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This spreadsheet provides a summary of existing research on the Career Thoughts Inventory utilizing CIP theory-based career interventions. For each publication, information is included on author(s), year, publication type, title, measures, design and/or analyses, sample, and findings. Complete references for the publications on this spreadsheet are available on the CIP Bibliography. This spreadsheet was created by Casey Dozier and Debra Osborn with assistance from James Sampson, all from Florida State University’s Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development. We welcome the submission of any research that you conduct on the efficacy of the Career Thoughts Inventory interverventions and any documentation of CTI-based career interventions that you create. Email Dr. Osborn (dosborn@fsu.edu) or Dr. Dozier (casey.dozier@fsu.edu) if you would like us to consider including your publication including the Career Thoughts Inventory.
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Updated Fall 2025
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Author(s)YearPublication TypeVariables of Interest/TitleMeasuresDesign/AnalysesSample SizeFindings
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Andrews2014DissertationCareer decision state, career-related thinking, emotional distressCareer Decision State, Career Decision Scale (Osipow, et al., 1987), My Vocational Situation, Occupational Alternatives Questionnaire, Career Thoughts Inventory, Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale - Short Form, Career Tension Scale, Structural equation modeling200Negative career thoughts predicted difficulties in identifying a career choice; emotional competencies were highly correlated with thoughts and career decision status
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Arcement2013DissertationFamily of origin, need for achievement, and career developmentFamily Environment Scale, Career Decision Scale, Career Thoughts Inventory, My Vocational Situation, and Personal Values QuestionnaireMultiple regression analysis & Pearson's correlation
211 undergraduate students
Career thoughts were shown to be an important factors that influence an individuals' career decision-making process and overall vocational development. Dysfunctional career thoughts mediated some relationships among family environment variables, career indecision, and vocational identify.
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Barak2001Book - StrozierA cognitive view of the nature of vocational interests: Implications for career assessment, counseling, and research (pp. 97-131)Several assessments are mentioned (Kuder, Strong, SDS). Authors make a case for cognitive determinant, which may have more weight than abilities or skills. Case study reportN/APresents a case study and argues for a more comprehensive cognitive career psychology theory.
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Belser et al. 2018Career Development QuarterlyNegative career thoughts, career planning course, STEM-interested undergraduatesCareer Thoughts InventoryQuasi-experimental pre-test/post-test comparison332The career planning group saw a larger decrease in CTI scores
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Bjornsdottir et al.2008Journal of Educational ResearchThe applicability of the Icelandic translation of the CTI: Assessing dysfunctional thoughts in career counseling clients. Career Thoughts InventoryUnknownUnknownUnknown
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Bjornsdottir et al.2010
Career Planning & Adult Development Journal
An Icelandic Translation and Application of the Career Thoughts Inventory: Cross Cultural ConsiderationsCareer Thoughts InventoryFactor analysis314 college students & 93 career counseling clientsResults support the reliability and partially the validity of the Icelandic version of the CTI that measures dysfunctional thoughts related to career decision making. Reliability was similar to the original version. The factor structure only partially replicated in Iceland, and is therfore, not comparable with the US factor structure. Clients scored higher on all scales of the translated Icelandic version of the CTI than other Icelandic students, which is consistent to the US.
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Björnsdóttir, M. D., Einarsdottir, S., Arnkelsson, G. B., Hammond, M. S., & Lenz, J. G2024Nordic Journal of Transitions, Careers and GuidanceShort- and long-term outcomes of two theoretically based career interventions.CTI, Career Indecision Profile – Icelandic version, Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale – Short Form, Satisfaction with Life Scale non-parametric method - missForest, MANOVA, MANCOVA640 students finishing their matriculation exam and registered in graduation coursesThe results of univariate ANCOVAs indicated a significant group effect for career decision self-efficacy and satisfaction with life, but not for career indecision and career thoughts. Participants with lower scores on career indecision and negative career thoughts at post-test, as compared to pre-test, demonstrated progress (i.e., a decrease) on the two measures which resulted in negative difference scores.
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Burbrink2019ThesisDysfunctional career thinking and career decision state in collegiate student athletes and non-athletesCareer Thoughts Inventory, Career State InventoryANOVA and regressionDivision 1 collegiate sudent athletes (N = 254) and non student athletes (N = 39) A one-way between-groups analysis of variance showed no statistically significant differences between student athlete and non-student athlete CTI and CSI scores.
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Buzzetta2016DissertationMeaning in life in college student veterans: Exploring its relationship to career thoughts and depressionMeaning in Life Questionnaire, Career Thoughts Inventory, Center for Epidemilogical Studies Depression Scale - RevisedLinear multiple regression132 college student veteransCareer thoughts and depression were statistically significant predictors of the presence of meaning in one's life, with 46% of the variance in the presence of meaning in life scores as well in the search for meaning in life scores, for the gender and ethnicity variables.
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Caolo2014DissertationThe relationship between age of diagnosis and the occurrence of dysfunctional career thoughts among college students with ADHDCareer Thoughts Inventory, ADHD Stigma QuestionnaireLinear multiple regression447 undergraduate students registered with ADHDAge of first diagnosis was not predictive of dysfunctional career thoughts, whereas ADHD stigma was predictive of dysfunctional thoughts. Additionally, ADHD stigma captured the most significant variation in dysfunctional career thoughts, whereas age of diagnosis and participation of high school career interventions did not.
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Carson & Dawis2000Book - StrozierAn Icelandic translation and application of the Career Thoughts Inventory: Cross cultural considerations (pp. 95-120)Career Thoughts Inventory & other assessments such as My Vocational SituationN/AN/AThe goal of the book chapter is to help clinicans identify when assessments are appropriate for college students, and help narrow which assessments might be appropriate.
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Chadich2018DissertationThe role of personality using the Millon College Counseling Inventory in explaining a variety of career decision-making variablesCareer Decision Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, Career Thoughts Inventory, O*Net Interest Profiler Short Form, Emotional and Personality-related Career Decision-Making Difficulties, International Personality Item Pool, Millon Career Counseling InventoryMultiple linear regression
254 undergraduate students
Results indicated that the Millon College Counseling Inventory explained additional variance beyond the Five Factor Model traits in several career variables (i.e., profile elevation, negative career thinking, career decision self-efficacy, and emotional and personality career difficulties). Findings suggest that Millon's theory is another conceptualization of personality that can explain career decision making constructs.
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Coleman, C. E., Lenz, J. G., & Osborn, D. S.2023Career Development QuarterlyThe relationships among the big 5 personality factors and negative career thoughts.NEO-Five Factor Inventory and CTICross-sectional survey; hierarchical multiple regression128 undergraduate students in five career course sections27.1% of the variability in negative career thoughts was explained by the combined effect of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Personality factors had significant moderate correlations with specific aspects of negative thinking including DMC & Neuroticism & Conscientiousness. CA significantly correlated with Neuroticism & Conscientiousness
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Dames et al.2019Journal of Psychosocial OncologyDysfunctional career thoughts, breast cancer survivors from the BahamasInventoryCross-sectional survey195Total CTI scores differed by age group, marital status, surgical remedy, and employment prior to diagnosis. The odds of DCT were higher among younger (Odds Ratio [OR] ¼ 4.4), married (OR ¼ 2.4), who were unemployed prior to diagnosis (OR ¼ 3.5)
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De Pereira2008DissertationTraumatic brain injury, prospective memory, self-awareness, career decision making readiness, Career Thoughts Inventory, Cambridge Test of Prospective Memory, Wide Range Achievement Test 3 - Reading, Patient Competency Rating ScaleNon-experimental, descriptive, correlational39Persons with TBI present important difficulties making career decisions; prospective memory and self-awareness did not significantly predict career decision making readiness
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Dipeolu2007Journal of Career DevelopmentCareer instruments and high school students with learning disabilities: Support for the utility of three vocational measuresCareer Maturity Inventory, Career Thoughts Inventory, My Vocational Situation, and demographic informationNon-experimental mean comparison; T-test analyses86 high school students with a LDThis study is a premlinary attempt to examine the reliabitiy and validity of three important career decision-making measures administered to high school students with LD. Correlations were found between the scales in the predicted directions. Most evidence for construct validity was found. Results suggest the need for the development of local norms with individuals with a learning disalibity for measures such as the CTI.
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Edralin2019DissertationThe relationships among personality factors, negative carer thoughts, and profile elevationNEO Five-Factor Inventory-3, Career Thoughts Inventory, Standard Self-Directed SearchHierarchical multiple regression and simple linear regression128 undergraduate studentsAnalyses revealed a significant, positive relationship between neuroticism and DMC, as well as significant negative relationships among DMC, Extraversion, and Concietiousness.
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El-Hassan2019British Journal of Guidance & CounsellingParental attachment bonds, dysfuncational career thoughts and career exploration as predictors of career decision-making self-efficacyof Grade 11 studentsCareer Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, Parent and Peer Attachment Bonds, Career Thoughts Inventory, Career Exploration SurveyPearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression170 Lebanese Grade 11 students from private schoolsResults showed a significant association between parental attachment, dysfunctional career thoughts, and career exploration, and career decision-making self-efficacy. Career exploration accounted for the largest variance in career decision-making self-efficacy, followed by dysfunctional career thoughts and parental attachment.
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Etheridge2008DissertationCompetency in the use of psychological assessment in career counseling, Piaget frameworkCareer Thoughts Inventory, A Measure of Assessor Competence (AMAC)Exploratory factor analysis5 experts & 33 participantsAMAC-CTI ratings were positively correlated with experience in the use of the CTI, but not correlated with education level and the number of assessment courses completed by participants
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Eheridge & Peterson2010
Career Planning & Adult Development Journal
The Measurement and Development of Competence in the Use of Career AssessmentsCareer Thoughts Inventory & Measure of Assessment Competency (AMAC)Reliability and validity analyses5 experts & 33 participantsThis article sought to development a measure of competency in the use of assessments in career counseling. AMAC-CTI ratings were positively correlated with experience in the use of the CTI, but not correlated with education level and the number of assessment courses completed by participants
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Fillback Watt2014DissertationOutcomes of college students' career problem and decision making based on the use of a computer assisted career guidance systemCareer Thoughts InventoryExperimental research design with pretest and posttest control group (t-test, regression, & cross-tabulation)131 college studentsTreatment group participants (n = 60) had significantly lower levels of dysfunctional career thoughts after using the WISCareer website, as measured by the prestest and posttest CTI Total score. Treatment group participants also had significantly lower posttest scores on the DMC construct scale indicating less confusion in the career decision making process. Control group participants (n = 71) had unexpected lower CA posttest scores. Findings support the CIP theory, that career counseilng providents students with learning about themselves, world of work, how to make good career decisions and transform this information into satisfying and meaningful career decisions.
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Fowler2012DissertationExploring the impact of first-generation status and family cohesion on the career thoughts of college studentsCareer Thoughts Inventory, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation scaleMultiple regression analysis105First generation status accounted for 60% of variance related to negative career thoughts. Significant additional variance accounted was accounted for by family cohension (1.6%) after accounting for first -generation status.
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Gregory 2004BookPsychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications (7th Ed)
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Hartley2010DissertationCareer indecision, negative career thoughts, and vocational interest structure of first-generation and other college studentsOccupational Alternatives Question, Career Thoughts Inventory, and Self-Directed SearchMANOVA and regression243No significant differences between first-generation students and other college students
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Hayden & Osborn2020ArticleWorry, career decision state, emotional items of CTI, CIP skills in 69 Amazon Turk WorkersCTI, CSI, Penn State Worry QuestionnaireMultiple regression69Worry was significantly correlated with negative career thinking and its dimensions of decision‐making confusion and commitment anxiety, with readiness and its dimensions of clarity and certainty, and with the self‐assessed cognitive information processing skills of self‐knowledge, options knowledge, decision‐making, and executive processing. Worry was also found to predict the degree of readiness for career decision‐making, negative career thinking, and cognitive information processing requisite skills.
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Heller2009DissertationPsychological predictors of career maturity in college student-athletesStudent-athlete questionnaire, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, Career Thoughts Inventory, Vocational Identity scale from My Vocational SituationRegression200Weak positive correlation between role conflict and career-related distress which means that increases in role conflict correspond to increases in career-related distress
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Lerkkanen et al.2012Technical ReportMeasuring readiness for career decision-making with the Career Thoughts Inventory in Finland: Adaption or AdoptionCareer Thoughts Inventory (Finnish)Internal consistency coefficient alphas666Results suggest that it would be appropriate to adapt, not adopt, the CTI based on CIP theory to the Finnish context.
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Liu2008DissertationThe relationship of career thoughts, decision-making styles and career decision status for college studentsCareer Thoughts Inventory, General Decision-making style (GDMS), & Career Decision Scale (CDS)Unknown769 junior and senior college students at 11 universities in Hebei and BeijingGender and grade had interactive effects for the level of certainty of career decision. Males have higher levels of career indecision. Compared to males, females tend to have more dependent styles of decision making. Gender, total dysfunctional thoughts, decision making confusion, commitment anxiety, avoid style and rational style are predictors of career indecision.
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Meyer & Shippen2015American Journal of Criminal JusticeThe Career Thoughts Inventory and Incarcerated Males: a Preliminary Psychometric ReviewCareer Thoughts Inventory, My Vocational Situation, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable RespondingInternal consistency & intercorrelations86This study supports the use of the CTI as a measure of readiness for career decision making in inmate populations with the caveat that the Commitment anxiety and total CTI score may be subject to under reporting of negative career thought. This study was one of the first to begin establishing reliability and validity of career thinking and possibly vocational psychology instruments used with this population.
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Mueller et al.2010
Career Planning & Adult Development Journal
Demonstration of Rasch Measurement through examination of the CTI: An introducation for practitionersCareer Thoughts InventoryRasch analysis232 college studentsAccording to the fit statistics, all items are functioning as unidimensional indicators of commitment anxiety in college students.
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Osborn & Zunker2016Book - StrozierUsing assesment results for career development Career Thoughts InventoryCase study reportCase of the diving board syndromeSummarizes use of the CTI in counseling, a case summary (with example data).
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Reardon & Wright1999Career Development QuarterlyThe Case of Mandy: Applying Holland's Theory and Cognitive Information Processing TheoryCareer Thoughts Inventory, CTI Workbook, Self-Directed SearchCase study reportCase study, college studentCTI, CTI Workbook, and SDS were interventions to allow Mandy to become aware of her negative thinking patterns and begin the process of reframing these thoughts.
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Saka et al.2008Journal of Career AssessmentEmotional and Personality-Related Aspects of Career-Decision-Making DifficultiesEmotional and Personality Career Difficulties Scale (EPCD)Descriptive cluster analysis728 Israeli Internet sample & 276 American college studentsA taxonomy of emotional and personality-related career difficulties and the EPCD scale provide promising addition to the array of career-decision-making related models and tools.
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Salter 2009DissertationComparing outcomes of two instructional approaches to a career development courseNEO-PI-R, Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, Career Decision Scale, Career Thoughts Inventory, Course Evaluation FormMANOVA52 freshman and sophomore college studentsResearch indicates that career courses work, but research has not investigated why. This study compared two different career interventions to compare different instructional approaches to a college career development course. Existing course plans were used for one group and purposeful infusion of Brown & Krane's five critical components into course activities was used for the other group. Results indicate that both courses were successful in imporving outcomes on each of the four measures.
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Sargent & Lenz2017-2018
Career Planning & Adult Development Journal
The Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI) and CTI Workbook: A Purposeful Integration of Theory, Research, and Practice in Career Assessment and InterventionCTI and CTI WorkbookCase study reportCase exampleProvides an overview of the CTI and CTI Workbook and what homework exercises can be implemented in session while discussing the integration of theory, research, and practice.
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Sampson et al.1996CTI: Professional ManualCTI: Professional ManualCareer Thoughts InventoryProfessional ManualProfessional ManualProvides a theoretical basis for the CTI, rationale and use of the CTI workbook, CTI materials, administration, scoring, interpreting, use of the CTI in service delivery, and CTI development, standardization, and validation
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Sampson et al.1996MonographNegative thinking and career choice, Career Transitions in Turbulent Times: Exploring Work, Learning and CareersCareer Thoughts Inventory & My Vocational SituationPractical summary and implicationsN/AA collection of 47 articles, summarizes the CTI, CIP, what we have learned from experience and recommendations for the future.
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Sampson et al.1996BookThe Use and Development of the CTICareer Thoughts InventoryN/AN/AProvides an overview of the CTI and CIP, development and utility of the CTI & CTI Workbook
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Sampson et al.1998Journal of Career AssessmentThe Design and Use of a Measure of Dysfunctional Career Thoughts Among Adults, College Students, and High School Students: The Career Thoughts InventoryCareer Thoughts Inventory validity established with My Vocational Situation, Career Decision Scale, Career Decision Profile, and NueroticismAssessment overviewN/AThe article provides an overview of the Career Thoughts Inventory, including the development of the CTI and CTI workbook. Data are presented on the readability, standardization, reliability, and validity of the measure. Use of the CTI is also discussed.
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Saunders & Sampson2006Encyclopedia of Career DevelopmentCareer Thoughts InventoryCareer Thoughts Inventory & CTI WorkbookAssessment overviewN/AProvides an overview of the CTI and CTI Workbook including descriptions of the construct scales.
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Shindi, Y. A. A., & Al‐Bahrani, M. A.2025Psychology in the SchoolsExamining Psychometric Properties of the Career Thoughts Inventory Among Omani Adolescents: Applying Item Response Theory. Psychology in the SchoolsCareer Thoughts Inventorytesting psychometric properties2366 Omani adolescents; 1037 (45.4%) males and 1289 (54.5%) females.Results showed that goodness of fit indices all supported the bi-factor model. IRT identified one problematic item. CTI was shortened to 22 and DIF showed two items endorsed differently between males and females.
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Sides, R., Osborn, D. S., Walker, I., Stamm, J., & Villarreal, B. 2025Journal of PostSecondary SuccessBeyond the Game: Exploring the Interplay of Career Thoughts, Career Adaptability, and Athletic Identity in Shaping Postgraduation Paths for Student AthletesCTI, Career Adaptability Scale, Athletic Identity Scaleregressions and MANOVA92 college student athletesCTI only correlated with AIMS exclusivity subscale; negatively correlated with all CAAS subscales except Dual Concern; Self-identity & Exclusivity predicted CTI total; CTI did not predict athletic identity; Uncertain student athletes had significantly higher CTI scores
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Solomon2011DissertationThe Decision Space Worksheet, the Career Thoughts Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II as Measures of Mental Health in the Career Decision-Making ProcessDecision Space Worksheet, Career Thoughts Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Occupational Alternatives QuestionCorrelational131 college studentsThe study examined the relationship between the DSW responses and BDI scores as well as CTI scores and BDI scores. Findings indicated no significant positive relationship between DSW and BDI scores. However, the best predictors of depression were the CTI subscales, External Conflict (EC) and Commitment Anxiety (CA).
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Strauser et al.2006Career Development QuarterlyTrauma Symptoms: Relationship with Career Thoughts, Vocational Identify, and Development Work PersonalityCareer Thoughts Inventory, Developmental Work Personality Scale, Los Angeles Symptom ChecklistANOVA131 college studentsThis study examined the relationship between trauma symptoms and the career development process of 131 college students. Results indicate a significant relationship between higher levels of tramua symptoms and higher levels of dysfunctional career thoughts and lower levels of work personality.
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Strauser, D. R., Shen, S., Brehmer, C. E., Fine, E., & Liptak, C. 2023Journal of Vocational RehabilitationBarriers to employment for young adult central nervous system tumor survivors: The role of career readiness and core self-evaluations(Career Decision Making [CTI], Perceived Employment Barriers [PEB], and Core-Self Evaluations [CSE])ediation analysis with structural equational modeling110 young adult survivors of pediatric central nervous system tumorshe presence of both significant direct and indirect effects of career decision making on perceived employment barriers implied that there was a partial mediating effect of core self-evaluations on the association between career readiness and employment barriers.
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Thrift et al. 2012Journal of Counseling and DevelopmentCareer Interventions and the Career Thoughts of Pacific Island College StudentsCareer Thoughts InventoryANCOVA & MANCOVA128 college students from Pacific Island universityThis study investigated the impact of two career development interventions on negative career thoughts in a diverse Pacific Island university population. One invovled use of the CTI workbook to help students acquire cognitive reframing skills, and the other was a career exploration exercise in which students undertook a research investigation of a chosen occupation and reported the findings to classmates. The results revealed that both had a significant impact on reducing negative career thoughts, although the workbook intervention appeared to be more powerful.
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Toman2000Book - StrozierThe identification of a career development research and practice agenda for the 21st century (pp. 311-332)Career Thoughts Inventory was mentioned as one of the measures needed for measurement research using specific instruments with diverse populationsN/AN/ASummarizes literature into primary themes: diversity (gender and ethinicity, race, and culture), methodology (design, validity and reliability, and measurement), theory (Holland's typology, social learning theory, work adjustment theory, development theory, Roe's constructs, SCCT, and recommendations), interventions, and other (career decisions, perceived barriers, parents/family, political, technology, and hmm.
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Vidal-Brown & Thompson2001Journal of Career AssessmentThe Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory: A New Career Indecision Assessment ToolCareer Assessment Diagnostic Inventory (CADI), Career Factors Inventory, Career Decision Scale, Career Thoughts Inventory, My Vocational Situation, Multivariate analyses539 college studentsThe present study evaluated a 98-item multidimensional measure of six career-indecision factors. Based on data provided by 539 college students, scale scores on the Career Assessment Diagnostic Inventory had alpha coefficients ranging from .81 to .93 (M = .89). Factor analysis and convergent validity results were both supportive of a conclusion that CADI scores are valid.
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