An Investigation of African American Women's Prestige Domain Interests and Choice Goals Using Social Cognitive Career Theory

Scheuermann, T.S.; Tokar, D.M.; Hall, R.

Abstract

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994) provides a framework for understanding career development, taking into account background and contextual variables using a social cognitive perspective. Given SCCT’s focus on both personal and contextual factors, it has been widely applied to understanding the career development of ethnic minorities and women. This study extends the SCCT framework by testing the SCCT career choice model with variables defined along the prestige dimension, in a sample of 198 African American college women. Path analysis results supported SCCT propositions for the relations of prestige self-efficacy and prestige outcome expectations with prestige of vocational interests, and of prestige outcome expectations and prestige of vocational interests with prestige of choice goals. The relation of prestige self-efficacy to prestige of choice goals was fully mediated by prestige of vocational interests; the relation between prestige outcome expectations and prestige of choice goals was partially mediated by prestige of vocational interests. Contrary to SCCT, the hypothesized relation of prestige self-efficacy to prestige outcome expectations was non-significant. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the utility of SCCT in explaining the development of prestige-related career interests and choice goals among African American women.

Citation

Scheuermann, T., Tokar, D., & Hall, R. (2014). An Investigation of African American Women's Prestige Domain Interests and Choice Goals Using Social Cognitive Career Theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(3), 273-282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.01.010

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 30, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Feb 7, 2014
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 19, 2014
• Journal: Journal of Vocational Behavior
• Print ISSN: 0001-8791
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-9084
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 84
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 273-282
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2014.01.010
• Keywords: Career development, Occupational prestige, African American women, Social Cognitive Career Theory, Vocational interests, Career choice goals.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1436929