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Virginia Tech

Development of a career exploration inventory (CEI)

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive career interest inventory based on Super's (1980, 1984) Life Span, Life Space Theory of Career Development, and McDaniels' (1983) concept of Career = Work + Leisure (C = W + L). Career counselors increasingly have recognized the importance of a developmental perspective (Seligman, 1980; Super, 1983) and the inclusion of leisure as an integral component of one's career (Blocher & Siegal, 1984; Edwards, 1984; McDaniels, 1984). The results of this study produced a one hundred and twenty item interest inventory which can be used in career counseling, leisure counseling, or in a holistic approach. The Career Exploration Inventory (CEI) is an innovative instrument which measures developmental work and leisure interests from the past, in the present, and those anticipated in the future. The instrument is a self-administered, scored, and interpreted interest inventory for guided career exploration. Norms were developed for the CEI using two separate norm groups: unemployed/underemployed adults (N=104) and employed adults (N=106) ranging in age from eighteen to seventy-three. Validity of the CEI was comparable to existing work and leisure interest inventories. Coefficient alpha internal consistency measures ranged from .56 to .84, while subjects' top scores for the interest categories were consistent with their work and leisure activities 43 to 51 % of the time. The CEI correctly identified sustained, developmental interests for work (54%) and leisure (67%). Test-retest reliability measures for the eEl ranged from .80 to .92 over a three month period of time. The results of this study verified the utility of a developmental instrument which measures an individual's work and leisure interests over time. Many subjects reported the instrument's accuracy in measuring "true" continuing interests, rather than just current interests.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Education
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Counselor Education and Student Personnel Services
Department dc:contributor.department
Counselor Education and Student Personnel Services
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1990

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Liptak, John J.
Chairs dc:contributor.committeechair
  • McDaniels, Carl O.
  • Fortune, Jimmie C.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Hutchins, David O.
  • Gerstein, Martin
  • Bryant, Clifton D.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-10192005-113331
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/39987

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Liptak, John J.. Development of a career exploration inventory (CEI). doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/39987