Teaching and Evaluating a Required Course in Career Planning for Psychology Majors b b James H. Thomas b b Cyndi R. McDaniel b b Northern Kentucky University

Introduction b b Question: What can you do with a degree in psychology ? b b Answer: About anything if you prepare for it; almost nothing if you do not.

Career Planning for Psychology Majors b b Why is it needed ? Increasing popularity of psychology as a major Competitiveness of graduate programs A variety of other options Result: 80% change career plans; 40% have none b b How to address this need Advising Special programs – –e.g., Career Days, Psi Chi Publications – –e.g. pamphlets, newsletters Careers courses

Careers Courses for Psychology Majors: A Growing Trend? b b Articles describing and evaluating courses Ware (1988) Dodson, Chastain, & Landrum (1996) Kennedy & Lloyd (1998) b b Textbooks based on and used in courses Appleby (1997) Morgan & Korschgen (1998) Landrum, Davis, & Landrum (2000)

Career Planning for Psychology Majors - the NKU Course b b Psy 310R required course for psychology majors – –starting Fall credit hour (meets once a week) corequisite with Psy 310 (Research Methods) and Psy 310L (Research Tools) to be taken during the sophomore or junior year small classes (15-17 students) Majoring in Psych ? : Career Options for Psychology Undergraduates (Morgan & Korschgen) - required text A Student’s Guide to Careers in the Helping Professions (Hemelein) - required text

Course Description b b Four short papers Interests and values Graduate school in psychology Career in a helping profession Career in business field b b Internet career search Three hours online Paper describing findings b b Informational interview In a field you are considering Report to class Paper to class

Course Objectives b b General purpose: encourage students to examine and evaluate their career plans b b More specific objectives: increase students’ knowledge about various career options for psychology majors increase students’ confidence in their abilities to make appropriate career decisions based on their interests, values, and skills increase students’ movement toward the achievement of their vocational identities

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Course b b Step 1: students’ written responses (end of the semester) b b Step 2: developing more focused questionnaires – –Psychology Majors Career Information Survey (PMCIS) – – Career Decision Making Self Efficacy Scale (CDMSES) – –Brief Evaluation of Vocational Identity Status (BEVIS)

Psychology Majors Career Information Survey b b I have a clear understanding of the kinds of work done by different types of psychologists (e.g., clinical, social, experimental, organizational) b b If I decide to become a psychologist, I know just what steps I will have to take to accomplish this goal. b b I know how to go about preparing for, selecting, and getting admitted to graduate school. b b I can identify several different fields of study that would allow me to do counseling/therapy and I understand what each of these involves. b b I can identify a number of “people helping” careers outside of psychology and I have some understanding of the preparation required for each of these careers. b b I can identify several areas within the business world in which a psychology major may be valuable and I know how to pursue a career in business if I should decide to do so. b b Strongly DisagreeStrongly Agree 12345

Career Decision Making Self Efficacy Scale b b How much confidence do you have that you could: Find information in the library about occupations you are interested in Make a plan of your goals for the next five year Accurately assess your abilities Decide what you value most in an occupation Find out the average yearly earnings of people in an occupation Talk with a person already employed in the field you are interested in Identify employers, firms, and institutions relevant to your career possibilities Figure out what you are and are not ready to sacrifice to achieve your career goals b b The above items are examples. b b There are 25 total items. b b Each item is rated on the following scale. b b No confidence at allComplete Confidence 12345

Achievement of Vocational Identity b b I have considered information about a number of different occupations and, although the decision has not been an easy one, I am confident that I have made the right choice for my future career. b b Strongly DisagreeStrongly Agree b b Note: Identity Achievement item from the Brief Evaluation of Vocational Identity Status

Conclusions b b The empirical findings indicate that the course successfully met its objectives by increasing students’: knowledge of career possibilities for psychology majors confidence in their abilities to make career decisions movement toward establishing their vocational identities b b These results suggest that similar courses may provide one effective way for psychology departments to help students make the transition from college into meaningful professional careers.