Date of Award

1994

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Pamela Nickels

Second Advisor

Jesse B. Harris Jr.

Third Advisor

Mary E. Utley-Shook

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate issues relevant to divorced displaced homemakers and to measure the effects of a career counseling seminar (Seminar for Success) on levels of self-efficacy. The design was Quasi-experimental pretest-post test with a nonequivalent control group. The control group consisted of 30 adult female students attending Lindenwood College (Masters of Counseling Program) in June, 1994. Levels of self-efficacy were tested and re-tested with a one week interval between testings with no intervention. The experimental group included 30 adult females attending "Seminar for Success" at Florissant Valley and Meramac Community Colleges in St.Louis, Missouri in April and May of 1994. Levels of self-efficacy were measured before and after the seminar with a five day interval between testings via a survey questionnaire consisting of the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES). The experimental group participated in exercises and received information designed to increase self-knowledge, to integrate self-knowledge with career knowledge, and to create a career plan. The question posed: Can a three day career counseling seminar designed for displaced homemakers raise the level of self-efficacy? A non-directional independent t-test

was performed on the mean gain scores to test the hypothesis that there would be no difference in self-efficacy at .05 alpha level for the displaced homemakers who participated in the career workshop versus the control group who counseling did not participate in the workshop. The results of the research supported the hypothesis that there was no significant statistical difference between the groups. However, the question posed can be answered in the affirmative as the experimental group mean gain scores were higher than the control group mean gain scores.

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