Perceived Career Barriers: The Role of Ethnic Identity, Acculturation, and Self-Efficacy Mediators among Latina/o College Students Brenda Xiomara Mejia Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2011 © 2011 Brenda Xiomara Mejia All rights reserved ABSTRACT Perceived Career Barriers: The Role of Ethnic Identity, Acculturation, and Self-Efficacy Mediators among Latina/o College Students Brenda X. Mejia Sociohistorical, sociopolitical and sociostructural barriers in American society create different paths in the college-to-work transition. Some individuals can follow their natural calling for a vocation, while others must contend with limited access to occupational opportunities. The emancipatory communitarian (EC) framework advocates for resisting and changing of structural barriers that hinder the career path of oppressed groups. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) explains how sociocultural and background contextual factors interact with self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and career goals to shape career behavior. The present study investigated the relation of ethnic identity and acculturation to self- efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations by testing the validity of SCCT tenets with a sample of 357 Latina/o college students. An EC-SCCT framework was used to explore the relationships among ethnic identity, acculturation level, career decision self-efficacy, coping efficacy, and perceived barriers. The results of a modified path model demonstrated that, for this sample, career decision self-efficacy mediated the influence of ethnic identity and Anglo bicultural orientation on the perception of career barriers. The findings also point to the role of ethnic identity in augmenting Latina/o students’ career decision self-efficacy and increasing awareness about career barriers (e.g., ethnic discrimination). The current study contributes to the literature promoting a liberational approach to vocational and counseling psychology theory, research, and practice. Limitations and implications for theory, research, training, and practice are discussed. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... v List of Tables............................................................................................................................ vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................. 1 Career Barriers .............................................................................................................. 4 Perceived Career Barriers.............................................................................................. 6 Resistance to Barriers........................................................................................ 7 Ethnic Identity............................................................................................................... 7 Acculturation................................................................................................................. 8 Self-Efficacy.................................................................................................................. 8 Purpose of the Present Study......................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE................................................................. 11 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 11 Clarification of Terms ................................................................................................. 13 Emancipatory-Communitarian (EC) Approach .......................................................... 14 Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) .................................................................... 15 Emancipatory-Communitarian Approach and Social Cognitive Career Theory Integration .................................................................................................................. 18 Perceived Career Barriers............................................................................................ 20 Prevalence and Effect of Perceived Barriers................................................... 21 Summary ......................................................................................................... 24 Ethnic Identity............................................................................................................. 25 Aspects of Ethnic Identity............................................................................... 26 i Assessing Ethnic Identity................................................................................ 27 Ethnic Identity and Career Development.................................................................... 28 Ethnic Identity and Vocational Identity .......................................................... 29 Ethnic Identity and Career Decision Self-Efficacy......................................... 31 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 33 Acculturation............................................................................................................... 33 Theoretical Frameworks of Acculturation ..................................................... .35 Acculturation versus Ethnic Identity............................................................... 37 Acculturation Scales........................................................................................ 38 Acculturation and Career Development...................................................................... 40 Acculturation and Self-Efficacy...................................................................... 41 Acculturation and Other Career Related Variables......................................... 43 Acculturation and the Career Paths of Latinas................................................ 44 Summary ......................................................................................................... 46 Career Decision Self-Efficacy (CDSE) as a Mediator................................................ 47 Summary ......................................................................................................... 50 Coping Efficacy as a Mediator.................................................................................... 51 Summary ......................................................................................................... 53 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 53 Hypotheses .................................................................................................................. 55 Alternative Path Model ............................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER III: METHOD ...................................................................................................... 59 Participants.................................................................................................................. 59 ii Instruments.................................................................................................................. 63 Procedure..................................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS...................................................................................................... 72 Preliminary Analysis................................................................................................... 72 Missing Values................................................................................................ 72 Normality and Outliers Tests .......................................................................... 72 Descriptive Statistics....................................................................................... 72 MANOVA Results .......................................................................................... 76 Primary Analysis......................................................................................................... 80 Model Identification.................................................................................................... 80 Path Analysis Results.................................................................................................. 81 Split Samples................................................................................................... 82 Fit Indices and Interpretation of Path Models................................................. 82 Fully Mediated Model..................................................................................... 83 Partially Mediated Model................................................................................ 83 Analysis of Hypotheses Tested ................................................................................... 84 Summary of Results ....................................................................................... .89 Path Model Modifications........................................................................................... 90 Parameter Estimates .......................................................................................