I summarize a theoretical model of the social, cultural, and psychological influences on achievement-related choices and outline how this model can help us understand gendered educational and occupational choices. I argue that both gender differences and individual differences within each gender in educational and occupational choices are linked…

The current article replies to comments made by Lent, Sheu, and Brown (2010) and Lubinski (2010) regarding the study "Interpreting the Interest-Efficacy Association From a RIASEC Perspective" (Armstrong & Vogel, 2009). The comments made by Lent et al. and Lubinski highlight a number of important theoretical and methodological issues, including the…

As chief admissions officer at two small colleges, the author has been responsible, in part, for ensuring that entry-level admissions counselors are trained properly. He learned through trial and error, and has adapted his methods to be increasingly sensitive to the learning curve of new employees. His thoughts about training new admissions…

Describes the development and revision of the Career Barriers Inventory. Explains how the construct of perceived barriers relates to the social cognition model of career development, which states that self-efficacy and expectations play a central role in career choice. (SK)

Social Cognitive Career Theory suggests that self-efficacy and outcome expectations underlie vocational interests, goals, and actions. Counselors can use this theoretical framework to assess women's perceived career barriers and the effects of personal and contextual factors on vocational choices. (SK)

Environmental and contextual influences shape academic and career interests through their impact on self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations. Stereotypes, gender-role expectations, and peer pressure may truncate adolescent career choices, especially those forming gay or lesbian sexual identities. (SK)

This article focuses on the construct of outcome expectations. It is argued that the construct has received relatively little attention in the vocational literature. The authors define outcome expectations, trace the precursors to the construct, provide a critique of the operationalization of the construct, and propose recommendations for future…

Anchored in Bandura's social cognition theory, this framework focuses on the interplay among self-efficacy, expectations, and goals in enabling individuals to act on their career development. The interaction of sociocognitive variables with personal/environmental characteristics and school-to-work transition is described. (SK)

Counseling practices to improve self-efficacy expectations for career decision making include helping clients change beliefs by experiencing success and exposing them to successful models. Attention to personal-emotional barriers may be more effective than information-oriented approaches. (SK)

Underpinning the practice of career counsellors is a range of various theories and perspectives. The concept of self-esteem is a term frequently used by those in the helping professions and often with little regard for its limitations. This article argues that careers counsellors need to keep up-to-date with evolving theories that inform their…

Without organizationwide commitment to training programs, educators may be able to increase learners' self-efficacy to acquire desired skills or behavior. But behavior and skills will not be transferred to the job if learners have low expectations about their use or if positive reinforcement is lacking. (SK)

Suggests that educating all students entails going beyond seeking ways to enable marginalized students to engage in present educational forms. An education for homeless and minority children involves rethinking foundational assumptions about the nature of the disciplines, the purposes of education, and the role of teachers. Respecting diversity…