College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
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Item Predicting Study Abroad Interests and Choice Goals Through Social Cognitive Career Theory(2020) Wang, Ruogu Jason; Lent, Robert W; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Studying abroad in college is an educational choice that has significant implications for students’ personal, academic, and career development. Applying the Social Cognitive Career Theory interests and choice models (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), this study examined social cognitive predictors of study abroad interest and intent. First, the psychometric properties of new and revised domain-specific social cognitive variables were assessed with an initial sample of students (N = 325) from a Mid-Atlantic university, yielding 8 factors and adequate factor-derived psychometrics. This was followed by measurement model testing on a second, nationwide sample of students (N = 277), which showed that the overall model fit indices offered good fit to the data. Regressions on the second sample produced support for most of the SCCT paths predicting study abroad interests and study abroad intent. Finally, practice-based implications and directions for future research are discussed.Item JOB SEARCH EXPERIENCES: A WITHIN-PERSON EXAMINATION OF JOB SEARCH SELF-EFFICACY, BEHAVIORS, AND OUTCOME(2011) Liu, Songqi; Wang, Mo; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A dynamic self-regulatory perspective is useful to explain within- and between-person variations in job search behaviors (e.g., Barber, Daly, Giannantonio, & Phillips, 1994; Kanfer, Wanberg, Kantrowitz, 2001). However, few studies have incorporated models and designs appropriate for addressing when and why individuals are persistent in their job search activities. In addition, although goal orientation and attribution are highly relevant to self-regulation, previous studies on job search have not integrated these important constructs into the dynamic model of job search. Using data from college seniors in China, the current study advanced the understanding of the dynamic pathways leading to job search behaviors and number of job offers. Specifically, conceptualizing job search behaviors as guided by the employment goal and its sub-goal job search behavior goal, the current study differentiates employment self-efficacy from job search behavior self-efficacy. The data showed that at the within-person level, higher levels of perceived job search progress lead to more job search behaviors through enhanced levels of job search behavior self-efficacy. At the same time, higher levels of perceived job search progress could also lead to less job search behaviors through elevated employment self-efficacy. Finally, active job search behaviors were positively related to the number of job offers received by job seekers. The data also suggest that performance goal orientation and attribution moderated the within-person relationship between perceived job search progress and self-efficacy believes. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications to multiple goal theories regarding dynamic self-regulation processes and practical implications to employment interventions.Item Investigating the Relationship Between Micro and Macro Levels of Efficacy and Their Effects on Crime(2010) Ahlin, Eileen M.; Paternoster, Raymond; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The concepts of self-efficacy and collective efficacy have both been used by scholars to explain involvement in individual-level crime. Scholars have found that both types of efficacy are related to crime at the individual level. However, little research has examined the relationship between self-efficacy and collective efficacy and its influence on youths' involvement in crime. Using the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) data, this study focuses on the independent influences of self-efficacy and collective efficacy on involvement in crime among youths ages 9 to 19, and examines the potential moderating effect of collective efficacy on the relationship between self-efficacy and crime. The relationship between self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and crime is addressed by asking three questions. First, does a general measure of youth's self-efficacy influence their involvement in crime? Second, does a macro level measure of collective efficacy influence youths' involvement in crime? Third, does collective efficacy moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and crime? To control for the contexts in which youths live and individual-level factors that can influence involvement in crime, and may influence efficacy, neighborhood context, family context, and individual-level demographic variables are also examined. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, the analyses indicate mixed support for a relationship between efficacy and individual-level involvement in crime. First, a significant negative relationship exists between self-efficacy and crime. Second, no significant effects emerge between collective efficacy and crime. Third, collective efficacy completely moderates the relationship between self-efficacy and crime, but not in the expected direction. After controlling for collective efficacy, the significant negative relationship between self-efficacy and crime is nullified. The conclusion then is that a general measure of self-efficacy influences a youth's involvement in crime, while a macro level measure of collective efficacy does not. Areas of future research and implications for theory and policy are discussed.