Three concepts from sociology--dichotomy and two extensions, dialectic and dialogic--are considered here as social-psychological tools for career practitioners who analyse and investigate career patterns, career motivations and career pathways, whether at career start or at further points of transition. These terms have macro-social applications…

The main purpose of this study was to determine the level of occupational engagement among university students in one Jordanian university. The instrument used to collect data in this study was the occupational engagement scale-student (OES-S-14 items) developed by Cox (2008). The OES-S went through rigorous cross-cultural translation process to…

This article brings together and discusses three research projects that examined the vocational education and career-decision making of Indigenous Australians. These studies focused on the experiences of Indigenous people themselves, in order to provide an Indigenous perspective on vocational and career development. Four main barriers that limit…

If the existence of Generation Y is a viable explanation of employment behaviour, as is asserted in the burgeoning literature, then people between 18 and 33 (born between 1977 and 1992) will have markedly different approaches to work when compared with Generation X (1962 and 1976) and the Baby Boomers (1946 to 1961). This article reviews the…

This study aimed to investigate the influence of gender on career readiness among Malaysian undergraduate students at Malaysian universities. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire of 1229 Malaysian undergraduate students from four public universities. Respondents were identified through the multistage stratified sampling…

Adolescents across the five years of high school (169 females and 164 males) completed a survey that identified occupational status aspirations and expectations coded into six types-- realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, or conventional--according to the RIASEC model (Holland, 1997). As the focus of the study was to explore…

The present study examined the occupational aspirations and career development influences of children attending Years 6 and 7 at a sample of rural and remote primary schools in the central western region of Queensland. Data was collected by means of the "Revised Career Awareness Survey" (McMahon & Patton, 2001). Australian and New Zealand Standard…

Gottfredson proposed that most people share an understanding of the world of work based upon the sex type, social status and type of occupations. Individuals use these three dimensions to organise their view of the world of work. There is as a consequence, she argued, a common cognitive map of occupations. She depicted this map graphically. This…

School leavers are aspiring to professional occupations in significant numbers. The availability of careers in the professions is considerably less than the numbers of aspirants. Those providing career counsel to school leavers are critically placed to provide the structure and information that will assist young people develop career plans that…

This case study describes a career education program that has engaged rural secondary school students with the experience of university. The residential experience program included learning exercises for career exploration, attending university, and social experiences related to living in a city. Evaluation indicated that rural schools and…

One of the main challenges in the current world of work is the constant change and adjustment individuals encounter. To deal with such uncertainty, a person often has to give up something less feasible and achievable in order to accomplish career goals and projects that are more practical and obtainable. As a result, compromise becomes an…

A 14-week career assistance program was provided to 20 male cricketers aged 15-16. Their measures of athletic identity, ego identity, and career thoughts were compared with 11 controls. The experimental group improved career goal decidedness, career awareness, and recognition of the need for career options outside sports. (Contains 24 references.)…

Australian Year 6 students (n=107) who were surveyed had begun to think of their occupational aspirations and were aware of factors influencing choices. Some sex-stereotypical choices were found. Although occupational information came from various sources, the source most likely to influence them toward or away form a job was the family. (Contains…

Women (n=265) and men (n=103) aged 17-61 predicted the probability that a career-related dream from adolescence would come true. More women's than men's dreams included family (but only 15%). Older adults believed their dreams were less likely to come true but reported less disappointment about it. More education correlated with less…

A survey of Year 12 Australian students in coed private (n=105), coed public (n=57), and all-female (n=78) schools revealed a relationship between gender-role identity and traditional/nontraditional career choices; occupations were more gender neutral, but blue- and pink-collar jobs remain stereotyped. Type of school did not influence girls'…