Psychometric Properties of a Career Exploratory Outcome Expectations Measure
adolescence; aspirations; career; career exploratory outcome expectations; Childhood career development; exploration; item response theory; outcome expectations; participation; perspective; Psychology; self-efficacy; social-cognitive model; students
Social cognitive career theory and research are advanced by increasing attention to career outcome expectations and by applying this theory earlier in the life span. This article offers the career exploratory outcome expectations construct as a means of applying the more general construct of career outcome expectations during the childhood period and introduces the psychometric characteristics of the Career Exploratory Outcome Expectations Scale (CEOES). Employing data from 446 fifth graders and item response theory (IRT), the CEOES presents a one-dimensional structure with a four-category Likert-type response scale. Favorable results of person- and item-separation reliability were found and the scale appears to perform equally well for both genders. The CEOES also demonstrated concurrent validity through positive associations with established self-efficacy measures. The CEOES constitutes a useful measure to study aspects of career outcome expectations in childhood, and psychometric findings affirm its use in the career assessment literature.
Oliveira I M; Taveira M D; Cadime I; Porfeli E J
Journal of Career Assessment
2016
2016-05
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/1069072715580577" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/1069072715580577</a>
Emotional aspects of childhood career development: importance and future agenda
adolescence; antecedents; Childhood career development; consequences; Education & Educational Research; emotion; exploration; identity; narratives; perspective; predictors; Psychology; Social-emotional development; socialization; work
Childhood is a central period for career and social-emotional development. However, the literature covering childhood career development and the role of emotions in careers is scarce. In this article, we advocate for the consideration of emotions in childhood career development. Emotional aspects of children's career exploration, key-figures and interests, as well as of childhood antecedents of lifelong career processes are presented. Relations between childhood emotion, behavior, functioning and learning are also presented. Conclusions center on a call for focused study of the role of emotion in childhood career development and how such an agenda will advance the literature.
Oliveira I M; Taveira M D; Porfeli E J
International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance
2015
2015-07
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-015-9303-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1007/s10775-015-9303-9</a>
Confirmatory Study of the Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy with Children
career development; career self-efficacy; career development; childhood; measurement; Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy; Psychology; psychometric properties; social competence; validation
The social cognitive career theory suggests that the development of career self-efficacy expectations begins during the childhood period. The Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy (MSPSE) has been used to assess adolescents and adults' career self-efficacy. This study extends this research by assessing the psychometric characteristics of the MSPSE with children. The MSPSE factorial structure, invariance, and concurrent validity were examined with data from 313 fifth- and sixth-grade girls and boys (M (age) = 10.8). Confirmatory factor analyses suggested a good fit of a hierarchical measurement model. Multi-group analyses suggested configurational and metric invariance across grade levels and across gender for the low-order factors. Still, variability in high-order factor loadings was found across gender. The MSPSE was positively correlated with career exploration and academic achievement. This study supports the use of the MSPSE with children, instills future research on children's career self-efficacy, and advances practices promoting career preparedness.
Oliveira I M; Taveira M D; Porfeli E J; Grace R C
Universitas Psychologica
2018
2018
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-4.csms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-4.csms</a>
Career Preparedness and School Achievement of Portuguese Children: Longitudinal Trend Articulations
academic-achievement; adaptability; adolescence; aspirations; career development; career preparedness; childhood; exploration; interventions; perspective; predictors; Psychology; psychometric properties; school achievement; trend
Social Cognitive Career Theory suggests that students' preparedness for the school-to-work transition is a developmental process. Middle school children explore various careers, obtain feedback about their academic progress, and develop career self-efficacy and outcome expectations. These processes advance provisional educational/occupational goals. The literature has suggested articulations between career and academic development and how both vary across demographic characteristics, but longitudinal studies linking these processes are scarce. This study tested articulations between career preparedness and academic achievement during middle school years and employed gender and geographical location as potential moderators affecting the linkage between career and school domains. Participants included 429 children (47.8% girls) from northern (69.5%) and central Portugal (30.5%) followed across four occasions of measurement (M-ageWave1 = 10.23, SD = 0.50). Data was collected with school records, the Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy, Career Exploratory Outcome Expectations Scale, Childhood Career Exploration Inventory and Childhood Career Development Scale. Average and orthnormalized linear, quadratic and cubic trends were computed. Pearson correlation coefficients suggested positive and statistically significant associations between career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement average trends. Career planning and self-efficacy expectations were negatively associated with academic achievement quadratic trends. Multiple linear regression models suggested that career exploratory outcome expectations and career planning were respectively statistically significant predictors of the average and quadratic trends of academic achievement. Gender moderated the association between the career variables and academic achievement linear trends as well as the relation of career planning and self-efficacy with academic achievement cubic trends. Additionally, the geographical location moderated the association between the average trend of career exploratory outcome expectations and academic achievement as well as tended to moderate the relation between the career variables and academic achievement quadratic trends. Future research could seek to explore the role of context in shaping the trajectories and linkages between career and academic progress with a more representative sample of participants from a broader array of geographical locations. This study advances extant literature by affirming the longitudinal relationship between the school and work domains in youth, which might sustain practices aimed at fostering students' career preparedness and academic achievement.
Oliveira I M; Taveira M D; Porfeli E J
Frontiers in Psychology
2017
2017-04
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00618" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00618</a>