Comparison of 1,090 adolescents from former West Germany and 584 for former East Germany indicated that East Germans made initial vocational choices one year earlier. Timing and potential disruptiveness of family relocation correspond to earlier choices for East Germany youth. Those making earlier choices revealed more adult life-styles and…

High school students (n=64) completed the Career Development Inventory (CDI), Vocational Preference Inventory, and Salience Inventory after freshmen and sophomore years. Girls scored higher than boys on the CDI. Increases in CDI scores with grade level were not supported. Significant correlations among scale scores on the instruments supported a…

Examined impact of Medical Education Preparatory Program, structured career planning program, on career maturity scores of 61 African-American premedical students as measured by Medical Career Development Inventory (MCDI). Results revealed significant increases in career development levels, as measured by MCDI, of African-American students after…

Explored how academic major and cocurricular leadership activities influence college students' (n=70) ability to make mature career choices. Students who held cocurricular leadership roles revealed more positive attitudes about careers and enhanced abilities to look ahead when making career choices. Students with vocational majors reported better…

High school students in Korea (n=331) and the United States (n=266) completed the Career Attitude Maturity Inventory in Korean or English versions. Constructs of career maturity were similar across both cultures. Level of maturity was culture related: U.S. students had greater confidence; Koreans were more prepared. (Contains 28 references.) (SK)

A sample of students was studied from second grade (n=208) to 12th grade (n=103). The social value of their occupational aspirations increased until early high school but fell by senior year. Through eighth grade, 40% of boys and 20% of girls had fantasy aspirations, which became more realistic later in high school. (Contains 39 references.) (SK)

This study of Black high school seniors focused on the assessment of three factors: (1) the relationship between vocational aspirations and actual vocational plans; (2) the relationship between vocational aspirations, actual vocational plans, and levels of academic achievement; and (3) the major factors that influenced the seniors' determination…

Using data from the Quality of Employment Surveys, the author investigates three explanations of age differences in work involvement. Differences in cohort and job characteristics appear to be plausible determinants of differences in specific job involvement, while overall subjective commitment to the labor force may be influenced by developmental…

Examined the relationship between students' sex, class, and participation in athletics with their ability to formulate mature career plans. Students (N=568) completed questionnaires, which showed freshman and sophomore male athletes did not formulate career plans to as great an extent as freshman and sophomore nonathletes. (BH)

Assessed the validity of using systematic life history information to predict three vocational decision-making criteria in 200 college students: vocational decidedness and its two components, vocational identity and vocational maturity. Significant typologies were identified, however, results indicated that the overall construct of vocational…

Investigated the predictive and construct validity of six experimental measures of career maturity among high school students. Data provide some support for the construct and predictive validity of four of the six career maturity scales. Some technical issues and possible sources of invalidity are discussed, and recommedations are made for future…

Evaluated the effects of a career course for college freshmen undecided about a major or career, using the Vocational Identity, Occupational Information and Barrier scales of My Vocational Situation. Results suggested the course had a positive effect on vocational identity, independent of the personal characteristics of instructor or student. (JAC)

Examined the relationships between career maturity, sex, physical disability, and grades in 40 disabled and 46 nondisabled college students. Results showed disabled students were more vocationally mature than nondisabled students and female students were more vocationally mature than males. Type of disability was not related to career maturity.…

Examined the relationship between factors influencing career development and the decision-making process in 174 students. Results suggested that planning orientation will hinder or facilitate movement beyond the exploratory phase of decision making, and decision-making skills reduce the effort of the prechoice portion of decision making. (WAS)

Describes the Career Development Inventory, Form III, which provides data on its content, reliability, factor structure, and validity. Uses of the CDI in evaluation studies, in surveys for planning career education, and in individual and group counseling are discussed. (Author)