Academic Help-Seeking
When someone is having difficulty in school or is uncertain about future plans, how do they decide when to seek out help at a counseling or career center? One of our current projects involves studying attitudes towards help-seeking behaviors in academic settings. The results of this research will be used to help develop more effective outreach programs to encourage students to seek appropriate assistance for their academic and career-related concerns.
Occupational Perceptions and Career Aspirations
When someone tells you what they do for a living, what images come to mind? Stereotypes and other perceptions we have of occupations, and the people who do different types of work can impact our own career plans and aspirations. We are currently examining how occupational perceptions are related to interests and personality using a variety of different measurement techniques. The data collected in this study will be used to design new strategies for presenting information to career counseling clients.
Educational Experiences and Career Choices
The experiences we have in school and other settings helps us figure out what we are good at doing, what we like to do, what we are not good at doing, and what we don’t like to do. One of our ongoing research projects is studying how educational experiences influence the career choice process and the perceptions we have of which occupations are a good fit for our careers. The results of this research will be used to help people make more effective educational, career, and life choices.