Personality characteristics of vocationally undecided students: a replication and validation

Abstract

<p>There have been numerous attempts to study the phenomenon of undecidedness by comparing students who have not decided on a major or occupation with those who have on variables like self-concept, level of anxiety and work values. The results have often been ambiguous or inconsistent. One reason may be that the group of undecided students is more variable than researchers expected. Research on career indecision may be more productive if the undecideds are conceptualized as multiple subtypes rather than a single type. The primary purpose of this study was to examine and describe possible subtypes of undecideds through cluster analysis. Two hundred and seventy six undecided students completed a battery of personality questionnaires and the results of the cluster analysis yielded five relatively distinct subtypes of undecided students. Evidence of reliability and validity of the clusters is presented as well as comparison with findings of a former, similar study and implications for intervention strategies.</p>