Cognitive Models

of Career Choice

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Social Cognitive Career Theory

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SCCT

Thinking processes and beliefs control and direct a person’s

activities rather than focusing on the behaviors themselves.

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SCCT aimed at explaining three interrelated aspects of

career development: • how basic academic and career

interests develop• how educational and career

choices are made• how academic and career success

is obtained.

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concepts that affect the career decision- making process

1. Self –Efficacythe beliefs people have about their ability to successfully complete the steps required for a give task

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2. Outcome Expectationsthe beliefs related to the

consequences of performing a specific behavior

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3. Personal Goals-plays a big role in decisions

and actions to be taken

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Theory into Practice

• Give students with activities that:• develop their sense of self-efficacy

from personal performance, learning by example, social interactions, and how they feel in a situation

• increase these students’ options in career choices

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Cognitive information processing (CIP) theory

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Three Domains

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Three Basic Career Information Processing Principles:

1. Self-knowledge is based on perception rather than fact, and is influenced by past experience and present feelings2. Knowledge about occupational options is based on facts that can be verified3. In today’s fast-paced society, decisions will need to be re-made and adjusted many times over

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5 information- processing skills used

• C—communicationAwareness of gap between idea

and current situation.

• A—analysisInformation gathered for

research.

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S—synthesis Bring together accumulated

information about self and occupations.• V—valuing

Using best judgment to set priorities on remaining options to choose occup./major.

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E—execution– Taking action and solving the career problem identified in communication stage

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Things to consider in applying CIP

• Understanding a person’s perceptions and how these perceptions are influenced

• Providing access to current labor market information

• Teaching decision-making skills

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Values-Based Theory

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• Cace and Brown's values-based career theory

stresses the importance of values in career counseling

and occupational choice

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• Values are considered as cognitive structures that

are the basis for self-evaluation and one's evaluation of others

• It also viewed as having an affective aspect.

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Values are also considered as:

• more fundamental traits than interests

• basis of goal-directed behavior • are primary consideration in

career counseling

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For Teachers:

• Values clarification activities• Outputs/projects that show

application of values

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