The Reliability and Validity of the Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire

Abstract

The dimensionality of career indecisiveness has continually eluded researchers for several years. These measures have been either purely theoretical or purely empirical, neglecting the other domain. A relatively new instrument, the Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ), is based on a taxonomy of decision-making difficulties. This study assesses the reliability and construct validity of the CDDQ, along with differences between decided and undecided groups. The sample included 268 university students. Convergent validity was assessed using the Career Decision Scale (CDS). Discriminant validity was assessed using measures of anxiety and social desirability. The CDDQ showed convergence with the CDS, and discriminated against both anxiety and social desirability. Differences between groups were statistically significant on most decision making difficulty scales. The results provide support for the reliability and validity of the CDDQ, suggesting that this measure may be useful in attempting to understand the multidimensionality of career indecisiveness and further assist in the development of a more comprehensive and accurate theoretical perspective of the construct of career indecisiveness.

Reliability and Validity of a Chinese Version of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire

“…These results are consistent with previous studies that have identified low internal reliability for the Readiness subscale (e.g., Albion & Fogarty, 2002;Gati et al, 1996;Gati et al, 2000;Lancaster et al, 1999;Mau, 2001 It is not possible to determine from this study whether the poor results for the Readiness subscale reflect the poor psychometric properties for this subscale generally, perhaps exacerbated by the translation from English into Chinese, or whether this result reflects cultural differences, where readiness to make a career decision for the Chinese adolescents is linked to group norms and values and cannot be interpreted as an individually relevant act (Earley, 1994). Possible cultural explanations include (a) the economy of China, where many still rely on the government to take care of their career choice, and where many still expect to work in a government setting; (b) the labour market inexperience of the students in the study (only one student reported having paid part-time employment; a situation very different to Western high school adolescents); and (c) the life stage of the students, who were all in middle school, and who may have expectations of continuing their education rather than entering the workforce.…”

“…These authors reported sound internal reliability scores for the Lack of Information (.95) and Inconsistent Information (.89) subscales, and for the Total scale (.94), but found low reliability for the Lack of Readiness subscale (.63). Albion and Fogarty (2002) and Lancaster et al (1999) also reported low reliability for the Lack of Readiness subscale. Mau (2001) translated this 44 item version into Chinese and tested it on a sample of Taiwanese students.…”

“…Evidence for validity of the 44-item CDDQ has been shown by a number of studies (Lancaster, Rudolph, Perkins, & Patten, 1999;Osipow & Gati, 1998), although the Lack of Readiness subscales have consistently produced poor internal reliability coefficients (Albion & Fogarty, 2002;Gati et al, 1996;Gati et al, 2000;Lancaster et al, 1999). Gati and Saka (2001) also produced a shortened and modified version of the CDDQ by reducing the 44-item original version to 34 items (32 CDDQ items, and two items included as a validity check).…”

Career decision-making profiles and career decision-making difficulties: A cross-cultural comparison among US, Israeli, and Chinese samples

“…The validity of both the taxonomy and the questionnaire has been empirically tested and supported (Creed & Yin, 2006;Gati et al, 1996;Gati, Osipow, Krausz, & Saka, 2000;Gati & Saka, 2001a, 2001bKelly & Lee, 2002;Lancaster, Rudolph, Perkins, & Patten, 1999;Mau, 2001;Osipow & Gati, 1998;Tien, 2005;Vahedi, Farrokhi, Mahdavi, & Moradi, 2012).…”

Lifelong career mobility and change options in knowledge occupations: career pathway implications of initial degree choices

“…The career decision to study for a degree, and then to choose a field of study, often immediately post school, can be an important life event (Lancaster, Rudolph, Perkins, & Patten, 1999;Vignoli, 2015) considering the time, cost and commitment required. It is in the context of what is broadcasted as a time of rapid change and increased occupational mobility, occupational obsolescence and creation, mass tertiary education and competition for graduate positions (Finkel, 2016), that university aspirants currently have to make their decisions.…”