Vocational Certainty and Indecision in College Freshmen

Abstract

Three groups of entering college freshmen, possessing varying degrees of identification of educational‐vocational goals, were compared on a variety of personality, achievement, aptitude, school, and family factors. The major differences indicated that the most undecided group was more dependent than the other two groups, but equal to the most decided group in academic achievement, while a middle, or tentatively decided group, was not as successful academically as the most and least decided groups. These findings suggest that educational‐vocational indecision has at least two dimensions. A need for different counseling approaches in dealing with uncertain students depending upon the antecedents of their uncertainty is likely.

Career Certainty: Differences Between Career Certain and Uncertain Engineering Students

“…Studies about students' vocational interests and their relationship with career certainty have had mixed results. Ashby et al (1966) found no differences between decided and undecided students with regard to their vocational interests. In contrast, Feldman (2003) notes that students with many vocational interests might experience greater career indecision because it is more difficult for them to decide on a single career option.…”

“…A study by Lunnebourg (1975) found that career decided students on average had a higher college and high school math GPA than undecided students. However, findings by Ashby et al (1966) showed a difference in the high school GPAs between undecided and decided students but not in their college GPAs. A broad variety of other specific school tests and exams were compared among career certain and uncertain students which led to inconsistent findings (Ashby et al, 1966).…”

“…However, findings by Ashby et al (1966) showed a difference in the high school GPAs between undecided and decided students but not in their college GPAs. A broad variety of other specific school tests and exams were compared among career certain and uncertain students which led to inconsistent findings (Ashby et al, 1966). Nevertheless, those studies suggest that academic achievement might somehow be related to career certainty.…”

“…Lunneborg, 1975, Daniels et al, 2011. Regarding the income or education of students' parents and their effect on career certainty, empirical studies did not find any significant results (Ashby, Wall & Osipow, 1966;Holland and Holland, 1977).…”

“…For instance, Daniels et al (2011) looked at physical education students, Neapolitan (1992) focused on students with a major in sociology, Jordaan et al (2009) looked only at specific honors degrees and Neice and Bradley (1979) at psychology students. In contrast, Ashby et al (1966) more comprehensively considered all freshmen students of every field (e.g. business, teaching, liberal arts, etc.)…”