Differential effects of the structure of opportunity on the development of career aspirations: A study of Project Talent participants
This study explored the role of several constructs in influencing the development of career aspirations over time; namely, the personal attributes (i.e., gender, socioeconomic status, interests, abilities, and values) cited in Gottfredson's (1981) developmental theory of occupational aspirations, and the structure of opportunity presented in Astin's (1984) sociopsychological model of career choice and work behavior. The results support the inclusion of the structure of opportunity as a construct in theories of career choice. The results also emphasize the continued importance of family of origin opportunity variables in influencing career aspirations in adulthood, supporting Astin's assertion that early socialization shapes career choices in adulthood. While the findings confirm the importance of many of Gottfredson's variables in determining career aspirations, they dispute Gottfredson's choice of socioeconomic status as one of the primary determinants of the zone of acceptable occupational alternatives. The results suggest that the zone of acceptable alternatives may be better represented by sex-type and ability level than by sex-type and prestige level as Gottfredson proposed.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign