Effectiveness of Career Development Interventions for College Students: A Review of Published Research

A Comparison of Three Methods of Career Planning for Liberal Arts Majors

“…Because Oliver (1979) suggested using instruments used in previous investigations, and the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) (Crites, 1978) was the most frequently cited measure of career maturity in the investigations reviewed by Pickering and Vacc (1984), the CMI was chosen as a dependent measure for this investigation. The CMI measures both career maturity and career decision-making ability, which were the two most frequently investigated career variables in the research reviewed by Pickering and Vacc.…”

“…As recommended by Pickering and Vacc (1984), a career workbook was chosen as the instrument for this investigation, and all participants were required to purchase copies. PATH: A Career Workbook for Liberal Arts Students (PATH) (Figler, 1979a) was chosen because of its focus on liberal arts majors.…”

“…Anderson and Berdie (1977), Blustein and Burton (1979), Boeding and Kitchner (1976), Fremouw and Feindler (1978), and Jackson and Van Zoost (1974) found peer tutors to be effective in a variety of college settings. In their review, Pickering and Vacc (1984) found mixed results from selfhelp interventions but suggested that such interventions may be effective when used to supplement the services of a counselor (i.e., directed selfstudy).…”

“…The Pickering and Vacc (1984) review revealed two factors affecting cost effectiveness: length of treatment and level of training and involvement of group leaders. Although they recommended the short-term treatment as the most cost effective, they were less clear about the level of training and involvement of the group leaders.…”

The effect of using a computer assisted career guidance system on career development attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors in students

“…In fact, Pickering and Vaece (1984) reported only three out of 47 articles evaluating career guidance programs between 1975 and 1984 examined the Influence of demographic factors such as gender. Myers et al (1972) found that the Education and Career Exploration System (ECES) was equally effective In promoting career development for male and female 10th graders.…”