Examining the Structure of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale

Abstract

The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS), a measure developed to evaluate an individual’s level of career adaptability, was initially validated as consisting of four factors (concern, control, curiosity, and confidence). The following study explores the structural validity of the CAAS when a fifth factor, cooperation, is included. Beyond examining the structural validity, we additionally conducted a cross-cultural validation of the five-factor model across American, Chinese, and Taiwanese samples. Our cross-cultural comparisons provided some support for the factorial equivalence of the five-factor Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS-5) in terms of the configural model. However, the results for the scalar model gave some indication of nonequivalence. Follow-up analyses showed that all items functioned similarly across groups, suggesting that small deviations in item functioning may have resulted in nonequivalence when aggregated to the scale level. Given the conceptual importance of cooperation’s inclusion, we contend that future research on career adaptability should explore the CAAS-5 further.

Career Adapt-Abilities Scale–Short Form (CAAS-SF): Validation Across Three Different Samples in the Chinese Context

“…The development of career adaptability is one of the most significant advancements in vocational psychology in the past two decades (Nye et al, 2018). This study aims to contribute to this growing literature through examining the reliability and validity of the CAAS-SF in China.…”

“…from college in 2017 (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2017), and most of them went into the job market. However, organizations frequently reported that college graduates lacked the necessary skills to adapt to their current jobs (Nye, Leong, Prasad, Gardner, & Tien, 2018). It is urgent for researchers to develop guidance for the career development of college students (Leung, Hou, Gati, & Li, 2011).…”

Career adaptability.

“…Finally, some studies examined whether the four career adaptability resources of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence should be extended by a fifth "c" of career adaptability: cooperation (Nota et al, 2012;Nye et al, 2018). Cooperation focuses on the interpersonal aspects of career adaptability, which were not included in the final CAAS measure because the five-factor model did not fit for all 13 investigated countries (Nye et al, 2018).…”

“…Finally, some studies examined whether the four career adaptability resources of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence should be extended by a fifth "c" of career adaptability: cooperation (Nota et al, 2012;Nye et al, 2018). Cooperation focuses on the interpersonal aspects of career adaptability, which were not included in the final CAAS measure because the five-factor model did not fit for all 13 investigated countries (Nye et al, 2018). Nye et al (2018) explored the structure of the CAAS in cross-cultural comparisons among U.S., Chinese, and Taiwanese samples and found support for the five-factor model of career adaptability measured by the instrument CAAS-5.…”

Career adapt-ability scale -short form: Validation among early career stage of Chinese university graduates

“…Research on career adaptability is one of the most significant discoveries in occupational psychology during the past three decades (Nye et al, 2017), which has been further developed The notion of career adaptability has been embraced by scholars in the career area, as seen by the growing number of studies published on the topic over the past several years (Johnston, 2016).…”