Career Maturity of Young Gifted Adolescents: A Replication Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to replicate previous findings of a positive association between academic achievement and career maturity in young adolescents. Academic achievement and gender were the independent variables. The dependent variables were vocational identity, need for occupational information, perceived career barriers, and range of occupational aspiration. Gifted students perceived fewer career barriers than students in the regular curriculum. There were two interactions of gender and academic curriculum. First, gifted boys expressed a greater need for occupational information than gifted girls or students from the regular curriculum. Second, gifted boys expressed an interest in a wider range of occupational aspirations than gifted girls. The implications of these findings for program development in the area of career education and guidance are identified.

The Effects of Television Role Models on the Career Aspirations of African American Junior High School Students

“…In a study which used junior high school students, the alpha coefficients for the scales used in the present study were as follows: .88 for VI, .78 for 01, and .78 for B (Kelly, 1992). The alpha coefficients for the scales with the sample used in this study were .74 for VI, .57 for B which was somewhat lower than previously found.…”

Specialized Counseling Services for Gifted Youth and Their Families: A Needs Assessment

“…Educational and Career Development Gifted adolescents also have a distinct pattern of career development. High academic talent has been reliably associated with career maturity (Kelly, 1992; Kelly & Colangelo, 1990). Gifted students begin to consider occupational options as early as elementary school and have more extensive knowledge of careers than their peers not identified as gifted (Kelly & Cobb, 1991).…”

Predictors of Educational Aspirations Among Adolescent Gifted Students of Color

“…Vocational psychologists have long been interested in better understanding the educational aspirations of both college students and adolescents (e.g., Brown & Lent, 1992). Although previous research has contributed to our understanding of the aspirations of non-gifted ethnic minority students (e.g., Arbona, 1990) and gifted European American students (e.g., Kelly, 1992), the aspirations of gifted and talented adolescents of color have gone unexamined. Students of color are significantly underrepresented in four year post secondary institutions, and even more underrepresented in graduate education (Carter & Wilson, 1993).…”