Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and Holland's theory of career choice both make predictions about individuals' occupational considerations. SCCT suggests that occupational considerations are partially a function of self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations whereas Holland's theory suggests that such considerations are a function of person-environment congruence. This study explored the relationships among self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, congruence, and occupational considerations in a sample of 93 college students. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated a modest positive relationship between congruence and occupational considerations that was no longer evident when self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations were considered in the regression equation. Implications for practice and the continued evaluation of overlap among career theories are discussed.

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Researchers and educators continue to try to understand and predict premature post-secondary institutional departure. According to social cognitive theory, self-efficacy beliefs are the gateway to understanding why individuals initiate behavior, the effort they expend in engaging in behavior, and their persistence in the face of obstacles. College self-efficacy (belief in one's ability to successfully engage in college-related behaviors) is a construct that may serve to further our understanding of college persistence and performance. The present study was conducted to more fully describe the construct of college self-efficacy as measured by the College Self-Efficacy Inventory (CSEI). specifically, we explored the factor structure and concurrent and predictive validity of scores on the CSEI. Results suggest that college self-efficacy, as measured by the CSEI, is a useful construct that may be of interest to researchers studying academic and career-related outcomes.

This study proposed that precollege students’ standardized mathematics achievement score and the congruence between their occupational interests and engineering tasks would predict their second-year retention in college and the stability of their major. Binary response models were used to predict second-year major status (i.e., continue, transfer major, or dropout). High mathematics achievement was predictive of retention on campus and within the engineering major. Interest congruence predicted likelihood of staying on campus. A trend was also detected ( p < .07) between the Mathematics Achievement · Interest Congruence interaction effect. These findings reinforce the importance of examining both achievement and interest congruence factors when understanding the retention of engineering majors. Future research needs to replicate and extend this model to other majors and institutions to more fully understand the major choice and college retention processes.

The study in this article provided principals with different types of information about professional school counseling and examined the impact on their perceptions. Results demonstrated that information about the ASCA National Model® influenced principals’ perceptions of the amount of time counselors should allocate to delivery of the guidance curriculum, system support, and responsive services, as well as ratings of the importance of performing inappropriate tasks in meeting the education mission of the school.