Career development of youth: a nationwide study

The primary objective of the study described here was to assess and summarize core aspects of the career development of American youth. A nationally representative sample of approximately 32,000 8th, 9th, and 11th graders in 200 schools participated in the study in the spring of 1973. This article focuses on the study's more salient findings and presents results in terms of what students say, do, and know about career development. A major finding is the sharp contrast between students' need for help with career planning and the help they have been receiving. In general, results support the current emphasis on career guidance and career education.     

The Results of Family Therapy: A Critical Review of the Literature

A search was conducted in the family therapy literature for studied which reported on the outcome of family therapy. It was difficult to find any consensus on a definition of family therapy. Therefore an arbitrary definition, involving the predominant use of joint and family interviews, was stipulated. A total of eighteen studies met minimal standards for inclusion and were summarized and discussed in this paper. Only two of these studies could be considered adequate in their research design; the remainder of the studies were (with one borderline exception) considered inadequate. The clinical evaluations of family therapy were summarized and possible methods and goals for future research into the outcome of family therapy are discussed.     

Personal Causation Training in the Schools1

Black elementary school teachers received personal causation training and designed and implemented classroom exercises for their sixth and seventh grade classes. Results of this field experiment showed increased motivation of teachers and students, enhanced academic achievement of students and students' perceptions of being treated as Origins. The Origin-Pawn variable was found to mediate between personal causation and academic achievement.     

Organizing for group counseling

Young people who participate in group counseling need help in understanding the goals of the group because these goals may otherwise act as hidden agenda items and because they have no norms for understanding whether or not the group is functioning effectively. A three-step process described here is designed to increase member commitment and understanding of the group: first, a self-selection process, second, an intake interview procedure, and third, a discussion of sharing goals.     

WHY DO ASSESSMENT CENTERS WORK? THE PUZZLE OF ASSESSMENT CENTER VALIDITY

The finding that assessment centers are successful in making valid predictions of managerial success is well established in the literature. Unfortunately, it is not clearly understood why assessment centers work. For example, construct validity of assessment center dimensions is rarely obtained. In this paper we affirm the evidence for predictive validity of assessment centers and conclude that assessment centers can work for a variety of purposes and in numerous contexts. But we also assert that we do not know why they work. The bulk of the paper goes on to raise possible explanations for the predictive validity observed in assessment centers and raises implications for practice and guidance of future research.     

WRITING UNDER THE INFLUENCE: SCIENCE VERSUS FICTION IN THE ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE ALCOHOLISM PROGRAMS

This paper examines the development and reporting of knowledge about employee alcoholism programs. It argues that specialists in this field frequently have overstated both the severity of the problem and the effectiveness of rehabilitative measures. Their claims are compared with evidence from the limited body of systematic research on this topic.     

ATTRIBUTIONS FOR THE POORLY PERFORMING BLACKJACK DEALER: IN THE CARDS OR INABILITY?

This study examined the effects of task and supervisory experience on causal attributions and recommendations for corrective action following poor performance. One hundred twenty subjects employed in a casino reviewed an evaluation form describing the poor performance of a blackjack dealer in the casino. Subjects included first-and second-level supervisors with task and supervisory experience, dealers with task experience only, and employees with neither task nor supervisory experience. Subjects were told that the dealer being evaluated had 2, 6, or 12 months of task experience. Results indicate that task and supervisory experience did affect attributions to specific causal factors; however, the effects were not consistently in the predicted direction. Specifically, supervisors viewed lack of effort and poor supervision as more important and task difficulty as less important causes of poor performance than did dealers. Subjects without task experience viewed poor work conditions and task difficulty as stronger causes of poor performance than did dealers. Task experience of the ratee interacted with rater task experience such that dealers and controls differed in their attributions for employees with 12 months' experience but did not differ if the ratee had 2 or 6 months' experience. Causal attributions for an employee's poor performance were related to subsequent corrective recommendations.     

SEX BIAS IN JOB EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Issues pertaining to possible sex bias in job evaluation procedures are outlined and relevant research pertaining to these issues reviewed. Attention is given to possible sex bias in job analysis procedures, choice and weighting of factors, reliability and validity issues, and other concerns. Future research needs are discussed, with particular attention being paid to the reliability and validity aspects of job evaluation instruments.