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Original Article

Relationships of Vocational Interest Congruence, Differentiation, and Elevation to Career Preparedness Among University Students

Published Online:May 09, 2016https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089/a000210

Abstract

Abstract. Vocational interest characteristics – interest congruence, interest differentiation, and general interest level (elevation) – are useful indicators for career development. However, research on these issues has primarily focused on adolescents in the transition from school to work and analyzed a limited set of career-related correlates. This study extends this line of research by exploring the relationships of interest congruence, interest differentiation, and interest elevation with several indicators of career preparedness (i. e., career planning, occupational self-efficacy beliefs, career decidedness, and career engagement) among a sample of emerging adults during their university studies in Germany. Data from 239 students representing a wide range of majors were collected via an online questionnaire. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, multiple regression analyses revealed that differentiation was positively associated with career decidedness and career engagement and elevation was positively related to occupational self-efficacy beliefs and career engagement. We discuss the findings regarding the importance of differences in vocational interest characteristics for the career preparedness of university students.


Die Zusammenhänge von beruflicher Interessenkongruenz, Differenziertheit und Interessenelevation mit der Karrierebereitschaft von Universitätsstudierenden

Zusammenfassung. Die Sekundärkonstrukte beruflicher Interessen – Kongruenz, Differenziertheit und Elevation – sind nützliche Indikatoren für die Karriereentwicklung. Dennoch hat sich diesbezüglich die Forschung vorwiegend auf Jugendliche im Übergang von der Schule in den Beruf fokussiert. Diese Studie erweitert die Forschung, indem sie die Beziehungen zwischen der Kongruenz zwischen Interessen und Studienfach, der Differenziertheit und der Interessenelevation und der Karrierebereitschaft (Karriereplanung, berufliche Selbstwirksamkeit, Karriereentschlossenheit und Karriereengagement) von jungen Studierenden in Deutschland untersu‏c‎ht. Über eine Online-Umfrage wurden Daten‏ ‎von 239‏ ‎Studierenden aus unterschiedlichen Studienfächern erhoben. Die Ergebnisse‏ ‎von‏ ‎multiplen Regressionsanalysen (kontrolliert für soziodemographische Variablen) zeigen, dass die Differenziertheit positiv mit der Karriereentschlossenheit und dem -engagement in Verbindung steht, und dass die Interessenelevation positiv mit der beruflichen Selbstwirksamkeit und dem Karriereengagement verbunden ist. Wir diskutieren die Ergebnisse in Hinblick auf die Bedeutsamkeit der Sekundärkonstrukte beruflicher Interessen für die Karrierebereitschaft von Universitätsstudierenden.

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