Date of Award

Summer 5-1-1980

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling Psychology & Community Services

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a life career planning course would significantly increase participants' self-esteem and career maturity and change participants' sex-role stereotypes, as measured by Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, the Texas Social Behavior Inventory, the Career Maturity Inventory, and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Another purpose of the study was to determine if self-esteem, as measured by the RSE, was positively related to a second self-esteem measure, career maturity, and sex-role stereotypes, as measured by scores on the TSBI, the CMI, and the PAQ, respectively. The subjects in this study consisted of undergraduate participants of the life career planning course offered by the University of North Dakota. Thirty six students participated in the pre testing and thirty-two students took the post tests. A total of twenty-eight students, sixteen females and fourteen males, participated in both pre and post testing. Four instruments were used in the study. Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale (RSE) was used to measure global self-esteem. Scores on the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI) were used to measure self esteem and social competence. The Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) was used to assess attributes characterized as masculine and feminine. Attitudes a person had toward making a career choice were measured by the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI).

Data were analyzed through usage oft-Tests and multiple regression analysis. The .05 level was used to evaluate significance. The findings for this study were as follows: A significant increase occurred for females on the CMI between pre and post testing. Significant correlations between TSBI and both M-PAQ and F-PAQ, the masculine and feminine scales of the sex-role inventory, were found for females' pre test data. The RSE and M-PAQ were related for males' pre test and females' post test data. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant predictive relationship for M-PAQ in combination with TSBI, followed by F-PAQ and CMI, for males' pre test data. Post test analysis for females indicated a significant predictive relationship between the criterion RSE and M-PAQ, TSBI, CMI and F-PAQ, respectively. Examination of subjects' scores after categorizing them as androgynous, masculine, feminine and undifferentiated, according to PAQ scores, ·indicated a significant decrease in M-PAQ scores for androgynous persons. Increases in career maturity and self-esteem were found in data for persons in the undifferentiated group. Although significant interrelationships were found among the variables used in the study, little evidence was found to indicate that participation in a career planning course would lead to changes in self esteem, sex-role stereotypes and career maturity.

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