An examination of the relationships among career decision-making self-efficacy, vocational motives, and vocational indecision: a study of women's junior college students

The purpose of this study was to examine a causal model leading to the tendency of women's junior college students to delay vocational decisions. The model assumes that Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE) determines vocational motives, which in turn affect the tendency. A questionnaire was administered to 431, 199 first-year and 232 second-year, women's junior college students. CDMSE was measured with self-efficacy for self-appraisal and occupational information-gathering, and vocational motives were self-improvement, interpersonal, and status motives. Results showed that self-efficacy for self-appraisal influenced self-improvement motive for both first-year and second-year students. Self-improvement motive and the self-efficacy then influenced vocational indecision among second-year students. Self-efficacy for information-gathering influenced vocational indecision among first-year students. These findings suggest that college vocational guidance should take self-efficacy and vocational motives into account.