Initially administered in 1961, the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) was the first paper-and-pencil measure of vocational development. The present research revised the CMI to reestablish its usefulness as a succinct, reliable, and valid measure of career choice readiness, with a few theoretically relevant and practically useful content scales for…

Vocopher: The Career Collaboratory is an Internet-based website (http://www.vocopher.com) that contains free career instruments and educational materials intended for practitioners, researchers, and teachers of career development. The instruments include inventories and tests designed to measure the processes that shape career development and work…

The relationship between specific parental behaviors and the career development of young adolescents was assessed. Regression analyses revealed that parental behaviors did relate to the career development of middle school students, after controlling for student grade level and gender. Parental behaviors tended to relate more to career…

A model for career assessment of persons with disabilities includes comprehensive evaluation of aptitudes, achievement, interests, career maturity, self-efficacy, and relevant medical/psychological information. A computerized system of skill analysis and job matching helps synthesize this information and generate potential careers. (SK)

The Career Maturity Inventory-Revised (CMI-R) and Occupational Plans Questionnaire were completed by 157 high school students. Analysis of construct and criterion validity demonstrated modest but limited support for CMI-R. Its scales were found to have low internal consistency reliabilities. The Attitude Scale, Competence Test, and total score…

Results of the California Psychological Inventory and Career Development Inventory for 200 college students indicated that planful competence in career development is related to greater realization of one's potential and social adjustment. Mature attitudes toward career planning are related to extroversion and a positive orientation to social…

Black (n=113) and Asian American (n=68) students completed racial/ethnic identity, career development, and salience instruments. Among blacks, there was a significant relationship between racial identity attitudes and life role salience domains. For Asian Americans, cultural identity attitudes were significantly related to career maturity domains.…

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of data from the Life Orientation Test Revised for 504 adolescents demonstrated its bidimensionality. High optimism was associated with high levels of career planning, exploration, decision-making confidence, and career-related goals. High pessimism was associated with career indecision, low…

A literature review on the Career Development Inventory since 1979 found support for its sensitivity and specificity as a measure of readiness to make educational and vocational choices. Research is needed on its predictive validity. Revision should address increasing the reliability of the two cognitive scales. (63 references) (SK)

The Career Decision Making Self Efficacy Scale is based on self-efficacy and career maturity theories and research showing the strong relationship of career self-efficacy to career indecision. The scale is useful in designing and evaluating education and counseling interventions intended to increase perceptions of self-efficacy. (SK)

College freshmen were divided into three groups: (1) 28 completed the Self-Directed Search and attended a 50-minute career exploration workshop based on it; (2) 28 completed the Career Decision-Making System-Revised (CDM-R) and attended a similar workshop; and (3) 28 were controls. CDM-R significantly increased knowledge of decision-making…

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…

The Career Maturity Inventory was revised in 1995 using previously unpublished longitudinal data for item selection. The new inventory has 25 attitude and 25 competence items, each yielding a score that measures degree of career maturity of conative and cognitive variables, respectively. (SK)

The Cognitive Vocational Maturity Test-Duties subtest was completed by 180 12th graders and 172 11th graders (who were retested in 12th grade). Their teachers rated appropriateness of 11th graders' career choices. Test scores correlated significantly with teacher ratings, grade point average, and planned educational level, but not with…

Urban (n=51) and rural (n=43) high school seniors completed measures of career maturity and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE). Career development attitude was the most significant predictor of CDMSE. Rural seniors scored significantly higher on career development knowledge. (SK)