Muhammad Asif (MPhil, 2016-2018) Supervisor: Saima Ghazal, PhD
Present study aimed to investigate the relationship of personality traits, mindfulness, parental and peer support, locus of control, academic achievement, and self-esteem and career indecision in adolescents. Moreover, it aimed to find out the mediating role of self-esteem between personality traits, mindfulness, parental and peer support, locus of control, academic achievement, and career indecision in adolescents. A correlational cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the potential predictors of career indecision in adolescents. Sample was comprised of (N = 300) adolescents from public/private high schools/colleges with the age range of 12-18 years (M = 14.95, SD = 1.69), selected through non-probability convenient sampling technique. To measure the under study constructs, Career Decision Making Difficulties Questionnaire (Gati, Krausz & Osipow, 1996), Cognitive Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R; Feldman et al., 2007), Parent and Peer Support Questionnaire (Tiwari, 2011), Career Locus of Control Scale (CLOC; Millar & Shevlin, 2007), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) were used in data collection. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation, structural equation modeling (SEM) and independent sample t-test. Results of the study revealed that extroversion, conscientiousness, openness, mindfulness, academic achievement, parental and peer support were significant indirect predictors of career indecision through self- esteem. There were significant gender, domain, family system and residential area differences and study variables. Results were discussed in accordance with the previous empirical literature. Present study provided empirical grounds to the significance of this issue of career indecision. In this regard, government / private educational policy makers should implement certain standards to ensure that career counseling professionals in the schools are providing the necessary skills and strategies to students for implementing them in making effective career decisions. Limitations and suggestions for future studies were discussed.
Keywords: Predictors, career indecision, adolescents.
