A Second-Order Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Career Aspirations Scale of Female Thai Students

Abstract

This research investigated the reliability and validity of the Career Aspiration Scale (CAS) of Gregor and O'Brien (2016) which was translated into Thai using multiple translation strategies. The questionnaire was administered to 336 female students in three universities in Thailand. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify a three-factor and second-order factor structures for a 24-item measure of CAS (achievement, leadership, and educational aspirations). The scale presented acceptable reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity. The results showed that the Thai version of the CAS could be used as a second-order factor structure better than a three-factor. In a secondorder model, the findings of the study reflected that female Thai students prioritized "achievement aspirations" over "educational aspirations", while "leadership aspirations" were valued the least. Moreover, the mean comparison between first-year and fourth-year students showed that fourth-year students had significantly higher scores than first-year students on all aspects of the CAS.

Psychometric Properties and a Multiple Indicators Multiple Cause Model of the Career Aspiration Scale with College Students of Rural Thailand

“…These findings differ from those of a Korean study in which students placed the highest priority on organizational leadership, working with long-term effects in the field, and obtaining an advanced education [30]. They are also inconsistent with Khampirat's study [13], which found that female Thai students prioritized organizational leadership, success in the field, and monitoring the progress of knowledge in the field. In this study, however, differences in the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on the three subscales were generally small, and other factors may have caused variations in the scales.…”

“…Encouraging and motivating students to further their career aspirations [2] can help them develop professional skills, expand sustainable career choices, and increase competitiveness in the labor market [7]. In addition, the COVID-19 Sustainability 2021, 13, 10377 2 of 19 pandemic may currently affect student career aspirations, influencing their career choice opportunities, career behaviors, and mental health [8]. Maintaining high career aspirations may also support how students focus on improving themselves, possibly leading to better career opportunities [9].…”

“…In Thailand, Khampirat [7] showed that university students whose fathers had lower educational levels had lower career aspirations than those whose fathers had higher levels of education. Khampirat [13] also compared career aspiration means between first-and fourth-year students and found that the scores of fourth-year students were higher than those of first-year students in all aspects. Weeranakint and Sungsanit [14] reported how the career aspirations of Thai female managers were associated with selfefficacy and organizational types.…”

“…To assess the career aspirations of women in the United States, O'Brien [27] developed the Career Aspiration Scale (CAS), which has been revised as the CAS-R to provide better psychometric properties and to assess leadership, achievement, and educational aspirations [28]. CAS and CAS-R have been implemented in varied studies, for example: in Chinese schools [29], with Korean students [30,31], in Indonesian high schools [32,33], in US colleges [23,34,35], Pakistani colleges [36], with Indian adolescents [37], with collegeeducated Indian women [38], in a Thai university [7,13], in Thai secondary schools [39], Omani schools [2], and Chinese colleges [40]. Although the CAS-R has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity and has also been proven valid in various contexts, factor structure and psychometric properties have not been consistent across studies.…”