Multicultural and International Research in Four Career Development Journals: An 11‐Year Content Analysis

Abstract

In an increasingly diverse and global society, it is important to evaluate the cultural responsiveness of vocational research. The authors examined trends in the publication of multicultural-focused articles from 2005 to 2015 in 4 journals: The Career Development Quarterly, the Journal of Career Assessment, the Journal of Career Development, and the Journal of Vocational Behavior. Methodological, thematic, and construct trends were examined across the identity categories of gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, religion/ spirituality, age, immigration status, and international research. Results showed increases in social class and international research but continued neglect of sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability status. The themes of career exploration and promoting agency received the most attention; equity in work settings received the least. Findings suggest that more research with underrepresented groups is needed and that counselors may need to rely on resources outside the current literature to ensure best practices with these clients.

Vocational Psychology: Expanding the Vision and Enhancing the Impact

“…These authors also noted an increase in the number of international publications across decades. In the 11-year period following Nilsson et al's study, there was a significant increase in the proportion of international articles published across the same journals, representing almost one quarter (22.5%) of all publications (Garriott et al, 2017). By comparison, other multicultural research reflected in the four journals across the same 11-year period was as follows: 8.8% racial and/or ethnic minority (Lee et al, 2017), 11.1% gender, 8.1% age, 5.9% SES and/or social class, 2.1% religion, 1.7% immigration, and less than 1% each for ability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity (Garriott et al, 2017).…”

“…In the 11-year period following Nilsson et al's study, there was a significant increase in the proportion of international articles published across the same journals, representing almost one quarter (22.5%) of all publications (Garriott et al, 2017). By comparison, other multicultural research reflected in the four journals across the same 11-year period was as follows: 8.8% racial and/or ethnic minority (Lee et al, 2017), 11.1% gender, 8.1% age, 5.9% SES and/or social class, 2.1% religion, 1.7% immigration, and less than 1% each for ability status, sexual orientation, and gender identity (Garriott et al, 2017). Of course, other journals exist in many regions of the world for vocational psychology scholars, including the British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, L'Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle, and the International Journal of Educational and Vocational Guidance (among others), which are vibrant outlets with a long history of seminal publications.…”

“…Common topics represented among these studies include career development, career interventions, career assessment, life span perspectives, and special populations (Buboltz, Ebberwein, Watkins, & Savickas, 1995;Buboltz & Savickas, 1994;Chaichanasakul et al, 2011;Garriott, Faris, Frazier, Nisle, & Galluzzo, 2017;Lee et al, 2017;Loveland, Buboltz, Schwartz, & Gibson, 2006;Nilsson, Flores, Berkel, Schale, Linnemeyer, & Summer, 2007;Sampson et al, 2014;Whiston et al, 2013). This research indicates that vocational behaviors (i.e., career choice) and career interventions are well-covered topics in vocational research.…”

Something Old and Something New: Future Directions in Vocational Research With People of Color in the United States

“…Although racial/ethnic issues are a pervasive force in our society, they receive considerably less attention in vocational scholarship in comparison to international and gender issues, which represented 22.5% and 11.1%, respectively, of vocational publications from 2005 to 2015 (Garriott, Faris, Frazier, Nisle, & Galluzzo, 2017; B. H. Lee et al, 2017).…”

Development and Validation of the College Social–Emotional Crossroads Inventory

“…With these macro-level changes, much attention has been given to how contextual factors affect students’ academic and career trajectories. Attention has been given to race, gender, and social class along with how social determinants affect career development in the vocational literature (Garriott, Faris, Frazier, Nisle, & Galluzzo, 2017; Lee et al, 2017).…”