Demand for higher education in Australia has doubled since 1989, increasing the number of students from diverse social, economic and academic backgrounds. Equity targets have seen a proliferation of programs and interventions aimed at encouraging school students, particularly those from low socio-economic status backgrounds, to participate in…

This report looks at the progress of the ACT®-tested 2018 U.S. high school graduating class relative to college and career readiness. The data in this report are based on more than 1.9 million graduates--55% of the students in the 2018 national graduating class--who took the ACT at some time from grade 10 to 12. The ACT was taken by the majority…

This report looks at the progress of the 2017 ACT®-tested graduating class relative to college and career readiness. This year's report shows that 60% of students in the 2017 US graduating class took the ACT test, up from 54% in 2013. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the data pool,…

Occupational engagement, a component of the trilateral model for adaptive career decision, is an important construct for the modern world of work where job change is the norm and career paths are nonlinear. Since institutions of higher education dedicate significant resources to facilitate the career development of their students, it is also…

This report is the ACT annual report on the progress of U.S. high school graduates relative to college readiness. This year's report shows that 64% of students in the 2016 US graduating class took the ACT test, up from 59% in 2015 and 49% in 2011. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the…

This report is the ACT annual report on the progress of U.S. high school graduates relative to college readiness. This year's report shows that 59% of students in the 2015 U.S. graduating class took the ACT® test, up from 57% last year and 49% in 2011. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth…

The theory of student involvement (Astin, 1984) acknowledges that as students devote sufficient time and energy to educationally purposeful activities, they can expect to make desirable gains throughout the college years. Participation in campus clubs and organizations is one form of involvement found to be associated with a host of learning and…

Surveyed undergraduate engineering students (N=284) regarding their long-term career aspirations. Revealed factors that differentiated engineering aspirants from managerial ones: reasons for going to engineering school, beliefs about engineering as an occupation, career anchors, intended use of career strategies, curriculum choices, and early…

Uses regression analysis on career development measures to examine whether career maturity indicators are predictive of interest consistency, differentiation, and score elevation. Results indicate that interest consistency and score elevation were weakly predicted by the measure; no relationship existed between the attitudinal and cognitive…

This study was conducted to identify the cognitive style of students enrolled in a graduate program in library and information science and to examine the relationship between the identified style and other personal variables, such as age, undergraduate major, preference for future institutional affiliation, and preference for future functional…

Described is a three-year study which concentrated on determining why freshmen in college remain in or leave engineering programs. Three aspects of the study are reviewed, and one of them is analyzed in depth. The latter compares the perceptions of 2,600 freshmen while still in engineering to their status as sophomores. The categories of academic…

Examined environmental and psychological predictors of career and achievement motivation in 162 married female reentry college students. Findings suggested that feminine sex-typed women may be highly achieving given adequate support, while androgynous women may succeed in a different environment. Fear of success was highest in highly motivated…

A discussion of research needs on physicians' choice of specialty looks at methodological problems identified in the literature and suggests six areas for further development: distinction between career preference and career attainment; multiple predictors; larger samples; more specific specialty subdivisions; longitudinal approach; and testing of…

Found low intercorrelations among social involvement, academic achievement, and occupational aspiration in a national sample of Black undergraduates attending predominantly White, State-supported universities. Suggests that future research on Black student success should explore factors internal to the person, institutional characteristics, and…

Assessed the impact of difficulty forming an occupational dream and relating to parents on depression among college students (N=64). Results suggested that having to give up a valued dream, viewing one's relation to mother as authority-obeyer, and doing little exploring of occupational choices are related significantly to depression. (LLL)