Exploring Career Options and Possibilities Later in Life: Adult (50-75) Career Development Survey
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
2009-11-16
Authors
Journal Title
Series/Report No.
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
SMITH, ANGELA CARMELLA. Exploring Career Options and Possibilities Later in Life: Adult (Age 50--75) Career Development Survey. (Under the direction of Siu-Man Raymond Ting.)
A survey instrument was developed entitled the Adult (age 50--75) Career Development Survey (ACDS) to provide an empirical foundation for understanding the current needs of individuals age 50--75 and learning about their attitudes toward, willingness to, and experience in using career counseling and technology in making decisions on whether or not to continue working beyond the traditional retirement years.
A mixed methods approach was used to explore three research questions within the study. The first research question investigated the reliability and validity of the measure. Highlights and results are presented. The second research question provided prevailing attitudes (i.e., levels of career development) of older adults and the results of scores are given. The final research question was qualitative in nature and the results give insight into older workers’ current definition of career development and the perceived challenges that they may face as they approach traditional retirement years. The study sample consisted of 222 current employees holding any position at multiple Southeastern universities and local members of AARP.
According to the preliminary analysis of the exploratory research study, the ACDS is a reliable measure with alpha scores ranging from .78-.90. Additional studies should be conducted using the instrument to continue to investigate its reliability and validity.
Implications and recommendations for future research will be discussed.
Description
Keywords
mature adults, career counseling
Citation
Degree
PhD
Discipline
Counselor Education
