There is a significant degree of controversy surrounding the transfer mission of community colleges. Specifically, many researchers have suggested that these institutions divert the educational attainments, and thus social mobility, of disadvantaged groups (Brint & Karabel, 1989; Dougherty, 1987, 1992, 1994; Karabel, 1972). Others suggest that community colleges provide disadvantaged individuals, who would have otherwise failed to consider a postsecondary education, with a viable path by which to attain a four-year degree (Cohen & Brawer, 1996; Hilmer, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). This study sought to determine whether the path to social mobility, via educational attainment, differed for bachelor's degree aspirants who commenced their postsecondary education at a community college, versus a four-year institution, in terms of enrollment outcomes three-years later (i.e., at a four-year institution, a selective or highly-selective four-year institution, and/or a privately-controlled four-year institution). Specifically, hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether the effect of initial enrollment location on the odds of year-four enrollment outcomes depended on student characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity, generational status, family income, prior academic achievements, and/or psychosocial factors) among a large representative sample of students who started their postsecondary education at either a community college or a four-year institution in the fall semester of 2003. Results suggest that student characteristics do not detrimentally modify the effect of initial community college enrollment on students' odds of later enrollment outcomes. In addition, the results suggest that after accounting for the effects of initial enrollment location and other predictors, the effect of standardized test scores appears to significantly increase the odds of being enrolled at a selective or highly selective four-year institution for students who initially matriculated to a community college rather than a four-year institution. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for consumers of higher education, vocational psychologists, as well as postsecondary institutions and educational policy.

The purpose of this study was to empirically support and elaborate upon an integrative theory of career development by examining the worklife adjustment and career development experiences of new Canadian immigrant professionals. In focusing on the participants’ subjective views, the study provided an understanding of the lived experiences of this unique life-career transition, and in so doing, aimed to elaborate upon existing theories of career development towards the development and empirical substantiation of a comprehensive, diversity- and culturally- sensitive integrated meta-theory of the career development of immigrants in Canada. A qualitative methodology was employed and transcripts of in-depth interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to data analysis. The central themes within the narratives that emerged were contrasted against an integrative career development theory and career development theoretical constructs, with the goal of elucidating the role and function of such constructs in immigrants’ Canadian career development. The study’s findings and contribution of a diversity- and culturally- informed, integrated, and enriched meta-theory of career development have implications for career counselling, cross-cultural, immigrant, and vocational psychology literature and practice.

The purpose of this study was to empirically support and elaborate upon an integrative theory of career development by examining the worklife adjustment and career development experiences of new Canadian immigrant professionals. In focusing on the participants’ subjective views, the study provided an understanding of the lived experiences of this unique life-career transition, and in so doing, aimed to elaborate upon existing theories of career development towards the development and empirical substantiation of a comprehensive, diversity- and culturally- sensitive integrated meta-theory of the career development of immigrants in Canada. A qualitative methodology was employed and transcripts of in-depth interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to data analysis. The central themes within the narratives that emerged were contrasted against an integrative career development theory and career development theoretical constructs, with the goal of elucidating the role and function of such constructs in immigrants’ Canadian career development. The study’s findings and contribution of a diversity- and culturally- informed, integrated, and enriched meta-theory of career development have implications for career counselling, cross-cultural, immigrant, and vocational psychology literature and practice.

Recent theoretical approaches, such the Psychology of Working perspective (Blustein, 2006; Duffy, Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2016), have emphasized social stratification and social justice, and quantitative assessments of these constructs are needed. The current study examines the development and initial validation of the Work and Human Needs Inventory (WAHNI), which assesses the extent to which individuals’ work meets several human needs: survival, power, autonomy, social connection, and purpose. Items were constructed and refined using content analysis of relevant constructs, expert analysis, and a pilot study. Exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 338 working adults revealed five factors: Provision, Purpose, Power, Autonomy, and Connection. Confirmatory factor analyses on a separate sample of 203 working adults supported this factor structure. Scale intercorrelations with the Differential Status Identity Scale (Brown et al., 2002), the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status (Adler, Epel, Castellazzo, & Ickovicks, 2000), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006) provided validity evidence. Research and practical implications for the WAHNI are discussed.

For most student-athletes, the termination of an athletic career is inevitable and coincides with graduation and transition into a non-sport career. Many student-athletes are unprepared for the transition and experience psychological and emotional difficulties that may interfere with mental health, wellbeing, and career development. The purpose of this study was to explore former NCAA student-athletes’ experiences of career development and transition into life after sport, with the aim to increase our understanding of the athletic transition experience, as well as the factors influencing the quality of transition. In addition, this study sought to contribute to practical recommendations for supporting student-athletes in transition. Using a convergent, exploratory, mixed-methods design, this study collected: 1) online survey data completed by recently graduated NCAA student-athletes (n=175), and 2) interview data from a subsample of survey participants (n=11). The online survey included measures of the constructs of athletic identity, transition quality, and career satisfaction, as well as participant demographic information. Semi-structured interviews were guided by questions concerning participants’ identity and career development in college, athletic transition experiences, and recommendations for supporting student-athletes. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data analysis procedures were guided by Creswell and Plano Clark (2017) and Braun & Clarke (2006). A synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative results revealed three convergent findings related to the overarching interests of this study: 1) Highly Salient Athletic Identity May Negatively Influence the Quality of Athletic Transition, 2) Prevalence of Suboptimal Transition into Life and Work After Sport, and 3) Need for Increasing Transition Preparation and Career Development Support for Student-Athletes. A discussion of practical implications, significance of the findings, study limitations, and future directions for research were presented.

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Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the Summer Training Program (STP) on vocational development of midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. To test this a sample of 615 first-class midshipmen and 615 second-class midshipmen from the classes of 2002-2004 completed a survey regarding their experiences on summer cruise. Survey answers were grouped into several factors derived from a review of the literature in vocational psychology. The relationship between these factors and their final warfare community preferences were analyzed using several cross-tabulations, univariate tests and multivariate models. Cross-tabulations showed that only 25% of midshipmen change their warfare community preference during the last two years at the Academy. Independent Pearson Correlation (r) showed the affect of each of the different factors on warfare community selection. Of the different variables identified: gender, academic major, running-mate qualification/experience, and ship morale were found to have an impact on the desire to select surface warfare at the conclusion of the summer training experience. The multivariate models (logit) verified that the above variables were significant in determining the choice of warfare community and also showed that observed ship morale was the dominant factor above all others in helping to form career interests. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

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This dissertation is a report on research into the development and evaluation of a career assessment and counselling procedure that falls under the aegis of the constructivist, narrative approach: My Career Chapter: A Dialogical Autobiography. My Career Chapter enables an individual to construct a holistic understanding of his or her career. The procedure facilitates an individual writing and reflecting on an autobiographical account of his or her career that is contextualised amidst systems of career influences. The resulting autobiographical text can be used in career counselling, including co-constructive dialogue between client and counsellor. The literature underpinning the research project is described with a wide-ranging discussion of issues that critically pertain to the research endeavour and essentially provide a primary base for the work. Two theoretical frameworks that exemplify constructivism in vocational psychology underpin the research: the Systems Theory Framework and the Theory of Career Construction. From the base of those two theoretical frameworks, narrative career counselling is explicated and exemplars are described. The Theory of Dialogical Self is introduced to inform the design of My Career Chapter and, ultimately, the theory and practice of narrative career counselling. The research is predominantly positioned within a paradigm of constructivism/interpretivism and the results of the studies are collectively interpreted accordingly; but postpositivism and critical ideological paradigms are present in a secondary form due to the mixture of research methods used in the project as a whole. Six empirical studies investigate the experience of My Career Chapter from the perspective of the developer, the counsellor-user, and the client-user; each explicated with two studies respectively. Research methods include autoethnography for the developer's experience, interpretative phenomenological analysis and focus group for the counsellor-users' experience, and quasi-experiment and interpretative phenomenological analysis for the client-users' experience. The studies of the developer's experience of My Career Chapter comprehensively explicate how and why the procedure was developed and emphasise the importance of reflexive science and practice. Crucially, the autoethnographies revealed a nexus of theory-practice-person which underpins the production of My Career Chapter, and critically influences the entire research project. The studies involving counsellor-users affirmed My Career Chapter's alignment with recommendations for the development and application of qualitative career assessment and counselling procedures. These studies also raised questions pertaining to the characteristics of client-users that may mediate the efficacy of the procedure (e.g., age, language ability). Studies of client-users firstly support the conclusion that My Career Chapter is a safe career assessment and counselling procedure, with minimal attendant risk of inducing psychological harm or distress. The procedure was experienced as being helpful as a tool for personal reflection, through its theoretically-derived processes of facilitating clients writing, reading, and hearing and talking their autobiographical manuscripts through in the interpretation phase. There are four dimensions of significance associated with this research project. Firstly, the divide between theory and practice has indeed been much lamented in vocational psychology and counselling psychology. Thus, the overall significance of the research reported upon in this dissertation is significant because it attempts to bring theory and practice together through a reflexive and theoretically informed research process into a career assessment and counselling procedure. Secondly, the research and development process produced a new career assessment and counselling product which will add to the limited range of techniques that fall under the aegis of constructivist career assessment and counselling broadly, and the narrative approach specifically. My Career Chapter complements other procedures. Thirdly, two of the research methods used in the project (viz., autoethnography and interpretative phenomenological analysis) demonstrated their potential as additional qualitative methods for research within vocational psychology. Finally, the research process has enabled the articulation of the Theory of Dialogical Self—from another branch of psychology—into the extant corpus of literature on career development theory and practice.