College Students’ Career Decision-making and Career Decision-making Self-efficacy: a Case Study in Formative Assessment and Course Design

Abstract

College career courses are increasingly offered at colleges and universities due to economic changes as a result of performance-based funding initiatives nationwide, and in an attempt to ensure more job placements of students graduating with baccalaureate degrees (Devlin The Journal of College Placement, 34(4), 62–68, 1974; Studley 2004; Fouad et al. Journal of Career Assessment, 17(3), 338–347, 2009; Hansen and Pedersen Journal of the First Year Experience & Students in Transition, 24(2), 33–61, 2012). This case study expands on the seminal work of Gallo (2017) and assessed the effectiveness of a new interdisciplinary career exploration course at a comprehensive university that is open to all students, not just students who were undecided in their college major. The course design followed a constructivism curriculum, with opportunities for formative assessment, which resulted in a culminating final course project. Students’ career decision-making and career decision-making self-efficacy were measured utilizing a pre-test/post-test model, the Career Decision Scale (CDS), and the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form (CDSE-SF). The results indicated that the interdisciplinary career course curriculum had a positive effect on students’ level of career decision-making and career decision-making self-efficacy.