Relationships Among Middle-School Adolescents' Vocational Skills, Motivational Approaches, and Interests
✍ Scribed by Sherri L. Turner; Julia Conkel; Michael T. Starkey; Rachel Landgraf
- Publisher
- American Counseling Association
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 108 KB
- Volume
- 59
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0889-4019
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This study examined gender differences in relationships among vocational skills, motivational approaches, and same-gender and cross-gender interests for urban adolescents. Results showed gender differences in interests, with males having greater Realistic interests and females having greater Artistic and Social interests, based on Holland's (1997) theory of interest types. Structural equation modeling revealed that males tended to approach the occupational world with assertiveness, the desire to create opportunities, and the use of instrumental support. Females tended to approach the occupational world by being adaptable, capitalizing on their skills and abilities, actively preparing themselves for the future, exploring options, and using emotional support. Recommendations for career development practice are provided.
Researchers continue to identify ways in which the career development of male and female adolescents differ. In considering their options, young people tend to be attracted to careers that are perceived to be more suitable for persons of their own gender (Lapan, Adams, Turner, & Hinkelman, 2000; Turner & Lapan, 2002). These gender-based preferences continue into adulthood, when men are more likely to choose occupations that are stereotypically masculine, and women to choose occupations that are stereotypically feminine (Lease, 2003). The result is that women are highly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics, and men are underrepresented in artistically expressive and social services fields, thus limiting the potential contributions and job satisfaction of each group. These types of gender-based choices may be particularly problematic for the upcoming generation of workers as they enter into a more globalized world of work characterized by quickly changing job demands and the need to adapt flexibly on the basis of organizational needs for effectiveness rather than on gender role expectations.
In examining the source of gender differences in career development, researchers have indicated that as early as middle school, young people cir-