maturity

Abstract This study examines the relationship between decision-making style, scholastic achievement, and vocational maturity for college students. A positive relationship between a rational decision-making style and the multifaceted construct of vocational maturity has been inherent in much theory and has provided the basis for most practice. The hypothesized relationship between rationality and attitudinal and cognitive maturity was not supported by the results reported here. Only a combination of the scholastic achievement variable and a lack of dependent decision style was found to be even moderately predictive of vocational maturity. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Career development of special populations: A framework for research

Abstract In view of the recent interest in the career behaviors of diverse groups of individuals, this article presents a model for conducting research on the career development of special populations. Available research paradigms are reviewed in terms of their potential impact on such efforts. An alternative framework, designed to make maximum use of available data sources while minimizing potential theoretical bias, is offered. An illustration of research conducted within the recommended framework is presented in which the impact of a variety of career-related variables on the attitudinal and cognitive aspects of vocational maturity is examined from the perspective of two special population groups, disabled and disadvantaged college students. Drawing upon previous research findings, variables under consideration included level of scholastic achievement and endorsement of rational, intuitive, and dependent decision-making styles. Also included were two population-specific variables related to the characteristics of membership in each of the two special groups. The regression analyses conducted to explore the relationships between vocational maturity and these predictor variables indicate, in general, that variance in the attitudinal and cognitive factors of vocational maturity can be at least partially explained by the variables considered. However, the relative contributions of the predictors and the resulting proportions of variance explained differs according to which population and which criterion factor is under examination. These findings are compared with those emerging from previous research, and implications for future efforts are discussed.

Career Development and Vocational Behavior, 1987: A Review.

Abstract This article contains a review of literature relevant to career development and vocational behavior available during 1987. The two major review segments (vocational choice and career development, and vocational behavior in organizations) cover the literature on theory, research, and practice related to the individual and his or her preparatory and actual work experiences. Concluding comments on the reviewed literature and recommendations for future research are provided.

A factor analytic investigation of career decision-making styles

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity of the decision-making style scales of the Assessment of Career Decision Making (ACDM-DMS). These scales are designed to measure rational, intuitive, and dependent decision-making styles. The responses of 819 undergraduate students were subjected to an exploratory iterative principal components factor analysis. Three factors were retained as the most clearly defined, interpretable solution. After orthogonal rotation, the factor structure that emerged corresponded closely to the three rationally constructed scales of the ACDM-DMS. Although gender differences were observed at the item and scale levels, the factor pattern was substantially similar for both sexes.

The development of career choices: The relationship between patterns of commitment and career outcomes in adulthood

Abstract This study was designed to examine the theoretically predicted adult career outcomes of individuals who engage in different developmental patterns of commitment to choice. It was hypothesized, based on D. E. Supers formulations, that those who engage in increasing commitment and who do not revert to earlier behaviors would experience the most desirable outcomes in adulthood. This hypothesis was tested using an analysis of longitudinal data in relation to career outcomes at two points in adulthood. Minimal support for the hypothesis was found in combination with some findings to suggest that developmental patterns of increasing commitment may not lead to the predicted desirable outcomes. Implications for theory revision and future research are discussed.