This paper analyses the interest content of all 1016 Australian occupations. These were classified according to vocational interests (i.e. outdoor, practical, scientific, creative, business, office, people contact, health, community, and computing), educational qualifications, and skill level, as well as in terms of the six Holland (RIASEC) types.…

This article centres on the specific elaboration of the concept of 'narrative' in the philosophy and therapeutic techniques of Michael White, and on their application in narrative career therapy. The narrative career therapy model, developed by the author, aims to assist clients in their career deliberations through the life cycle. Various…

Vocational interest inventories are often designed, scored and interpreted in accordance with the six Holland types (R, I, A, S, E and C) and their hexagonal arrangement. A three-letter code then identifies the three types on which the person scored most highly. The congruence between a person and their environment (e.g. workplace or field of…

Career interest is an educational construct that consists of the resources an individual uses to respond to tasks and challenges of vocational development. The purpose of this research was investigated whether high school students' career interest scores differ depending on gender and grade level, and whether there is a significant relationship…

The purpose of this paper is to provide some Australian data on the use of the "Career Interest Card Sort." Results from 196 adult clients who participated in a vocational evaluation are analysed. The assessment provided a hierarchy of career interest results that reflected demographic features such as gender and education. The…

Many students enter business degrees without a defined career goal beyond working in the business world and adopt a scattergun approach to employability by accumulating certifications accessed through individual subjects. Yet, space and time limitations commonly prevent extended exposure to rewarding and interesting career subfields within main…

The main purpose of this study was to determine the level of occupational engagement among university students in one Jordanian university. The instrument used to collect data in this study was the occupational engagement scale-student (OES-S-14 items) developed by Cox (2008). The OES-S went through rigorous cross-cultural translation process to…

If the existence of Generation Y is a viable explanation of employment behaviour, as is asserted in the burgeoning literature, then people between 18 and 33 (born between 1977 and 1992) will have markedly different approaches to work when compared with Generation X (1962 and 1976) and the Baby Boomers (1946 to 1961). This article reviews the…

This paper examines the relationships between interests and subject choice in senior secondary schooling, and between interests and occupational choices. Career interest results (N = 7477) were obtained from the "Career Interest Test" ("Version 3.1") administered on the Federal Government's "My Future" website…

Holland believes that specific personality types seek out matching occupational environments and his theory codes personality and environment according to a six letter interest typology. Since 1985 there have been numerous American studies that have queried the validity of Holland's coding system. Research in South Africa is scarcer, despite…

Gottfredson proposed that most people share an understanding of the world of work based upon the sex type, social status and type of occupations. Individuals use these three dimensions to organise their view of the world of work. There is as a consequence, she argued, a common cognitive map of occupations. She depicted this map graphically. This…

Analysis of data from the Rothwell-Miller Interest Blank and two ability measures for 880 female and 2,566 male students revealed a weak to modest relationship between interests and abilities. Patterns were mostly as expected. The use of ability assessments as one of multiple domains for holistic self-understanding was recommended. (Contains 47…

Australian Year 6 students (n=107) who were surveyed had begun to think of their occupational aspirations and were aware of factors influencing choices. Some sex-stereotypical choices were found. Although occupational information came from various sources, the source most likely to influence them toward or away form a job was the family. (Contains…