Literature review - Research Paper Example

Running Heading: Literature Review Literature Review Literature Review The role of perceived occupational barriers and parental support is great in career choice. Researchers have always been interested in finding out the factors that play a role in career decisions. The article by Constantine, Wallace, & Kindaichi, (2005), attempts to examine the extent to which career certainty and indecision are influenced by perceived occupational barriers and parental support. The authors have used research to substantiate their results and empirical evidence is presented.

The authors have also used relevant theories and framework in the article. The main theory used by the authors is the social cognitive career theory. Through this theory the authors have narrowed down contextual factors to perceived career barriers and perceived parental support. The problem discussed in the article is regarding the career decisions of African American adolescents. The article aspires to answer how perceived occupation barriers and perceived parental support affect career decisions of Africa American adolescents.

The article also includes a very extensive literature review on the topic of career decision in general. Literature review consists of different parts where relevant literature regarding all important variables is discussed. All this literature review provides a good build up to the hypotheses of the article. The independent variables in the research are perceived occupational barriers and perceived parental control. The dependent variables include career certainty and career indecision. A sample of 151 African American students is used in the research.

Many instruments were used to collect data in this study. Demographic questionnaire, Perception of Barriers Scale, Career Support Scale and Career Indecision Scale were all used to collect relevant data from the participants. All the scales used are taken from credible sources and, therefore, their use is justified. The authors have not developed their own scale, which gives validity to the study. Scales that are used are taken from reputable articles which increase the credibility of the paper.

The authors have hypothesized that perceived career barriers are negatively associated with career certainty (p.311). A positive relationship is suggested between career barriers and career indecision, and also between parental support and career certainty (p. 311). A negative relationship is expected by the authors, in the article, between parental support and career indecision (p.311). The article is written in an academic tone and many credible sources are used to back up the claims made by the authors.

The authors have also spent a great amount of time discussing existing literature on the subject, which makes the research authoritative. The results of the study are also similar to results of previous studies and, therefore, results of the study can be considered reliable. The authors have also discussed the results in detail, highlighting implications. Overall the article is written in an academic tone and fulfills all requirements of a good academic article. ReferencesConstantine, M. G., Wallace, B. C., & Kindaichi, M. M. (2005).

Examining contextual factors in the career decision status of African American adolescents. Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 3, 307-319