ERIC Number: ED381681
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1993
Pages: 31
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Differences in Career Maturity between College Students with and without Learning Disabilities.
Ohler, Denise L.; And Others
A study compared levels of career maturity between college students with and without learning disabilities and investigated factors associated with the career maturity of college students with learning disabilities. Specifically, the relationship between career maturity of college students with learning disabilities and the following variables was investigated: age, gender, academic achievement (grade point average), educational level, prior work experiences (type and quantity), socioeconomic status, severity of learning disability, and congruence. The sample consisted of 76 students with learning disabilities (all of those students participating in a special program for students with learning disabilities) selected from a public university in northwestern Pennsylvania. A control group of 106 students without learning disabilities was selected to approximate the leaning disabled sample. Following identification of the sample, the Career Development Inventory (CDI) developed by Super et al. and a demographic information form were completed by each student. T-tests and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Few differences were found between students with and without learning disabilities on measures of career maturity. Different predictors of career maturity for the two groups emerged, however. For learning disabled students, severity of learning disability and quantity of work experience were found to be predictors, accounting for 22 percent of the variance in career maturity. For students without disabilities, academic achievement, type of work experience, quantity of work experience, and gender were found to be predictors, accounting for 23 percent of the variance in career maturity. The study suggested that, because severity of learning disability had the most negative impact on career maturity, students with severe learning disabilities who are headed for college should have more rigorous career intervention starting in high school. (Contains 61 references.) (KC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A