Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the relative effects of participation in cooperative education (co-op) and engagement in reflection upon previous work experiences on undergraduate students' vocational self-concept (VSC) at graduation. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of graduating students (n = 1,483) from a…

Purpose: Current college students in the USA are reporting higher levels of anxiety over career planning than previous generations, placing pressure on colleges to provide effective career development opportunities for their students. Research has consistently found that increasing career-related self-efficacy is particularly effective at…

The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-cultural validity of the effects of attachment, career-choice pessimism, and intrinsic motivation on career adaptability (CA) in American (n = 198) and Korean (n = 294) college students. We hypothesized that the association between attachment and CA is sequentially mediated by career-choice…

Previous studies have provided mixed results for the effects of social constraints on career maturity. However, there has been growing interest in these effects from the time perspective. Few studies have examined the effects of social constraints on the time perspective which in turn influences career maturity. This study examines the mediating…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and components of the secondary agricultural education program. Additionally, the authors sought to describe secondary students' CDSE and career decision influences. This study's design was descriptive and relational and incorporated high…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an experiential program on the occupational identity, access, and career maturity of Black and Latino students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Data shows these students to be underrepresented in STEM fields. Student interest and access are noted in the literature to be amongst the…

Adolescents across the five years of high school (169 females and 164 males) completed a survey that identified occupational status aspirations and expectations coded into six types-- realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional--according to the RIASEC model (Holland, 1997). As the focus of the study was to explore…

Examination of the impact of gender and academic-risk behavior on the career maturity and competence of 110 rural youth revealed that females were more involved and independent in their career development and that high-risk students were less able to solve career-related problems. Addresses implications for rural career education and vocational…

This book reports on the Youth Development Study, which followed young people for more than a decade in St. Paul, MN, focusing on work experiences during high school. Chapter one, "Should Adolescents Work" discusses historical and contemporary studies, gender differences, controversies, and the cases for and against adolescent work.…

This study, based on data from the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire national survey, examined comparative differences in the quality of student efforts in various college experiences and in their perceptions of career preparation gains. The study measured responses of students (N=1,891) from four groups of vocational programs:…

The impact of learning disabilities (LD) on behavioral work styles was examined by studying 32 African American high school students (with and without disabilities) enrolled in a career and technical education skills center. Also examined were the relationships between behavioral work styles and these two dependent variables: (1) student's…