Assessment in Career Guidance: Toward Truly Developmental Counseling

The model of assessment in educational and vocational counseling is the “matching model.” It inhibits developmental counseling. A stage-theory model is proposed instead and is case illustrated.     

Initial Review of the Psychometric Properties of a Computerised Career Preference Test for Career Guidance Assessment

Psychometric proprties of the Career Preference Computerised Adaptive Test (CPCAT) (De Beer & Marais, 2010; De Beer, Marais, Maree, & Skrzypczak, 2008) are reported. Participants were high school students (n=343; males=279, females=164)at Grade 9 and Grade 11 level from a South African school district. Reliability and construct validity indices suggest the CPCAT could be of utility in the career counseling of high school students.     

Developmental Career Assessment and Counseling: The C-DAC Model

The C-DAC model seeks to implement current development theory and to use innovative assessment measures together with improved counseling methods to improve vocational and life career counseling. At this stage, the project pays more attention to assessment, partly because if one is to counsel with career maturity in mind, one must understand the developmental status of the counselee. In career counseling, facts as well as feelings are important. Therefore, in this article the authors deal with the assessment of career development in detail, treating interests (measured by the Strong) and expressed preferences as basic status data to be viewed in the light of career maturity, the salience of life roles, and the values sought in life as moderator variables. The instruments are described and their use shown in a sample profile for assessment and checking by the reader in another readily available published source.     

The Inter-Domain Model of Career Assessment and Counseling

In this article the author presents a summary of the Inter-Domain Model applied to career assessment and counseling (Lowman, 1991), which formally encompasses three major categories of variables: occupational interests, abilities, and personality characteristics. The requirements of a theory of career assessment are reviewed and the major components of the Inter-Domain model discussed.     

Computerized Career Information and Guidance Systems: Caveat Emptor

Computerized career information and guidance systems, although now commonplace, have received little psychometric scrutiny. The authors argue for examining these systems in the same way in which paper and pencil instruments are assessed. Consideration is also given to issues related to programming, technical-service problems, and staffing.     

Technology and Work: Future Issues for Career Guidance

Advances in communication and microcomputer technologies are having a dramatic impact on our personal and vocational lives. This article focuses on possible consequences for career guidance professionals.     

The Multidimensional Assessment of Career Decision Problems: The Career Decision Diagnostic Assessment

The multidimensional assessment of career decision problems as measured by the Career Decision Diagnostic Assessment (CDDA; Bansberg & Sklare, 1986) is described, and the CDDA is evaluated for reliability, validity, and factor structure with a sample of 844 students from three universities. Results supported the reliability and validity of the CDDA as a measure of psychological blocks to career decision making. Preliminary normative scores for university students are presented. Recommendations for improving the CDDA and for using the CDDA in career counseling are discussed.     

Occ-U-Sort Kit: Educational and Career Guidance Through the Library

Public, school, and college libraries have an important career guidance role. The Occ-U-Sort kit can maximize their efforts and strengthen the use of other career resources.     

The Career Concept Scale: An Assessment of Career Judgment

An assessment scale of career concepts found to be reliably related with vocational sophistication is developed. With the renewed emphasis in CETA programs for youth-employment counseling efforts, the relative prevocational maturity of those seeking our services can be an element in deriving baseline data from which the efficacy of vocational counseling services can be judged.     

Self-Esteem and Extrinsic Career Success: Test of a Dynamic Model

It has been proposed that one's self‐esteem is both a cause and a consequence of one's extrinsic career success, but empirical research examining the direction of these effects is lacking. We tested a model which examines the relationships among self‐esteem, education, occupational prestige, and income over a span of seven years during early careers. We use social identity theory to propose that self‐esteem will be affected by extrinsic career success, and self‐consistency theory to propose that extrinsic career success will be affected by self‐esteem. Our results, based on a cross‐lagged regression design, suggest that self‐esteem increases occupational prestige (β= .22), and income (β= .22), but career outcomes did not alter self‐esteem. Implications of these results for the study of self‐esteem and careers are explored. Que l’estime de soi d’une personne soit à la fois une cause et une conséquence de son succès externe en termes de carrière est établi, mais les recherches empiriques examinant la direction de ces effets manquent. Nous testons un modèle examinant les relations entre l’estime de soi, l’éducation, le prestige professionnel et le revenu sur une durée de 7 ans à partir du début de carrière. Nous nous référons à la théorie de l’identité sociale pour montrer que l’estime de soi est affectée par un succès externe intervenant dans la carrière, et la théorie de consistance de soi pour montrer que ce succès externe est affecté par l’estime de soi. Nos résultats, basés sur une analyse de régression croisée, montrent que l’estime de soi accroît le prestige professionnel (b = .22) et les revenus (b = .22), mais les résultats relatifs à la carrière n’affectent pas l’estime de soi. Les implications de ces résultats pour l’étude de l’estime de soi et de la carrière sont explorées.     

Computer-Assisted Career Guidance and Single-Subject Research: A Scientist-Practitioner Approach to Accountability

In this article the author discusses how computer-assisted career counselors can become more accountable for their services by using intensive research designs. An overview of computer-assisted career guidance (CACG) is presented, and the relevance of the scientist-practitioner model is discussed. Applicable single-subject research, including simple and complex phase changes, alternating treatment designs, and replication are presented with examples for accountable CACG counseling. If your client has changed, how do you know it? —Jerry Schmidt To understand individuals, it is necessary to study individuals. —Leo Goldman     

The Effectiveness of a Career Guidance Program With Long-Term Unemployed Individuals

A career guidance assistance program was undertaken with 58 long-term unemployed individuals, with its effectiveness evaluated through preintervention and postintervention questionnaire. Preintervention data indicated that 83% of individuals had never experienced career guidance and that 45% lacked direction in career options. Postintervention results indicated that 67% of participants believed that the career guidance process was very effective and 91% believed that they had developed more realistic expectations about career opportunities, after the intervention. Qualitative evaluations of the Intervention clustered around positive themes such as increased knowledge of self, improved direction in career goals, confirmation of own perceptions of abilities, and improved confidence. Comparisons indicated that participants were able to generate more career options with an expanded focus after the intervention.