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The study examined the role of career maturity on the college persistence of traditional-aged college freshmen enrolled at a public four-year institution. Results indicate that the My Vocational Situation instrument (Holland et al., 1980), while reliable, is also valid. Theoretical formulations need to be revisited, since results indicate that Goal Commitment and Career Maturity are distinct constructs. Career Maturity was found to be positively associated with a number of variables important to college persistence (e.g., GPA, Academic Integration, Faculty Contact, Encouragement). This variable also contributed to explain variance in Intent to Persist. However, Career Maturity exerted no direct effects on Persistence. The results of this study have implications for theory and research.

This article describes the findings from a study of professional development schools (PDS) and traditional student teaching elementary education graduates between 1996 and 2004. Specifically, the effects of teacher preparation experiences on persistence in elementary education employment were examined. The study involved mining previously collected data on teacher candidates, their entry into teaching on graduation, and their subsequent persistence in teaching. The findings indicate that even when controlling for important student background and cognitive characteristics, education in a PDS appears to significantly foster graduate's entry into and persistence in teaching. The effect sizes, although statistically significant, were small to moderate.

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