Development and Initial Validation of the Career Decision-Making Ambiguity Scale

The dual-process theory of career decision-making (DTC) adds to the conversation about understanding and facilitating career decision-making from a more realistic and inclusive perspective and highlights the joint operation of decision ambiguity and ambiguity management strategies in career decision-making. However, a psychometrically sound measure of decision ambiguity is lacking. Thus, the current study used two samples of U.S. college students to develop and initially validate a measure of decision ambiguity (CDMA). Study 1 ( n = 195) developed the CDMA and found initial evidence for a unidimensional structure. Study 2 ( n = 271) cross-validated the unidimensional structure of the CDMA and supported the convergent, discriminant, concurrent, and incremental validities of the CDMA. Specifically, the results supported (1) the differential associations of the CDMA with need for information and with neuroticism/negative affectivity, lack of readiness, and interpersonal conflicts, (2) the positive association between the CDMA and choice/commitment anxiety, and (3) the incremental predictions of the CDMA for career decidedness, career certainty, and major satisfaction over and beyond need for information. Therefore, the current study offers a psychometrically sound measure of decision ambiguity, which has potential to facilitate the scientific inquiry and social justice application of the DTC.

Viewing the Joint Operation of Five Major Decision Difficulties Within the Dual-Process Theory of Career Decision-Making

While research has identified a five-factor model of career decision-making difficulty based on meta-analytical evidence and cross-cultural comparison, the field lacks an elaborated theoretical account of the joint operation of the five decision difficulties. The current study drew on the dual-process theory of career decision-making (DTC) to examine the interplay of the five decision difficulties in predicting career decidedness in the Chinese context. Study 1 developed and validated measures of decision ambiguity, advance in narrowing down, and career decidedness in a sample of Chinese college students ( n = 180). Study 2 examined the structural model using another sample of Chinese college students ( n = 408). Focusing on the relations of the five major decision difficulties to career decidedness, the results did not support the standalone mechanism of confusion management but supported the standalone mechanism of ambiguity management. Additionally, the results supported the crossover mechanism from confusion management to ambiguity management and the crossover mechanism from ambiguity management to confusion management. The results not only shed light on the role of each difficulty but also offer evidence for the interplay of key DTC macro elements. The practical implications based on the joint operation of the five decision-making difficulties are discussed.