Career Decidedness Types: A Literature Review

Predicting trajectories of vocational indecision from motivational profiles in early adolescence

BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVE AND HYPOTHESES

During emerging adulthood, vocational indecision (i.e., the inability to make coherent career choices) develops in a heterogeneous fashion, with three distinct patterns: low; decreasing (i.e., developmental or adaptative); high and stable or increasing (i.e., chronic or maladaptive). Among the determinants of vocational indecision that have been identified in past research, academic motivation is a crucial an excellent choice, since it is at school that students' vocational choices are validated or not. According to SDT, this motivation can vary both in quantity and quality, and students tend to experience more positive academic outcomes when their motivational profile is optimal (high quantity, high quality) as opposed to suboptimal (e.g., low quantity, low quality). Thus, the purpose of this longitudinal study was to verify if the patterns found with emerging adulthood students characterized vocational indecision in adolescent students, and if supported, to predict the belonging to the most problematic trajectory by using students' academic motivational profiles. We expected several distinct trajectories of vocational indecision that would differ in shape and magnitude, and several motivational profiles that vary in quality as well as in quantity. We also expected students in high-quality or quantity motivational profiles to be less likely to follow a chronic indecision trajectory.

METHOD AND RESULTS

Using data from 384 students (56% female; Mage = 13.52 years; SD = .52 at Secondary 2) surveyed annually from Secondary 2 to 5, person-centered analyses enabled estimation of motivational profile in Secondary 2 and vocational indecision trajectories during the 4-year period. Results revealed four distinct patterns of vocational indecision during adolescence labelled Low and Stable, Moderate and Stable, Developmental and Chronic Intermittent. Four motivational profiles were also identified in Secondary 2, ranging from poor (Highly Amotivated) to moderate (Autonomous-Introjected) quality of self-determination level. Also, in reference to the most self-determined profile, students in the Mixed profile were at greatest risk of following Chronically-Intermittently Undecided trajectory. Finally, the most self-determined students were at greatest probability of following the Developmentally Undecided trajectory.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the findings suggest that the student motivational functioning in early secondary school years could be used to identify students at risk of experiencing the negative indecision patterns across secondary school. Several theoretical and practical implications are suggested.

Career Adaptability as a Predictor of Job Search Intentions and Career Readiness of Young Adults in the United Arab Emirates

In this study, we used the career construction theory (CCT) to examine the effects of career adaptability resources and career adapting responses on the career readiness of young adults in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Using data from a sample of 635 senior business students at two universities, we found that career adaptability has a positive impact on two measures of career readiness including career decidedness and perceived employability. Our findings also indicate that career adaptability, as expected, predicts two relevant career adaptive responses within the United Arab Emirates context including intentions to seek “Wasta” (using social connections to help in finding a job) and willingness to work in the private sector (WWPS). We further found that WWPS mediates the relationship between career adaptability and perceived employability. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Career indecision: an integrative review and research agenda

Purpose

The current review sought to bring light to the issue of an underexplored career phenomenon – career indecision. Career indecision is a significant developmental stage in one’s career life and has been a prominent topic in vocational psychology research in the past decades. However, it has received scant scholarly attention in the human resource development (HRD) field. Besides, the career indecision literature, in general, is lacking theoretical refinement and analytical review. The present study aims to stimulate HRD scholars’ interests by providing an introductory context for understanding the richness and potentialities of researching career indecision in the HRD area.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the gap, the author conducted an integrative review (Torraco, 2005, 2016) of 60 peer-reviewed articles and synthesized the existing knowledge of career indecision. More importantly, antecedent and outcome factors associated with career indecision were identified and analyzed.

Findings

A nomological network about career indecision was provided. Besides, the results of the integrative review revealed several omissions in the career indecision literature. Building upon that, implications for HRD research and practice are presented and discussed.

Originality/value

As an initial attempt to synthesize career indecision literature, this study sought to stimulate HRD professionals’ interest in examining this underexplored career phenomenon.

A Qualitative Analysis of Career Choice Pathways of College-Oriented Rural Central Appalachian High School Students

To explore the ways context may shape career choices, we used a qualitative approach to analyze interviews with college-oriented high school students from the rural Central Appalachia region of Virginia. Using social cognitive career theory, we analyzed pathways to career choices and relevant contextual factors, using data from 24 interviews. Results revealed that participants’ pathways partially matched the model, though we also found variant pathways triggered by significant environmental influences and incomplete pathways due to variations in possible career plans. Explanatory factors included status as prospective first-generation college student, outcome expectations that included remaining local and having job stability, and an emergent factor of continuing generation Appalachian. The patterns that emerged with respect to contextual factors and career choice pathways highlight the importance of culture and context when examining how students make career choices. This research extends prior research by examining career pathways using student’s own words as data. Moreover, the patterns offer insights career coaches, counselors, and educators can use in supporting students’ post–high school career planning.

Generalized Self-Efficacy, Coping, Career Indecision, and Vocational Choices of Senior High School Students in Greece

The main purpose of this study is to examine the dimensions of career indecision among a sample of Greek high school students ( N = 848) and to classify the students of the sample in regard to their career decision status. A second objective is the investigation of the relationship between career decision status groups and generalized self-efficacy, coping strategies, and vocational interests. The results suggest that four factors contribute to career indecision: absence of structure, need for career guidance, diffusion of interests, and personal conflict. The clustering procedure indicates that the students of the sample could be classified in three career indecision cluster groups: decided, exploring possibilities, and undecided. These cluster groups differ in all four career indecision factors, generalized self-efficacy, coping strategies, and vocational interests. Results are discussed in terms of a career counseling framework.

Predictors of Generalized Indecision Among Portuguese Secondary School Students

Career indecision is a complex phenomenon and there is evidence that undecided individuals do not constitute a homogenous group. Although there is some controversy about the different types of career undecided individuals, there has been a relative consensus that simple or developmental indecision, which corresponds to a developmentally appropriate exploration of alternatives, can be distinguished from generalized indecision, which reflects difficulties in the decision-making process in other aspects of the individuals' lives. Although generalized indecision as been associated with high levels of anxiety, external locus of control, low self-esteem, low levels of psychological separation towards parents, and inadequate identity formation, studies of the construct have been limited by small sample sizes. The present study examined the contributions of the above predictors to generalized indecision with a sample of 345 secondary school students. Overall, the regression equation accounted for 50% of the variance in generalized indecision scores and trait anxiety emerged as the strongest single predictor. Implications for career counseling are discussed.

Dysfunctional Thinking and Difficulties in Career Decision Making

The present study examined the relationships between two measures of career readiness and difficulties—the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ)—as well as the relations between these measures and the individual’s degree of decidedness regarding his or her career plans. A total of 192 university students enrolled in a career-planning class filled out both questionnaires. As hypothesized, the two measures overlapped significantly. There was a highly significant correlation (corrected for attenuation) between the total scores of the questionnaires ( r= .82), but the correlations between the questionnaires’ subscales varied between –.03 and .83. Both the CTI and the CDDQ distinguish among individuals at different stages of the career decision-making process. As hypothesized, participants with a higher degree of decidedness reported lower levels of difficulties. Implications of the unique features of each of the measures for career-related interventions and further research are discussed.

An Investigation of Big Five Personality Traits and Career Decidedness Among Early and Middle Adolescents

Big Five personality traits were analyzed in relation to career decidedness among adolescents in middle and high school. Participants were 248 7th-grade, 321 10thgrade, and 282 12th-grade students. As hypothesized, Conscientiousness was positively and significantly correlated with career decidedness in all three grades. Openness and Agreeableness were found to be positively related to career decidedness for these middle and high school students. Emotional Stability was positively, significantly related to career decidedness for the 12th-grade sample. There were no significant differences in correlational results for males versus females. No significant mean differences in career decidedness were observed between the three grades. Results are discussed in terms of implications for future research and career development efforts.

Academic Advising Experiences of First-Year Undecided Students: A Qualitative Study

Often the frontline campus representatives who interact with undecided students, academic advisors receive the opportunity to offer academic support and guidance during the academic journey, which especially benefits first-year students trying to navigate this new and challenging endeavor. As a result of their unique position, advisors have the potential to influence both students' academic experience and satisfaction with the institution. This qualitative case study focuses on the advising experiences of first-year students who were undecided in their majors while attending a high-research-activity institution. Through individual interviews, participants articulately revealed how they made meaning of academic advising.

The Role of Personality in the Career Decision-Making Difficulties of Italian Young Adults

Both career-related developmental indecision and chronic indecisiveness are manifested in the difficulties individuals experience when choosing a career. Developmental career indecision is often regarded as a normal stage that many individuals undergo, regardless of individual differences in various personality factors. Testing this premise was the focus of this study. Specifically, the associations between career decision-making difficulties (Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire, a measure of developmental career indecision) and the Big Five personality factors were investigated among participants from three educational settings: 248 high school students, 167 on-the-job training (OJT) interns, and 186 university students. The results revealed that university students experience less developmental career indecision than high school students and OJT interns, suggesting that individuals’ educational setting affects the prevalence of such difficulties. However, the personality factors of Extroversion and Neuroticism consistently explained a significantly larger percentage of variance in participants’ developmental career indecision levels in all three samples than did educational setting or age. These results suggest that developmental career indecision may in fact be more personality related than previously thought.

Development and Validation of the Vocational Identity Measure

Having a strong vocational identity is a prelude to the formation of individuals’ overall identity. Hence, vocational identity has long been a variable of interest in vocational research. However, most existing studies utilized Holland, Gottfredson, and Power’s My Vocational Situation (MVS) vocational identity subscale to measure vocational identity. Due to how its items are worded, we contend that the MVS was not able to accurately capture vocational identity as a stable construct. Its dichotomous response scale also limits researchers’ attempts to evaluate its psychometric properties. To address these issues, we developed and validated a new “Vocational Identity Measure (VIM)” that utilizes Likert-type responses. The VIM seeks to measure how aware individuals are of their stable career goals, interests, and abilities. Results (Studies 1 and 2) suggest that the VIM possesses sound internal reliability, a stable single-factor structure, and incremental validity over the MVS. The scale also has good convergent validities with relevant constructs such as career decision self-efficacy and exploration. Based on these findings, the strengths and limitations of the VIM scale are discussed, and future research directions are proposed.

Career Indecision, Meaning in Life, and Anxiety

The current study examines the role of meaning in life with respect to career indecision and state anxiety in a sample of 229 university students. This article seeks to build upon the career indecision literature by examining the role of meaning in life. An existential model of career indecision was applied in order to provide a theoretical framework for the relationship between career indecision and anxiety. Measures include the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006), and the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (Ree, MacLeod, French, & Locke, 2000). Presence of meaning in life mediated the relationships between career indecision and anxiety. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that the search for meaning in life moderates the relationship between career indecision and anxiety. Future research and practical implications are also discussed.

The relationship between cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative career thoughts: A study of career-exploring adults

Orientation: Career exploration can be a stressful experience, often manifested by negative career thoughts. In this article, the factors which influence the ability to cope with negative thinking are investigated.Research purpose: This study investigated the relationship between cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative thoughts pertaining to career in a sample of unemployed, non-student adults.Motivation for study: There is a need for research which investigates the psychological factors that contribute to successful career exploration and decision-making. Cognitive ability is one such factor, whilst emotional intelligence is another whose validity is not yet well established.Research design, approach and method: A survey design and quantitative procedures were used in gathering and analysing data gathered from 193 non-student, middle-aged adults attending a community-based career exploration programme in British Columbia, Canada. Cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative career thoughts before and after a career exploration programme were measured.Main findings: Neither cognitive ability nor any aspect of emotional intelligence predicted negative career thinking change. Cognitive ability predicted overall negative career thoughts as well as decision-making confusion, but only after the programme. The ability to manage emotions, however, predicted negative career thoughts both before and after the career decision-making programme.Practical/managerial implications: The managing emotions component of emotional intelligence is significantly associated with negative career thoughts. These findings suggest that career counselling requires that the role of emotions and their influence on behaviours must be given more consideration. Industrial and organisational (IO) psychologists would benefit from engaging in programmes that train them to assist clients in becoming more aware of, and increasing, their own emotional intelligence.Contribution/value-add: The study added insights to the field of career psychology regarding the ability of emotional intelligence to predict important outcomes regarding the dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) as measured by a performance-based test predicting negative career thoughts amongst the non-student, adult population.

Career Decision Statuses Among Portuguese Secondary School Students

Career indecision is a complex phenomenon and an increasing number of authors have proposed that undecided individuals do not form a group with homogeneous characteristics. This study examines career decision statuses among a sample of 362 12th-grade Portuguese students. A cluster-analytical procedure, based on a battery of instruments designed to assess career and personality dimensions, was employed to understand the heterogeneous groupings that underlie the concept of career indecision. Three groups of career decision statuses were identified and their characteristics described. Finally, implications for career counseling interventions are discussed.

[Influence of job-hunting anxiety on job-hunting: from the viewpoint of coping]

The present study developed a job-hunting anxiety scale and investigated the influence of job-hunting anxiety on coping, number of job-hunting applications, and satisfaction with job-hunting. Questionnaires were completed by 306 college students who had started job-hunting. Explorative factor analysis extracted five factors such as "appeal anxiety", "support anxiety", "activity persistence anxiety", "test anxiety", and "a lack of readiness anxiety". Analysis of covariance structures indicated that (a) job-hunting anxiety was negatively related to problem-focused coping, the number of job-hunting applications, and the satisfaction with job-hunting, and (b) problem-focused coping was positively related to the number of job-hunting applications and the satisfaction with job-hunting. These results suggest that reduction of job-hunting anxiety and the use of problem-focused coping facilitated job-hunting.

Career Indecision Amongst Prospective University Students

With the purpose of addressing career indecision, the present study examined the nature thereof amongst prospective university students. The prevalence of specific aspects of career maturity (namely, self-information, decision-making, career information, integration of self-information and career information, and career planning) underlying career indecision were investigated, as well as the correlations between these aspects. In addition, the correlations between the aspects of career maturity and certain biographical variables such as gender, home language, declared career choice, differentiation of interests, and self-reported level of career indecision were examined. Recommendations were made regarding the content and process of career counselling for prospective university students.

The transition into work - An editorial commentary

Different research perspectives on the transition into work are presented, and some trends and shortcomings are discussed. It is argued that an orientation toward transition as a crisis no longer seems appropriate for research. Rather, various contextual schemes embedding different courses of transition and the “gradualness” in a context of life-long learning actually characterise this period. The six articles of the special issue are commented upon with regard to the study of the transition into work domain. General conclusions are summarised into eight points, claiming for example that societal events and contextual structures are important factors, that psychological attributes measured individually appear to be relatively stable whereas configurations may change considerably, and that job satisfaction is only partially determined by dispositions. The conclusion also suggests moving away from a global perspective on transition as a change, toward a more micro-behaviourally focused dynamic approach.