Career Intervention Considerations for Unwed Young Black Mothers in the United States

Teen pregnancy among unwed young Black mothers is still an issue of concern in the United States. Black teen mothers face educational, economic, and career/vocational challenges. This article discusses integrating Gottfredson's (1981) career theory and the Outline for Cultural Formulation ( American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ) in career development counseling with young Black mothers.     

Male Veterans' Perceptions of Midlife Career Transition and Life Satisfaction: A Study of Military Men Transitioning to the Teaching Profession

Members of Troops to Teachers (N = 102 male veterans) were surveyed regarding their career transition experiences and life satisfaction. Primary themes related to career transition included preparation for transition, investment vs. sacrifice, and rewards of new career. Primary themes related to life satisfaction included helping and serving others, accomplishment, and contentment vs. struggle.     

College Students' Judgments and Perceptions of Persons with AIDS From Different Risk Groups

In this analog study, 104 female and 75 male undergraduate students in the United States read 1 of 8 vignettes that described a person who had just received positive HIV antigen results. The vignettes were identical except for the sex of the person described and his or her risk-group membership (gay, heterosexual, injection-drug user, or hemophiliac). After reading the vignette, the participants completed questionnaires assessing (a) responsibility, blame, and personality characteristics of the person described in the vignette; and (b) their own homophobia and knowledge about AIDS. Results revealed that homophobia was a significant covariate that affected participants' perceptions of the person in the vignette. with homophobia as a covariate, the hemophiliac was judged the least harshly, followed by the heterosexual person, the gay person, and the injection-drug user. No gender differences were revealed. The injection-drug user was evaluated the most negatively on the personality characteristics; the other 3 groups were rated similarly. Analyses without homophobia as a covariate revealed significant gender differences, suggesting that prior research findings of gender differences on perceptions of persons with AIDS may be attributable more to differential levels of homophobia than to gender of the rater.     

Searching for the Self: An Identity Control Theory Approach to Triggers of Occupational Exploration

Identity control theory researchers have found evidence for two processes of identity development (identity defense and identity change) and have theorized a third process (identity exploration). College students (N = 123) self-rated as high or low in occupational identity certainty and importance received self-discrepant feedback to induce identity disturbance, and dependent measures of identity defense, identity change, and identity exploration were obtained. As predicted, high certainty about identity standards led to identity defense, while low certainty led to identity change. Although an interaction between certainty and importance was hypothesized to predict identity exploration, results showed that the two operated independently. Low certainty predicted exploration of additional occupational areas, whereas high importance predicted exploration of self, environment, and additional occupational areas.     

Narrative counselling with a young engineer

This case study applied a narrative approach to develop the sense of self as a career resource for a young male engineer in his first working year. The participant client attended eight sessions lasting 60 to 90 minutes each over a period of five months. The case sessional data were thematically analysed. Following the intervention, the participant displayed career strengths of willingness to deal with challenges, enhanced adaptability strategies and volition to elect preferred work setting. He also displayed an enhanced future orientation. Narrative counselling appeared to support career adaptability development.     

Work-to-family enrichment: Influences of work resources,work engagement and satisfaction among employees within the South African context

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of work resources, work-to-family enrichment, engagement and job satisfaction among employees in the South African context. Data were collected from 627 participants (females=67%, Afrikaans or English speakers=81.8%). The analysis utilised multiple regression analysis to predict work resources and work-to-family enrichment dimensions from work engagement dimensions, job satisfaction and career satisfaction. In the multiple regression analyses, work-related development opportunities, work autonomy and work-family affect were significant predictors of work vigour. Furthermore, work-related development opportunities, work autonomy, work-family affect and work-family perspectives were significant predictors of work dedication, job satisfaction and career satisfaction. Results support the idea that participation in one role may enrich the quality of life in the other role and provides a more comprehensive understanding of the positive side of the work/family interface.     

Factors Impacting on Career Choices of Technikon Students From Previously Disadvantaged High Schools

Career development is a socially constructed process involving complex interactions among different structures, forces, and systems all constituting spheres of influence. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence career decisions. Eighty respondents (40 males and 40 females with mean age of 22 years) participated in the study. Results revealed that family variables of parental high expectations of children and appropriate communications within the family, as well as factors such as prestige statuses of some occupations, school curricular subjects, academic performance, teacher influences, and peer pressure had strong positive influences on career choices. Barriers to career choices identified included finance, lack of appropriate information, poor academic performance, and unsatisfactory career counseling services. Results suggest need for a better approach to career education in schools and counseling services that are adaptive to social, economic, and cultural contexts.     

Development of a Post-Modern Career Interest Questionnaire for South-African School Settings

The study explored the potential value and viability of an interest narrative (questionnaire) in terms of its psychometric properties and by comparing it with a commonly administered (positivist) career interest questionnaire. Participants were 159 boys and 183 girls, mean ages were 17.87 (males) and 17.41 (girls), SD (males) = 1.63, SD (females) = 1.70. In the first phase, four provinces were selected purposively: one urban and three rural or semirural. Secondly, a stratified random sample of schools was selected, divided according to medium of instruction (Afrikaans/English) and area (urban/rural area). Data were collected and analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative approaches: trustworthiness, assessment-reassessment consistency and intercorrelations with the Rothwell Miller Interest Blank (Hall, Halstead & Taylor, 1986). The CIP yielded satisfactory results with regard to, inter alia, trustworthiness, assessment-reassessment reliability and intercorrelations with the RMIB, and provides psychologists with a useful instrument for the identification of interest profiles of Grade 11 learners in South Africa.     

Development of a career-enabler framework within a South African higher education institution

This study developed a preliminary career-enabler framework for use in a higher education setting. A quantitative survey was conducted with a sample of 1392 employees within a higher education institution in South Africa. Structural analysis was performed using exploratory factor analysis. The analysis yielded three enablers with acceptable psychometric properties, namely: self-transcendence, self-enhancement and self-conservation through work motives and needs. Interventions that focus on career-enablers within a higher education institution need to address these three factors.     

Predictors of student burnout and engagement among university students

This study investigated influences of core self-evaluation traits, career decision-making difficulties and social support on student burnout and engagement. A cross-sectional design was used with a non-probability quota sample. In the multiple regression analyses, self-efficacy, inconsistent information due to internal conflict and (lack of) parental support were significant predictors of exhaustion, cynicism, vigour and dedication. Self-esteem was also a significant predictor for the two engagement dimensions. In addition, lack of information about the self, lack of information about the occupations and inconsistent information due to external conflict predicted cynicism.