Psychology

The qualitative research process can offer counselors and psychologists the opportunity to participate in social justice practice. Qualitative research contributes to social justice when researchers promote the following principles: equity, access, participation, and harmony for culturally diverse populations, those currently most at risk for acts of social injustice. In this manuscript we suggests ways in which qualitative approaches can provide a vehicle by which social justice can be enacted when researchers are conscious and deliberate about these intentions. To this end, we review and highlight best practices in socially just qualitative research processes across the following aspects of research: design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and application of findings.

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT; RW Lent, SD Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) and general social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1999, 2000) posit somewhat different relations between contextual variables and choice actions. The authors tested the predictions of these 2 model ...

This study examined the utility of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; RW Lent, SD Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) in predicting engineering interests and major choice goals among women and men and among students at historically Black and predominantly White universities. ...

Researchers have hypothesized about the potentially competing demands of sexual identity development and career development (e.g., Chen, Stracuzzi, & Ruckdeschel, 2004; Fassinger, 1996; Morrow, 1997; Schmidt, 2004). In the present study, we explored these hypotheses focusing specifically on career decision making. Using cluster analysis, we identified three groups of lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who differed in terms of the conflict experienced between sexual identity and career development: career conflict group (n = 11), sexual identity conflict group (n = 45), and those who experienced low levels of conflict between the two domains (n = 71). Differences were found between the clusters in levels of career decision making supports, career decision making barriers, and career decision making self-efficacy. Results tentatively suggest the importance of considering within-group differences when using Social Cognitive Career Theory to understand the career decision making of this population.

The present study tested 2 competing, extended models of the theory of work adjustment (TWA) with a sample of 100 economically distressed working African Americans receiving services at a nonprofit community center. Model 1 depicted a mediated model consistent with postulations of the TWA's original theorists. Model 2 depicted a moderated mediation model consistent with cultural critiques of the TWA. Bivariate correlations indicated that perceptions of person-organization (P-O) fit were positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to turnover intentions, and job satisfaction was negatively related to turnover intentions. Furthermore, perceptions of racial climate were positively related to perceptions of P-O fit and job satisfaction and negatively related to turnover intentions. Moreover, results of the path analyses indicated stronger support for Model 2, the moderated mediation model, in which the indirect link of P-O fit with turnover intentions through job satisfaction was conditional on levels of racial climate. Specifically, when racial climate was perceived as less supportive, the indirect link of P-O fit with turnover intentions was nonsignificant, but when employees reported moderate and more supportive levels of racial climates, this indirect relation was significant. Research and career counseling implications of the present study's findings for financially distressed African American employees are discussed.

The qualitative research process can offer counselors and psychologists the opportunity to participate in social justice practice. Qualitative research contributes to social justice when researchers promote the following principles: equity, access, participation, and harmony for culturally diverse populations, those currently most at risk for acts of social injustice. In this manuscript we suggests ways in which qualitative approaches can provide a vehicle by which social justice can be enacted when researchers are conscious and deliberate about these intentions. To this end, we review and highlight best practices in socially just qualitative research processes across the following aspects of research: design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and application of findings.

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT; RW Lent, SD Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994) and general social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1999, 2000) posit somewhat different relations between contextual variables and choice actions. The authors tested the predictions of these 2 model ...