Role behaviors for men and women in our society are undergoing change. Research data to reveal student attitudes toward these role behaviors and choices were needed for the development of strategies to eliminate sex bias and sex stereotyping in our educational programs and ultimately in the socialization process. The purpose of the study was to collect research data to determine Utah high school student attitudes toward women's roles and non-traditional vocational career choices. The survey instrument used to collect the data was constructed, pilot tested, factor analyzed, and revised prior to its administration to the sample. The revised instrument contained 60 attitudinal statements regarding women's roles and non-traditional vocational career chokes and demographic data requests. Instrument reliability was determined on each of the factors using the Guttman Split-half. The Factor I coefficient of reliability was .91. The reliability coefficient on Factor II was .82, while the Factor III reliability coefficient was .81. A total of 23 Utah public high schools and 1,454 sophomore students participated in the study. The data were analyzed using Five-way Analysis of Variance and Chi Square programs (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The Total Attitudinal Score, based on Women's Roles and Non-Traditional Vocational Career Choices, and three factor scores were the dependent variables analyzed. The factor scores included: Factor I, Women's Place--Women's Roles; Factor II, Sex Role Equity--Equal Treatment; and Factor III, Leadership Roles. Comparisons were made on total score and three factor scores based on the five independent variables: Sex (male/female), Religious Commitment (high/low), Location of Family Residence (rural/metro), Mother's Employment Status (employed/not employed), and Social Class (middle/working). A significant difference was found between male and female student attitudes for each factor and the total score. On each comparison of the Sex variable, female attitudes toward women's roles and choices were more non-traditional than male attitudes. For comparisons on the Religious Commitment variable, a significant difference was found in attitudes between students of high and low religious commitment on total score and each of the factor scores. Students of low religious commitment held more non-traditional attitudes toward women's roles and choices than students of high religious commitment. A significant difference was found on the Location of Family Residence variable for Total Attitudinal Score. Students from metropolitan locations responded more non-traditionally toward women's roles and non-traditional vocational career choices than students from rural locations. Differences in rural and metropolitan student attitudes were not found to be significant for Factor I, Factor II, and Factor III scores. Significant differences in student attitudes were found on the Mother's Employment Status variable on total score and each of the factor scores. Students whose mothers were employed outside the home held more non-traditional attitudes toward women's roles and related career choices than students with homemaker mothers. Findings on the Social Class variable were found to be significant for the Total Attitudinal Score and Factor scores II and III. A significant difference was found in attitudes between students from middle class families and students from working class families. Students from middle class families held more non-traditional attitudes toward roles and related career choices for women than students from working class families. No significant difference was found on the Social Class variable for Factor I.

The diploma thesis is focused on career counseling, specifically on the methods that are most used in practice in counseling with primary school pupils. The thesis in the theoretical part defines key terms and concepts approaching career counseling in the context of Czech education. It deals with the target groups of career counseling with an emphasis on primary school pupils and the specifics of their difficulties in career choice. The following chapter deals with the basic theories that have fundamentally influenced the development of career counseling and are of considerable importance even today, focused on personality, career development and theories focused on social influences and their impact on career direction. The next sections are devoted to diagnostic tools used in the field of career decision-making, methods of career counseling and introduction to the system of career counseling in the Czech Republic. The aim of the empirical part is to map and describe the procedure for the implementation of career counseling and to specify the most used methods of career counseling in primary schools in Prague.

One of the earliest indications that a student may be interested in STEM paths is the students’ own self-efficacy for science as well as how they may see themselves in a STEM career as part of their science self-identity (Schlegel et al., 2019). Currently, there is a need to contribute to research that can assist agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Education and the National Academy of Sciences in advising the nation, including high schools and postsecondary institutions on ways to increase the enrollment of students in STEM-related careers. This study examined the extent to which science self-efficacy and science identity are related to postsecondary STEM degree selection, with special attention to how factors like race, gender, SES status and urbanicity influence science self-efficacy and science identity and how they may be predicative of postsecondary STEM degree selection. Correlation analysis was conducted to quantify the relationship between science identity and STEM degree selection, as well as between science self-efficacy and STEM degree selection. Correlation analysis by subgroup was conducted to examine differences in science identity and science self-efficacy between students based on the demographic characteristics. And binary logistic regression was conducted using the inputs of science identity, science self-efficacy, and demographic characteristics as variants to estimate STEM degree selection. Results of this study suggests that science identity and science self-efficacy are positively correlated with a student selecting a STEM degree. Relationships between science identity and self-efficacy with STEM degree selection among the demographic characteristics was also positively correlated. Black/African Americans and students from the lowest SES both are less likely to select a degree in STEM, while all other demographics show a positive predictive pattern. This work can be used to guide science education policy at the local, state, and national levels, and to direct science education programming in formal and informal settings including those at the high school level in ways to better prepare and encourage students into STEM careers.

The purpose of this study was to describe an appropriate protocol for developing a psychometrically sound instrument to assess perceived influences motivating graduate students to enter the counseling profession. The self-report, 124-item inventory was administered to a sample of 347 graduate students pursuing counseling as a profession. All participants responded to the inventory anonymously. A factor analysis from responses grouped scale items into six different factors, and helped condense the scale into a shorter, more psychometrically sound instrument by identifying those items with low or ambiguous factor loadings, suitable for removal. A factor analysis also identified those items most relevant for interpretation, ultimately yielding six major factors, operationalized by a variety of statements regarding various influences most consistent with students' decisions to pursue a career in the field of counseling. The literature review for this study proposes a model with four "hypotheses" of altruism upon which scale items were based. These theories identified possible motivating influences for prosocial behavior- further generalized to one's the decision to enter the helping-oriented career of counseling. This study may benefit the profession by adding to the research base on scale construction and career choice as well as offering a new inventory suitable for use with future research.

Den här uppsatsen är en kvalitativ studie som undersöker vilka faktorer som är hindrande respektive drivande hos personer som väljer ett yrke som går mot könsstereotypen. I studien intervjuas 2 män som valt att utbilda sig till socionomer och 4 kvinnor som valt att utbilda sig till ingenjörer. Dessa yrken har valts eftersom det finns en tydlig dominans av ett kön inom dessa yrken. Intervjuerna har varit semistrukturerade och har analyserats tematiskt. De teman som har framkommit är sammanhang, karriär, arbetsmiljö, meningsfullt, hinder och själv förmåga. Gemensamma drivande faktorer för båda yrkesgrupperna är ett stort eget intresse och ett stöd från omgivningen. Hindrade faktorer är att könsstereotypen inte stämmer överens för de attityder som förknippas med yrket samt att omgivningen kan uttrycka oförståelse inför yrkesvalet. Studien visar att förutsättningarna för kvinnor inom ingenjörsyrket har ändrats mer än för männen inom socionomyrket gällande könsfördelning och attityder på arbetsmarknaden. / This essay is a qualitative study that examines the factors that are hindering and driving in people who choose a profession that goes against the gender stereotype. In the study, 2 men who have chosen to train as social workers and 4 women who have chosen to train as engineers are interviewed. These professions have been chosen because there is a clear dominance of one gender in these professions. The interviews have been semi-structured, and the interviews have been analyzed thematically. The themes that have emerged are context, career, work environment, meaningful, obstacles and self-efficacy. Common driving factors for both professions are a great deal of self-interest and support from the environment. Hindered factors are that the gender stereotype does not match the attitudes associated with the profession and that the environment may express incomprehension before the choice of profession.  The study shows that the conditions for women in the engineering profession have changed more than for men in the social work profession regarding gender distribution and attitudes in the labor market.

This study was designed to investigate a phenomenon, persistence of undergraduate women in their engineering majors, from a qualitative paradigm. Guided by the tenets of feminist and inclusive research, the assumption was made that all women, whether they persist or not in their engineering majors, have strengths and insights into their own personal experiences. The experiences of African American women, Asian women, Caucasian women, Hispanic women, women from rural geographical areas, and non-persisters were investigated. A developmental life-span and social learning perspective called for an examination of factors relevant to engineering major choice and persistence from early childhood to the present time, including family background and individual factors, environmental factors and experiences with the engineering culture, and social factors relevant to major choice and persistence. Twenty-eight (28) persisters and 8 non-persisters participated in the study which was conducted at a large land-grant university in the southeastern United States in the fall of 1996. The following questions guided the study: (1) What experiences have been influential in undergraduate women's selection of engineering as a major? (2) How does the culture and climate of engineering education influence the experiences of these undergraduate women? (3) How do individual, educational, social, and environmental characteristics and strategies contribute to undergraduate women's persistence in their engineering majors? (4) Which of these characteristics and strategies differentiate between female persisters and non-persisters, in other words, what are the differences between academically successful undergraduate women who leave their engineering majors and those who remain in them? (5) How do characteristics and strategies of persistence and non-persistence compare for special populations? Qualitative interviewing through in-depth individual interviews and small group interviews was the method of data collection; participants were recruited through a purposive sampling frame as well as through volunteering and snowball sampling. Criteria for inclusion in the persisters group were junior or senior level academic standing and academic eligibility. Grounded theory methodology was the primary tool of analysis. The findings clearly demonstrated two major groups of persisters and non-persisters. One group of persisters made early decisions and stayed the course through academic preparation and hands-on experiences. A second group of persisters made later decisions based on encouragement and the structure of opportunity for women and minorities in engineering. One group of non-persisters left engineering for majors that provided a better person-environment fit. A second group of non-persisters, many of whom were pressured to major in engineering although they lacked hands-on experience, left their engineering majors for a variety of different reasons including intimidation, isolation, lowered confidence in their abilities, and personal problems. Perceptions and experiences with the institution itself and perceptions of the culture of engineering education varied depending on the career decision making process, group membership, and individual factors such as personality. Therefore, persistence and non-persistence were found to be a function of a complex interaction of individual, environmental, and social factors. / Ph. D.

This study was designed to examine the experiences of a small group of Black males in a college of aeronautical science, a major traditionally dominated by White males. The study also considered the differences in how African American males and Caribbean black males perceived and acted upon the same experiences. Through a social learning theoretical approach, the study examined the relevant factors, processes, and experiences involved in these Black males' choice of aeronautical science as a major and piloting as a career. Eleven (11) persisters and 4 non-persisters participated in the study, which centered around a premier aeronautical university in the southeastern part of the United States. Questions guiding the study were: (1) What experiences have been influential in a small group of Black males' selection of aeronautical science as a major, piloting as a career? (2) What factors outside of and previous to the collegial environment contribute to (and detract from) persistence in pursuit of completion of a major in piloting? (3) What factors in the collegial and occupational environment contribute to persistence in a major in piloting? (4) How do patterns of persistence compare for these Black males at a college of aeronautical science? Qualitative methodology included both individual in-depth interviews and small focus groups. Participants were recruited through both purposive and snowball samplings as well as volunteering. Criteria for persisters were Black male former aviation students who had already graduated with an aeronautical science degree and pursuing a career as a pilot or Black male students currently enrolled as juniors and seniors, in good academic standing. Non-persisters in this study were Black males who left their aeronautical science major prior to completion. Findings clearly indicated that a number of factors, such as family, individual, social, and environmental, influenced this small group of Black males' persistence in aeronautical science. Additionally, this study attempted to ascertain the differences and similarities in perceptions and experiences among African American and Caribbean black males. The Caribbean black males in this study did not perceive their race as having a negative impact on their persistence, whereas most of the African American male participants felt their race was a contributing factor to their non-persistence. This study provided the groundwork for the development of a conceptual model of academic persistence with implications for recruiting, retaining, and graduating Black males from a college of aeronautical science. / Ph. D.

Since the beginning of 2000 the media have often referred to the decrease in the number of teachers in South Africa. In the light of the discrepancy between the supply and demand of teachers, I have explored some factors that possibly contribute to the career choice of teachers. I departed from a positivist as well as an interpretevist approach. The research included the implementation of a First-year Teacher Questionnaire. Some career development theories are discussed as the theoretical grounding for the career choice of first-year teaching students. First-year teaching students generally have a positive perception of teaching, based mainly on their belief that teaching offers ample opportunities for potential-facilitation, selffulfilment, self-discovery, as well as fringe benefits. It seems that where negative perceptions existed, they were based on observable hindrances and personal issues. My research complements the Social Cognitive Career Theory and confirms the concern for the fact that a relatively small percentage African language-speaking students, especially males, choose teaching as a field of study / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with choosing mental health nursing as a career, and to explore the possible ways of improving recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. Quantitative, explorative descriptive research was conducted. Data collection was done by using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Three groups participated in the study: practicing mental health nurses (n=10), post-basic mental health nursing students (n=10) and final year basic nursing students (n=184). The findings revealed that basic nursing students do not intend to pursue a career in mental health nursing, and that there is an aging population of mental health nurses. The barriers to the mental health field include stigma, a poor working environment and inadequate career guidance. Marketing, policy and regulatory reforms, as well as positive work environments have been identified as strategies for improving the recruitment and retention of mental health nurses in Kenya. / Health Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Health Studies))

The present study investigates through five in depth interviews high-school teachers thoughts about students choices and selecting choices, what teachers believe shapes and affects students educational and occupational choices, and also, how these choices according to the teachers should go to. The underlying reasons for the topic and purpose of the study are based on reports done by The Swedish Schools Inspectorate (2013:5) showing that teachers find it difficult to integrate guiding interventions in the regular pedagogy, actions the Swedish Education Act say they has a responsibility to take on. The result in this study shows that teachers believe that students choices are formed in relation to the knowledge and information they obtain in different social contexts and in relationships with others close, like friends and parents. However, the teachers don’t believe that all students have an accurate picture of the reality, which can lead to wrong choices. Wrong choices are characterized by getting influenced by other close, like choosing as their friends, and or base their choices on inadequate knowledge about what pathways and occupations really contains and means. Students choices should be, according to the teachers, characterized by choosing in relation to their own abilities, interests and actual will, and especially be based on accurate knowledge about how the reality actually works. / I föreliggande studie undersöks genom fem kvalitativa intervjuer hur lärare i grundskolans senare årskurser (6-9) uppfattar elevers val och väljande. Det innefattar vad lärarna upplever formar och påverkar elevers studie- och yrkesrelaterade val, men också, hur dessa val enligt lärarna bör gå till. De bakomliggande motiven till studiens ämnesområde och syfte grundar sig på rapporter från framförallt Skolinspektionen (2013:5) som visar att skolans lärare har svårt att integrera vägledande insatser inom den ordinarie undervisningen, insatser de enligt skollagen har ett ansvar för att ta sig an. Av resultatet i denna studie framgår att lärarna uppfattar att elevernas valbara studie- och yrkesrelaterade alternativ formas i relation till den kunskap och information de tar del av i olika sociala kontexter och i relationer med andra nära, som exempelvis vänner och föräldrar. Dock anser inte lärarna i studien att alla elever har en korrekt bild av hur verkligheten faktiskt ser ut och fungerar, vilket öppnar för felval. Felaktiga val kännetecknas av att elever i valet blir påverkade av sina nära relationer, exempelvis att de väljer likt sina kompisar och eller grundar sina val på bristfällig kunskap om vad olika studievägar och yrken egentligen innehåller och innebär. Studie- och yrkesrelaterade val bör därför, enligt lärarna, kännetecknas av att man väljer i relation till sin egen förmåga, sina intressen och faktiska vilja, och att dessa i sin tur bygger på korrekt kunskap och bilder om hur verkligheten faktiskt ser ut och fungerar.