The purposes of this study were to analyze types of university student's career decision and the influential cognitive and personal variables on typology.
To address these questions, individuals from universities of Korea participated in a cluster an...
The purposes of this study were to analyze types of university student's career decision and the influential cognitive and personal variables on typology.
To address these questions, individuals from universities of Korea participated in a cluster analysis study. The population of this study was 310,795 students of 135 universities located in Korea as of march 1st, 2003. Juniors and seniors from 20 universities were through Stratified Multistage Random Sampling. Participants were 1,798 students in all. A class consists of 40-60 students.
Participants completed the Career Decision Profile(Jones, e t al,, 1980, 1989), Career Thought Inventory(Sampson, et al., 1996), Measurement of Measurement of Career Self-Efficacy Beliefs (Fassinger, 1990), Assessment of Attributions for Career Decision-Making(Luzzo, et al, 1998). There was significant correlation between these scales. Three of the subscales in Career Decision Profile were used in the K-means cluster analysis. A oneway ANOVA was employed to determine whether there was any difference between dysfunctional career thoughts, career decision self efficacy, attributions for career decision-making and decision type. In addition, x^(2) analysis was employed to determine whether there was any relation between gender, university area, major, university year, experience of a side job, satisfaction of major, socio-economic status, satisfaction of family-relation and decision type.
The conclusions of this study were as follows.
First, the cluster solution identified in this study supports the existence of four decision types. This four-group typology did reflect the multidimensional nature of career decision. In interpreting these clusters, they were characterized as : Cluster 1 "Decision - Ideal"; Cluster 2 "Decision -Avoidance" ; Cluster 3 "Indecision- Confusion"; Cluster 4 "Decision - Obsession".
Second, most of the Korean college students made their choices from so many occupations, but they were not always satisfied with their decisions. As a result, they thought they made up their mind to do a job which they didn't want, and went to quit the career if it is possible. They went to look into the information on career-decision at large, to evaluate themselves, and to have a professional career counseling.
Third, statistically, career decision types in relation to gender, major, college year, experience of restudy for entering college area variables were significant.
Fourth, statistically, career decision types in difference to Career Thought, Career Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Attributions for Career Decision-Making were significant.
Fifth, for an analysis of types of a college student's career decision, Career Decision Profile is regarded as the diagnosis tool, and K-means cluster analysis was thought of as the approach to career-decision.
This study shows promise for differentiating among types of career decision for treatment. Based on the result of this study, career counseling could challenge to multiple forms of counseling depending on types of clients.