| This study examined the effects of an eight-week career intervention on the dysfunctional career thoughts, decision making confusion, commitment anxiety, external conflict, and career decision self-efficacy on first-year students enrolled in a learning community for undeclared majors. The intervention was based on the Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) approach (Peterson, Sampson, & Reardon, 1991; Peterson, Sampson, Reardon, & Lenz, 1996; Reardon, Lenz, Sampson, & Peterson, 2000). Previous research indicated significant improvement in dysfunctional thinking following a semester-long, three-credit course using the CIP approach (Reardon, Lenz, Sampson, & Peterson, 2000). In addition, enhanced career decision self-efficacy is believed to be important to initiating tasks and behaviors associated with career decision-making (Bergeron & Romano, 1994; Luzzo, 1999; Robbins, 1985; Taylor & Popma, 1990).; The treatment group included 21 first-year students who were participants in a learning community for undeclared majors. The control group consisted of 14 students in General Psychology who indicated they were undeclared or uncertain of a major and were not enrolled in a learning community. Participants in both groups were assessed in class at pre-intervention and post-intervention, and by campus mail six weeks later at delayed post-intervention. Instruments used were the Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI; Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1996b), the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (CDSE-SF; Betz, Klein, & Taylor, 1996a), and a Demographic Form.; Six research questions were examined. Two by three ANOVA results revealed no significant differences in dysfunctional career thoughts, decision making confusion, commitment anxiety, external conflict, and career decision self-efficacy over time or between groups on the dependent variables. In addition, there were no group by time interactions. |
