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Career decision-making, career barriers and occupational aspirations in Chinese adolescents

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Abstract

The study tested the relationship between occupational aspirations/expectations (type and status) and decision-making difficulties, efficacy and career barriers in 498 Chinese high school students. Males aspired to investigative and enterprising types, but expected realistic and enterprising ones; females aspired to enterprising and conventional types, but expected conventional and social ones. Students with aspirations/expectations type discrepancies were more likely to be higher achieving females; those with aspirations/expectations status discrepancies had poorer academic achievement, less confidence and perceived more barriers.

Résumé. Prise de décision de carrière, barrières de carrière et aspirations professionnelles chez les adolescents chinois.

L’étude teste le rapport entre les aspirations/attentes (type et statut) professionnelles et les difficultés de prise de décision, l’efficacité et les barrières de carrière chez 498 lycéens chinois. Les garçons aspirent aux types investigatif et entreprenant, mais s’attendent à des types réaliste et entreprenant; les filles aspirent aux types entreprenant et conventionnel, mais s’attendent aux types conventionnel et social. Les étudiants porteurs des plus grandes discordances en termes d’aspirations/attentes de types tendent à être des filles à haut niveau de réalisation; ceux porteurs de discordances en termes d’aspirations/attentes de statut font preuve d’un plus pauvre degré de réussite académique, de moins de confiance en soi et perçoivent davantage de barrières.

Zusammenfassung. Berufswahlentscheidungen, Karrierehemmnisse und Beschäftigungserwartungen bei chinesischen Jugendlichen.

Diese Studie untersuchte bei 498 chinesischen Oberschülern die Beziehungen zwischen beschäftigungsbezogenen Zielen einerseits und Erwartungen (bezogen auf Typus und Status) andererseits, sowie daneben Entscheidungsschwierigkeiten, Entscheidungseffizienz und Karrierehemmnisse. Männliche Jugendliche strebten die Berufstypen Forschung sowie Wirtschaft an, rechneten aber eher mit realistischen Berufstypen und dem Berufstyp Wirtschaft; weibliche Jugendliche strebten den Berufstyp Wirtschaft sowie konventionelle Berufstypen an. SchülerInnen, bei denen sich die erhofften Ziele und die erwarteten Möglichkeiten unterschieden, waren mit erhöhter Wahrscheinlichkeit weibliche Jugendliche mit guten Leistungen; diejenigen, bei denen sich der erhoffte und der erwartete Status unterschieden, hatten eher schwächere Leistungen, weniger Selbstvertrauen, und rechneten mit mehr Karrierehemmnissen.

Resumen. Toma de decisiones profesionales, obstáculos y aspiraciones ocupacionales en adolescentes chinos.

El estudio contrastó la relación entre las aspiraciones/expectativas (tipo y estado),y las dificultades en la toma de decisiones, eficacia y obstáculos de la carrera en 498 estudiantes de secundaria. Los hombres tenían aspiraciones del tipo investigador y emprendedor, pero tenían expectativas realistas y emprendedoras. Las mujeres aspiraban al tipo emprendedor y convencional, pero tenían expectativas de tipo convencional y social. Las discrepancias en el tipo de aspiración/expectativa se daban con más frecuencia entre alumnas de alto rendimiento mientras que aquellos con discrepancias en el estado de las aspiraciones/expectativas mostraban peor rendimiento académico, menor confianza y percibían más obstáculos.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Qld, 4222, Australia

    Peter A. Creed, Oi Yin Wong & Michelle Hood

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  1. Peter A. Creed
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  2. Oi Yin Wong
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  3. Michelle Hood
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Correspondence to Peter A. Creed.

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Creed, P.A., Wong, O.Y. & Hood, M. Career decision-making, career barriers and occupational aspirations in Chinese adolescents. Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 9, 189–203 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-009-9165-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-009-9165-0

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