Career counseling and career courses: process, impact and outcomes

The current study seeks to build on to the existing literature on career interventions by empirically examining possible outcomes of two of the most widely utilized career interventions, career counseling and career courses. This investigation used Critical Ingredients (Brown & Ryan Krane, 2000; Brown, et al., 2003; Ryan, 1999) to assess the components of career counseling and career courses and the relationship between number of critical ingredients and student outcomes. Critical Ingredients were also used in a separate pilot study where career counselors and students were asked to report the number of critical ingredients present in a career counseling session. Student course participants (N = 139) and counseling participants (N = 130), enrolled at a large Midwestern university were assessed at three timepoints during the Fall 2008 semester: the first 4 weeks, midterm and finals. Each participant was either enrolled in a career course or received career counseling during that semester. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the relationships between outcome variables, demographics and critical ingredients. Analyses found no significant group differences between counseling and course participants on outcome variables, but there were group differences in number of critical ingredients experienced. An HLM model was established where Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE; Betz & Taylor, 1994) scores (intercept) were predicted by race, year in school, time and number of critical ingredients experienced. The degree of change (slope) was predicted by individual error variance and number of critical ingredients experienced. This study provides interesting information about the dynamics of the change process as students experience career interventions. Limitations and implications for research and practice were also discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2010

Author dc:creator

• McClair, Vetisha L.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rounds, James
• Rooney, Gail
• DeStefano, Lizanne
• Hannum, James W.

• Counseling Psychology
• Vocational Psychology
• Career Counseling

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2010 Vetisha L. McClair

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/16813

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/16813