Graduation Year

2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Major Professor

Victor Hernandez, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Robert Dedrick, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Chloe Lancaster, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Oscar Aliaga Abanto, Ph.D.

Keywords

Higher Education, Career Development, Vocational Education, Liberal Arts

Abstract

In an era of governmentally controlled education systems sustained through performance-based funding metrics, the value of higher education is often considered justified by socioeconomic impact and degree employability. Although modern academia traces its roots to the humanities and liberal arts for its foundation, degrees without direct job relation, and the students seeking these degrees, are often considered less employable than majors directly linked to vocations. However, the humanities and labor market are not mutually exclusive. Influenced by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) (Lent, et al., 1994), Self-Efficacy Theory (Bandura, 1977), and Career Maturity Theory (Crites, 1973), this cross-sectional quantitative survey explores the career decision-making self-efficacy and career action steps of undergraduate humanities students in English, Philosophy, Anthropology, and History at a four-year, public university. This research utilized the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Short Form (CDSE-SF) (Betz & Taylor, 1983) instrument and a 10-question career action step survey. Two-step multiple regression analysis was used to measure relationship differences amongst humanities students’ demographics and career decision-making self-efficacy subscale scores (predictor variables) and career action step survey composite score (dependent variable). Career decision-making self-efficacy subscale scores were also measured via a series of multiple regression analyses to determine associations amongst CDSE-SF subscale scores and participant demographics. Results from this study may be used to inform researchers about the career decision-making self-efficacy of humanities students and present a foundation for future humanities career research and practice.

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