Career Decision Scale

1. Career Decision Scale Test created by Samuel H. Osipow, Clarke G. Carney, Jane Winer, Barbara Yanico, and Maryanne Koschier Presentation by Patsy Dougherty

2. Try out the sample question!

3. More samples:

4. Career Decision Scale The Career Decision Scale was designed as a “rapid and reliableinstrument for surveying high school and college students about their status in the decision-making process.” It “provides an estimate of career indecision and its antecedents as well as an outcome measure fordetermining the effects of interventions relevant to career choice and development.”

5. Career Decision Scale • High School and College students • Special Populations: Adults in Continuing Education Programs and Women Returning to College • Specialty Versions: Spanish, medical students, rewording for graduate students, rewording for high school students • Development: • Part of a proposed modular system to promote self-counseling about career indecision • 16 items (The Indecision Scale) • 18 items (The Certainty Scale) • 19 items (Open-ended Questions)

6. Factor Structure • Original Study VS. Further Examination • Stability? • Differences may be due to item interpretation • Still, the study has a good predictability! Lack of Structure and Confidence External Barrier to a Preferred Choice Difficulty Choosing among Options Personal Conflict

7. Reliability – Test Manual • Osipow, Carney, and Barak (1976) • Individual Items and Indecision Scale • Test-retest correlation, 0.9 and 0.82 • Item correlations for Certainty and Indecision Scales • .34-.82 • Mostly 0.60-0.80 • Slaney, Palko-Nonemaker, and Alexander (1981) • Test-retest over 6 weeks • Certainty and Indecision Scale • Item correlation from 0.19-0.70 • CDS total = 0.70

8. Validity – Test Manual • Relationships with Other Personality Variables • External Locus of Control • Fear of Success • Relationships with Demographic Variables • Age Differences • Grade Level • Sex Differences • Ethnic Difference • GPA • Achievement Type • Aptitude • Area of Study • Group Comparison and Correlations with Other Instruments • Assessment of Career Decision Making (ACDM) • Occupational Alternative Question • Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) - Attitudes Scale • Holland and Holland Scale • Treatment Studies • Career Counseling Interventions • College Residential Career Exploration Program • Career Planning Discussion Groups • Career Exploration Class • Career Development Workshops

9. Validity – Test Manual • Slaney (1980): Group Comparisons and Correlations with Other Instruments • Occupational Alternatives Question • First choice and no alternatives • First choice plus alternatives Methods • N = 232 • Male and female college students • Comparison of scores for both tests • No first choice with alternatives • Neither a first choice or alternatives Results • Concurrent Validity: Clearly differentiated subjects into same categories in both tests

10. Predictive Validity of the Career Decision Scale Administered to High School Students Hartman, Fuqua & Hartman (1983) • N = 205 • Chicago, urban, middle income community • High school seniors enrolled in specific coursework • Two categories: • Decided-No change • Undecided-Still Undecided • Methods • In-person administration • Follow-up phone interview • Final phone interview • Results • Predictive Validity: strong, increasing • over time • Factor Structure: • After one year, only 3 relevant. After two years, only 2.

11. Proposed Validity Study • 500 students in First Year College Program, NCSU • Treatment Group: 250 students • Control Group: 250 students • Pre-test: August • Post-test: December Treatment/Intervention: • Bi-weekly group workshops and individual advising meetings • Topics including: • Career Information • Decision-Making Strategies • Interest Inventories

12. Results of Administration • N = 5 • 2=Male • 3= Female • 5= College • 1 Freshman (Male) • 1 Sophomore (Male) • 1 Junior (Female) • 2 Seniors (Females) • Individual administration • Convenience sampling

13. Scoring Procedure

14. Percentile Distribution Uncertain Certain Decisive Indecisive Medium Further need for assessment Low High 16 84

15. Participant 1

16. Participant 2

17. Participant 3

18. Participant 4

19. Participant 5

20. Means and Standard Deviations Manual Includes: • High School (Sample S and Sample W) • Sex • Grade • Age ** • College • Sex • Grade • Age ** • College of Study **

21. Means – College Females

22. Means – College Males

23. Problems • Response Rate • Out-of-date • Instruction • Scoring • Time commitment Successes

24. Summary Positive Aspects: • Reliable instrument • Validity studied extensively • Proven predictability Points for Consideration: • Certainty Scale unclear • Factor instability • Aged test instrument

25. References Hartman, B. W., Fuqua, D. R., & Hartman, P. T. (1983) Predictive validity of the Career Decision Scale administered to high school students. Psychological Reports, 52, 95-100. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1983.52.1.95 Osipow, S. H. (1980). Career decision scale: Manual. (3rd rev.) Columbus, OH: Marathon Consulting & Press, 1980. Osipow, S. H., Carney, C. G., Winer, J. L., Yanico, B., & Kochier, M. (1976). The Career Decision Scale (3rd revision). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.

26. Questions?