The relationship of racial identity attitudes and perceived barriers to career self -efficacy among African American college men
Abstract
This study examined the relationship of racial identity attitudes and perceived barriers to career self-efficacy. The participants were 164 Black college male students (ages 18-55, mean age = 21.2) from four different colleges on the U.S. East Coast. The purpose of the study was to investigate the applicability of social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994) to this population and to explore the most salient factors when considering the career behavior of Black men. Participants completed a demographic data sheet, and the following measures: Cross Racial Identity Scale (Vandiver et al., 2000), Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale (Betz & Hackett, 1981), and the Career Barriers Inventory-Revised (Swanson et al., 1996). Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations and hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated partial support for the hypotheses presented. The racial identity attitude of Pre-Encounter Assimilation predicted lower educational self-efficacy, a component of career self-efficacy. In contrast to previous studies with Caucasian samples, with this study's sample of Black male college students, the perceived barrier of Decision-making Difficulties significantly but positively predicted educational self-efficacy. The racial identity attitude of Pre-Encounter Self-Hatred predicted lower performance self-efficacy, the other component of career self-efficacy in this study. The results indicate that racial identity attitude is an important variable to examine when providing career guidance to this population. Limitations of the study, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Subject Area
Vocational education|Ethnic studies|Black studies|African American Studies
Recommended Citation
Austin, Richard Joseph, "The relationship of racial identity attitudes and perceived barriers to career self -efficacy among African American college men" (2006). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3210258.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3210258
