Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Hui, Kayi
• Lent, Robert W
• Kivlighan, Dennis M

Titel

The Roles of Family, Culture, and Social Cognitive Variables in the Career Interests and Goals of Asian American College Students

Ist Teil von

• Journal of counseling psychology, 2018-01, Vol.65 (1), p.98-109

Ort / Verlag

United States: American Psychological Association

Erscheinungsjahr

2018

Quelle

Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Although family and cultural factors have been assumed to play important roles in the career development of Asian Americans, theory-driven research on this topic remains limited. We examined culturally relevant factors that may contribute to Asian Americans' consideration of fields in which they are overrepresented (e.g., science, technology, engineering) and underrepresented (e.g., education, social science). Drawing from social cognitive career theory, a culture-specific, social cognitive model of career interests and choice was tested in Holland's (1997) Investigative (I) and Social (S) themes. A sample of 802 Asian American undergraduates completed measures of family support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interest, and career choice consideration in relation to both Holland themes. Two indicators of acculturation/enculturation (adherence to Asian values and generation status in the United States) were also obtained. The model accounted for a substantial amount of variance in Asian American college students' career consideration in both themes. Family support and acculturation played varying roles, depending on the Holland theme. For example, family support was linked to career choice consideration both directly (in the S theme) and indirectly, via other predictors (in both themes). Contrary to expectations, the acculturation variables did not moderate the relation of family support or interest to career consideration in either theme. We discuss the implications of these findings for efforts to understand and facilitate the career development of Asian American college students. Public Significance Statement This study examined factors that predict Asian American college students' aspirations to enter two types of career fields, those that are science-oriented and those that involve helping or teaching others. Social cognitive career theory helped predict career aspirations in both male and female students and in those who identify more and less closely with Asian values.