Article ReviewCHAN KUAN LOONGPGB 140005

Science Career-Related Possible Selves of Adolescents Girls: A Longitudinal Study

Journal of Career Development, Vol. 29, No.4, Summer 2003

Becky Wai-Ling Packard and Dam Nguyen

Mount Holyoke College

AimTo examine whether and how adolescent girls’ images

of themselves as future scientists change during their transition from high school to college.

•The career paths of adolescent girls are very complex.• young women need to have interested, efficacious and academically qualified in science • girls will value having a lifestyle and career of a scientist.• As Eccles (1994) suggested- young women weigh the costs and benefits of science participation “Is there a good fit between science and me?” “ Is it worth to pursue science?” • family relationship.

Methodology

•41 female from diverse ethnic and social economy background were interviewed.• enrolled in an intensive math and science program while in high school• graduated from high school or completed their 1st or 2nd year of college.• planned to pursue to careers in natural science, engineering, technology and applied math.

QUESTIONS ASKED

• Current career plans• factors contributed to their decision

to continue with or change their career plans.

• Significant adult relationships, significant experiences or events and their weighing of costs and benefits.

Result• 30 still pursuing science career plans, 11 pursuing

non-science career plans.

Finding….

1. Maintained their initial science aspiration over time• strong interest in the subject matter or career area.• not influenced by significant adults or programs or

internships.

2. Chose current career aspiration from an array of initial aspirations

• positive work related experience.• job opportunity or financial promise• influenced by mentor

Countinue….

3. Developed a new aspiration after actively eliminating an initial aspiration

• Negative work related experience (eg. Work hour, finance reward)

• Mentors introduced them the new ideas about alternative science careers.

4. Developed a new aspiration, usually a shift from an initial aspiration.

• Their new career aspirations are related to initial career interest.

• No positive or negative experience• Higher income• Influenced by mentors

Conclusions• Young women maintained their career aspirations

because of

- strong interest in the subject area.

- least likely influenced by relationship with role models.• Mentoring relationship influence the career development

of young women with multiple career aspiration • Girls appear to be concerned with helping others through

their career.

Suggestions

• mentors and career internship programs should be made more accessible.

Career Development Tasks of Mexican American Adolescents: An

Exploratory Study

Journal of Career Development, Vol. 28, No.2, Winter 2001

Robin L. Bullington

Consuelo Arbona

Aim

• examined the extend to which career development tasks described in Super’s model are relevant to minority group.

• role that ethnicity played in their career related behavior.

Method

• 4 Mexican American public high school students

• 2 male and 2 female

• they came from working class family and were the

first one in their families to complete college.

• they were interviewed and the interview conduct in

English and last for one and half-hour.

• 2 interview material were conducted:(a)Based on Super’s description of attitudes and

behavior of adolescents Awareness of the need to crystallize and specify an

occupational choice Awareness of contingencies Awareness of present-future relationships Having an occupational preferences and information

about that preferences How interests and values relate to career preferences Planning for occupational entry Exploratory attitudes Decision making Realistic assessment of self and of situations

(b) Issues related of membership in minority group.Understanding of their ethnicity Influence of ethnicity in educationRole of family in school success

Discussion • Schooling and planning for their future careers was

salient for all of them.• Expect that work would be important in their adult lives.• Support and guidance from their families are important. • Hispanic college students are similar to White

counterparts in terms of career aspirations and expectations.

• Did not see that ethnic as the major obstacles in their ability to succeed

Limitation• Ethnic influences in adolescent career development

are not clear.• Small number of participants prevents generalizing.

Conclusion• Super’s theory of Career Development maybe

helpful in understanding and guiding the low-income Mexican-American students.

• relationship between ethnicity and their achievement in school and career aspirations should further explore.

Career Choice Patterns and Behavior of Work-Bound Youth

During Early Adolescence

Journal of Career Development, Vol. 30, No.2, Winter 2003

Jay W. Rojewski

Heeja Kim

Aim

• examined the occupational aspiration patterns, vocational preparation, and work-related experiences of adolescents.

Method

•Analysis of the data from National Education Longitudinal Study

(1988 – 1994)

• sample of over 25,000 adolescents designed to study the

educational, vocational and personal development of adolescents.

•Focus on career-related aspirations and experiences during early

adolescence.

• three categories- college-bound (CB), work-bound(WB) and

unemployed or out of the workforce(U).

•Measure of vocational program participation and work

experiences, occupational aspirations

Results

•2/3 of work-bound or unemployed students were from low SES.

•High school sophomores in the lowest SES were 3 times more likely

to be work-bound and 4 times to be unemployed.

•Academic achievement- Work-bound students and unemployed are

similar and they are lower than college bound students

• work-related characteristics and preparation- work-bound youth

were almost three times as College-bound peers to be in a

vocational track.

• Occupational Aspirations – College-bound youth reported high

prestige aspirations.

• non college-bound students have moderate aspiration.

Discussion

Work-bound youth• Poor academic performance• Lower socioeconomic status• Poorer self-concept• Less occupational aspirations career interventions at the middle school level or later

may help students sort out some of the particular issues. SES can influence career decision-making and

attainment. Occupational aspiration are influenced more by academic

achievement Their aspirations are relatively stable from Grades 8 to 10.