Testing the structure of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire across country, gender, age, and decision status

Abstract

Many individuals face difficulties when making a career decision. Gati, Krausz, and Osipow (1996) proposed a taxonomy that classifies career decision-making difficulties into three major clusters, which are further subdivided into 10 categories. Based on the proposed taxonomy, they developed the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), which has been since adopted and used in more than 50 countries. Despite its widespread use, the dimensionality of the CDDQ has not yet been fully demonstrated nor its measurement invariance sufficiently confirmed. To test the validity of the internal structure of the CDDQ, the data of 32,556 individuals from Australia, Canada, China, India, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, who filled out the English version of the CDDQ on their own initiative, were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original taxonomy and the reliability of the CDDQ scores. The CDDQ also demonstrated scalar invariance across the seven countries, gender, and age, but not career decision status. As career indecision is a major construct in vocational psychology, validating the internal structure of the CDDQ is a fundamental psychometric step with important theoretical, research, and practical implications.

Career indecision

“…The authors have constructed an instrument (Career Decision Making Difficulties Questionnaire) to measure difficulties in the career decision-making process. A very recent extensive study (Levin, Braunstein, Lipshits-Braziler, Gati, & Rossier, 2020) confirmed the internal structure of this instrument, its reliability and scalar invariance in seven English-speaking countries. Similar findings regarding the proposed structure and reliability were found in other studies conducted among high school students (e.g.…”

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Kariyer Kararlılığı

“…According to the results of the research conducted by Spitzer (2000), the levels of self-regulation and intrinsic motivation related to career processes of elderly students were found to be higher than younger students. According to the results of Levin et al (2019), it was found that the career decision making skills of the participants aged 19-24 were higher than those of the younger participants. According to the results of the study conducted by Hirschi et al (2015), no relationship was found between the participants' career adaptation skills of the age variable.…”

Неодлучност При Изборот На Кариера

“…Имено, се базира на претходно споменатата и теориски заснована таксономија на тешкотиите во процесот на донесување одлука поврзана со кариерата и е најнов инструмент во оваа област. Во мошне скорешна опсежна студија (Levin, Braunstein, Lipshits-Braziler, Gati, & Rossier, 2020) потврдени сe интерната структура на овој инструмент, неговата релијабилност и скаларна инваријанса во седум земји каде се зборува англискиот јазик. Слични наоди во поглед на предложената структура и релијабилноста се најдени и во други студии спроведени кај средношколци (на пр.…”

“…Од друга страна, таа може да се манифестира како долгорочна, хронична состојба на нерешителност. Левин и соработниците (Levin et al, 2020) соопштуваат дека изворите на кариерната неод-лучност од когнитивна природа постепено се намалуваат одејќи од адолесцентниот кон периодот на зрелост, а пак, тешкотиите што произлегуваат од емоционални фактори и од личноста стануваат поизразени движејќи се од адолесценција кон зрелост што може да биде делумна поддршка за дистинкцијата помеѓу неодлучноста (indecision) и нерешителноста (indecisiveness).…”