Engineering and engineering technology baccalaureate students: A study of the differences in their career maturity, self-esteem and vocational interest patterns

The purpose of this study was to perform inter- and intragroup comparisons for undergraduates in baccalaureate programs in engineering technology (BSET) and engineering (BSE).;Career maturity, self-esteem and vocational interest variables, constructs in Holland's personality theory and Super's theory of career development, were used to differentiate between and among the groups considered in this investigation. This study examined intergroup and intragroup differences using discriminant analysis. Intergroup analyses examined the differences between BSET and BSE freshmen and between BSET and BSE seniors. Intragroup analyses focused on differences within majors comparing freshmen and seniors in the BSET and the BSE programs.;Participants in this study were freshmen and seniors enrolled in Computer Engineering Technology and Computer Engineering programs at Rochester Institute of Technology. One hundred twenty three students volunteered and completed three instruments and a personal data form. The three test instruments were the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), Career Development Inventory (CDI), and the Self Directed Search (SDS).;The intergroup analyses indicated that the subscores of the TSCS were the best discriminators of freshmen and senior groups followed by Holland types. The majority of the subscores for the TSCS, CDI, and SDS loaded the discriminant functions in the directions predicted by theory and research. The discriminant functions for intergroup analyses correctly classified 71% of the freshmen and 82% of the seniors.;The data from the BSET and BSE intragroup comparisons showed that TSCS and CDI subscales were the strongest contributors to the separation of these groups. The subscores of the TSCS and the CDI loaded the respective discriminant functions in the directions supported by theory and research. The discriminant functions for each intragroup analysis correctly classified 85% and 90% of the BSET and the BSE majors.;These findings generally confirm that the major constructs of Holland's and Super's developmental theories can be used to successfully differentiate among and between BSET and BSE populations. Further, the findings of this study suggest that the internal/external dimensions of the TSCS may be recording an individual's readiness to undertake and successfully complete the specific vocational tasks associated with Super's exploratory stage.