Career aspirations among Smith undergraduates

This longitudinal study was designed to investigate intrapsychic variables that might influence women's career aspirations and ultimate career choice. The first wave of the data collection was conducted in spring, 1975. One hundred and ten Smith College undergraduates, enrolled in an introductory psychology course, volunteered to participate in this questionnaire study. The battery of questionnaires included Mehrabian's need achievement and affiliation scales, a modified Internal-External scale (adapted from Black), attributional patterns for success and failure in various occupations, Spence's scale tapping attitudes toward work and family, attitudes toward the women's movement, Goff's agency/communion value scale, and information on background and life goals. The second wave of the data collection was conducted in 1978, when 22 of the original respondents, mostly seniors, were followed up. At that time, 123 more students (classes of '78, '81, and '82) were added to the sample. The second wave focused on determinants of career choice and included many of the scales used in the first wave. In addition, participants completed items on perceived parental attributes and attitudes; job ratings in terms of difficulty, effort required, anticipated success or failure; masculinity/femininity, and degree of agency or communion; and McKeachie's scale of values. Several Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) picture cues were also administered. Responses to the TAT cues and computer-accessible data are available.