SelfWriter 8 | - Freelance Writer
Mar 25, 2019 | #1
Introduction
Attitudes toward career counseling: The role of public and self-stigma, by Wyndolyn Ludwikoski, David Vogel, and Patrick Armstrong is an examination of the role of various forms of stigma in the use of career counseling services by undergraduates. The problem that the research was intended to address was the problem of under-utilization of career counseling services in undergraduate colleges, despite a clear need for these services. According to the authors, the objectives of the study was "to examine the relationships between the stigmas associated with career counseling and attitudes toward using career-related services (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong, 2009, p. 408)." The authors did not state a specific hypothesis or research question.
However, the authors did provide a substantial literature review that addressed a number of key topics in the research. The topics addressed the previous research on stigma and its effects on seeking out career counseling, levels of stigma, research on gender and stigma, and research on stigma related to career issues. This literature review provided a clear insight into the areas of discussion for the topic of the research and also provided a good justification for why the research that was addressed was necessary. Variables of interest in the study included stigma (public, close social, and self-stigma) as independent variables, and attitudes toward career counseling as the dependent variable (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong).
Methodology
The survey design was a quantitative survey methodology, with a sample of 509 undergraduate university students enrolled in an introductory psychology class. The authors identified gender, year level, and race-ethnicity for the majority of students, but did not make any further other attempts to control for extraneous variables, particularly age, which could be relevant in an undergraduate population. Sampling was done using convenience sampling, with all volunteers for the study being accepted. (Volunteers were offered extra credit for participation, which does not pose a significant ethical problem but is something that should be kept in mind.) One area of potential bias in this study was the preponderance of first and second year students; these students may not have yet been faced with a significant need for career services, and so their responses may not be representative of the general college population.
The measurement instruments that were used were standard, tested instruments that had previously been tested for internal validity and reliability. A different scale was used for each item, with between five and 16 items for each scale (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong). Internal consistency within the sample for each scale was 0.80 or above, indicating strong internal consistency and construct validity. The authors did not explicitly address ethics within their study, but there is no evidence that there are significant ethical problems within the study.
Data Analysis
The data analysis for this study used confirmatory factor analysis to create a measurement model, then used structural equation modeling to identify relationships between the variables. The authors clearly explained their procedures as well as their findings, and used a step by step approach to explain their model creation, bootstrapping, and other methods that were used to identify the model relationships. The authors also used gender as a demographic variable in order to determine whether there were differences between men and women. They presented two tables and one graph that demonstrated the relationships between the constructs. The researchers also interpreted the findings well, including discussion of the findings in terms of previous research. Overall, the presentation of the data analysis was effective.
Communicating Findings
The article included two pages of discussion on the findings. The first stage of the discussion compared and contrasted the findings to previous research in the area, pointing out areas where the research agreed as well as where it disagreed. The authors then discussed the implications of the findings in terms of practical application to college students, offering recommendations for improving college student use of career counseling services. They did discuss limitations in the study, acknowledging issues with the study design including the high level of first and second year students. There were a few discussions for further research as well, though these suggestions were primarily based on improving the strength of the full study. Ultimately, this discussion was concise, clear, and honestly identified both strengths and weaknesses of the study.
Concluding Remarks
Overall, I feel this research paper was very useful in understanding the topic area, despite the weaknesses in the study design (in particular the potential for error and bias in the sampling design). In particular, the robust analysis method and the grounding in previously tested and robust test instruments was useful in ensuring effective findings. The research is, as the authors noted, primarily correlational. However, it does provide insight into the attitudes of undergraduates toward career counseling, and some important insight into the ways that undergraduate uptake of career services could be improved. I would use it to improve offerings and reduce stigma in these service offerings, as well as to encourage students to overcome these stigmas. I would recommend it also for other career counseling professionals to understand reasons why individuals might avoid career counseling services.
REFERENCES
Ludwikowski, W., Vogel, D., & Armstrong, P. (2009). Attitudes toward career counseling: The role of public and self-stigma. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56, 408-416. doi: 10.1037/a0016180.
Attitudes toward career counseling: The role of public and self-stigma, by Wyndolyn Ludwikoski, David Vogel, and Patrick Armstrong is an examination of the role of various forms of stigma in the use of career counseling services by undergraduates. The problem that the research was intended to address was the problem of under-utilization of career counseling services in undergraduate colleges, despite a clear need for these services. According to the authors, the objectives of the study was "to examine the relationships between the stigmas associated with career counseling and attitudes toward using career-related services (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong, 2009, p. 408)." The authors did not state a specific hypothesis or research question.
However, the authors did provide a substantial literature review that addressed a number of key topics in the research. The topics addressed the previous research on stigma and its effects on seeking out career counseling, levels of stigma, research on gender and stigma, and research on stigma related to career issues. This literature review provided a clear insight into the areas of discussion for the topic of the research and also provided a good justification for why the research that was addressed was necessary. Variables of interest in the study included stigma (public, close social, and self-stigma) as independent variables, and attitudes toward career counseling as the dependent variable (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong).Methodology
The survey design was a quantitative survey methodology, with a sample of 509 undergraduate university students enrolled in an introductory psychology class. The authors identified gender, year level, and race-ethnicity for the majority of students, but did not make any further other attempts to control for extraneous variables, particularly age, which could be relevant in an undergraduate population. Sampling was done using convenience sampling, with all volunteers for the study being accepted. (Volunteers were offered extra credit for participation, which does not pose a significant ethical problem but is something that should be kept in mind.) One area of potential bias in this study was the preponderance of first and second year students; these students may not have yet been faced with a significant need for career services, and so their responses may not be representative of the general college population.
The measurement instruments that were used were standard, tested instruments that had previously been tested for internal validity and reliability. A different scale was used for each item, with between five and 16 items for each scale (Ludwikowski, Vogel, & Armstrong). Internal consistency within the sample for each scale was 0.80 or above, indicating strong internal consistency and construct validity. The authors did not explicitly address ethics within their study, but there is no evidence that there are significant ethical problems within the study.
Data Analysis
The data analysis for this study used confirmatory factor analysis to create a measurement model, then used structural equation modeling to identify relationships between the variables. The authors clearly explained their procedures as well as their findings, and used a step by step approach to explain their model creation, bootstrapping, and other methods that were used to identify the model relationships. The authors also used gender as a demographic variable in order to determine whether there were differences between men and women. They presented two tables and one graph that demonstrated the relationships between the constructs. The researchers also interpreted the findings well, including discussion of the findings in terms of previous research. Overall, the presentation of the data analysis was effective.
Communicating Findings
The article included two pages of discussion on the findings. The first stage of the discussion compared and contrasted the findings to previous research in the area, pointing out areas where the research agreed as well as where it disagreed. The authors then discussed the implications of the findings in terms of practical application to college students, offering recommendations for improving college student use of career counseling services. They did discuss limitations in the study, acknowledging issues with the study design including the high level of first and second year students. There were a few discussions for further research as well, though these suggestions were primarily based on improving the strength of the full study. Ultimately, this discussion was concise, clear, and honestly identified both strengths and weaknesses of the study.
Concluding Remarks
Overall, I feel this research paper was very useful in understanding the topic area, despite the weaknesses in the study design (in particular the potential for error and bias in the sampling design). In particular, the robust analysis method and the grounding in previously tested and robust test instruments was useful in ensuring effective findings. The research is, as the authors noted, primarily correlational. However, it does provide insight into the attitudes of undergraduates toward career counseling, and some important insight into the ways that undergraduate uptake of career services could be improved. I would use it to improve offerings and reduce stigma in these service offerings, as well as to encourage students to overcome these stigmas. I would recommend it also for other career counseling professionals to understand reasons why individuals might avoid career counseling services.
REFERENCES
Ludwikowski, W., Vogel, D., & Armstrong, P. (2009). Attitudes toward career counseling: The role of public and self-stigma. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56, 408-416. doi: 10.1037/a0016180.