Hackett, and Brown (1999) have considered SCCT’s implications
for understanding and facilitating students’ career development
across the school years as well as during transition to work per se.
Counselors and researchers have begun to use the theory as a tem-
plate for designing (Prideaux, Patton, & Creed, in press) and eval-
uating (McWhirter, Rasheed, & Crothers, 2000) career education
programs and for intervening with career-undecided students
(Luzzo, Hasper, Albert, Bibby, & Martinelli, 1999).
The high dropout rate among disadvantaged, predominantly
racial- or ethnic-minority students has prompted compensatory pro-
grams aimed at bolstering academic skills (Richardson, Casanova,
Placier, & Guilfoyle, 1989). SCCT may offer some useful implica-
tions for such programs. For example, students labeled “at risk” for
academic failure often lack interest, motivation, and a sense of pur-
pose or life direction. Academic remediation may foster a certain
level of perceived efficacy, but sole emphasis on basic, low-level
academic skills, as found in most compensatory programs, are
unlikely to engender the types of mastery experiences and chal-
lenging goals that favor the development of strong efficacy and
interests (Bandura, 1986). Further, compensatory programs often
do not attend systematically to peer influences on students’
achievement motivation (Arbona, 2000). These potentially bar-
rier-producing influences may require intervention in order to
jump-start students’ motivation regarding academic pursuits and to
increase the likelihood of their developing higher-level academic
and career aspirations.
Case Studies
In keeping with SCCT’s emphasis on theory unification, our work
with both K and E brings together a variety of theoretical perspec-
tives using SCCT assumptions and variables as an organizing frame-
work. We also rely on recent empirical research in career psychology
and the basic psychological sciences for help in conceptualizing
these clients and designing interventions for them.
294 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT