Unidimensionality Versus Multidimensionality of the Career Decision Scale: A Critique of Martin, Sabourin, Laplante, and Coallier

During the past 15 years the Career Decision Scale (CDS) has been used primarily to assess degree of indecision. Controversy has arisen around the issue of whether it should thus be considered a unidimensional measure or whether it is a multidimensional measure of several dimensions of career indecision. Although a number of studies reported significant empirical support for the multidimensionality of the CDS, a study by Martin, Sabourin, Laplante, and Coallier (1991) claimed to present evidence supporting its unidimensionality. The present study refutes those claims by demonstrating serious methodological and conceptual errors and omissions in the findings of Martin et al. (1991) and by presenting further empirical evidence in support of multidimensionality.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67780/2/10.1177_106907279400200101.pd

The Relationship Between Career Variables and Occupational Aspirations and Expectations for Australian High School Adolescents

This study surveyed 925 Australian high school students enrolled in grades 8-12 on measures of occupational aspirations, occupational expectations, career status aspirations and career status expectations, and tested the association between these variables and career maturity, career indecision, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career barriers. Adolescents generally aspired to/expected to work within a small range of RIASEC occupational categories. One third of students reported occupational aspiration/expectation discrepancies. These differed across gender, and across age for females, but not for males. Students who demonstrated both occupational and status aspiration and expectation discrepancies reported more career indecision, were less confident about making a career-related decision, and were less career mature. Students generally held higher occupational status aspirations than expectations, and males were more likely to choose professional occupations than females. Age differences were found for status expectations, but not for status aspirations