Social-Cognitive Career Theory predictors of STEM career interests and goal persistence in minority college students with disabilities: A path analysis
Issue title: Contemporary Research on Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes for Americans with Disabilities
Affiliations: [a] Southern University-Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, LA, USA | [b] University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA | [c] Hunter College-City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Dr. Alo Dutta, Department ofRehabilitation and Disability Studies, 229 A. C. Blanks Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA. Tel.: +1 225 771 2335; Fax: +1 225 771 2293; [email protected]
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To test the Social-Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as a STEM career interests and goal persistence model for minority college students with disabilities.
METHODS: A quantitative descriptive research design using path analysis. Participants included 115 minority college students with disabilities from the Minority Disability Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (MIND Alliance) project.
RESULTS: The results indicated that the SCCT causal model fits the data very well, with χ
2/df = 1.15; CFI = 0.99; and RMSEA = 0.04. SCCT constructs accounted for 16% of the variance in STEM career interest and 48% of the variance in STEM goal persistence.
CONCLUSION: The SCCT model provides useful guidance for designing postsecondary education interventions for minority students with disabilities in STEM education to help crystalize their career interest and increase goal persistence.
Keywords: Social-Cognitive Career Theory, underrepresented minorities, disabilities, STEM career interest, STEM goalpersistence
