What is the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT)?
Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is an integrative theoretical framework that explores the psychological and social factors that produce personal interests and lead to choices related to education and careers. The theory is also concerned with the network of factors that affect performance and persistence in a person‘s educational and career paths and those that are responsible for an individual‘s satisfaction in a particular job‖(Creamer 2011).
Sources that influences a person’s career choice
SCCT proposes that career choice is influenced by the beliefs the individual develops and refines through four major sources: mastery experiences (personal performance accomplishments),vicarious learning, social persuasion and physiological states and reactions (Creamer 2011, Bandura 1986b)
In this study, the researches have modified the terminology of the sources of influence.
Mastery Experiences: How do I value skills necessary for engineering?
Social Persuasion and Vicarious Experiences: How motivated am I to study and practice engineering?
Emotional States: How do I feel about being an Engineer?
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Bandura, A. 1986a. Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.
—. 1986b. Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. NJ:Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
—. 1997. Self-efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Creamer, E. G. (2011, October). Representation of women and perceptions of support in engineering. In 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) (pp. F4H-1). IEEE.