Stage of change as a variable in career intervention outcome: an examination of a career course

Structured career counseling is generally beneficial for participants. However, there is not a clear understanding of what factors (e.g., intervention characteristics, client characteristics) contribute to the effectiveness of career counseling. Stage of Change is a specific client characteristic in the psychotherapy field suggested to moderate outcome. The purposes of this study were to examine the effectiveness of a career-related college course in advancing a student's development, as measured by stage of change and by career maturity, and to determine if the effectiveness of a career-related college course- as measured by career maturity-was moderated by the stage of change of the student. The sample consisted of 132 undergraduate students enrolled in the career course or a comparison course over five semesters. The students in the career class demonstrated significantly higher posttest scores on the Committed Action variable than the comparison group, but the differences on the other measures (Stage Assignment, Readiness to Change, and Career Maturity Inventory) were nonsignificant. Also, none of the three measures of Stage of Change acted as a moderator on outcome. These findings suggest that the career course had a beneficial effect on students' ratio of action and maintenance behaviors to contemplation behaviors. More research should consider how the Stage of Change theory applies to career development, including testing instruments and evaluating outcomes of interventions.