Abstract
Drawing on the literature in multiple related areas, an overview is presented in this chapter of the major issues that may surround the career decision for gifted students in the Asia-Pacific region. After a discussion on the pervasive role of family influence reflecting cultural values in the region, coverage is given to the importance placed on extrinsic values such as prestige, economic returns and stability in a career (and the lack of emphasis on intrinsic values such as interest and a desire for intellectual stimulation), along with gender role expectations and the experience of career indecision. Thereafter, the similarities and differences in the career aspirations of gifted students in the region with the career aspirations of gifted students in Western societies are explained. Following this, two career theories that may be useful in understanding the career decisions of this group—the theory of circumscription and compromise and the theory of work adjustment—are discussed. The chapter concludes with some speculative, but research-informed, thoughts on the future of the career decisions of gifted students in the region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Achter, J. A., Benbow, C. P., & Lubinski, D. (1997). Rethinking multipotentiality among the intellectually gifted: A critical review and recommendations. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 41, 5–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/001698629704100102
Achter, J. A., & Lubinski, D. (2005). Blending promise with passion: Best practices for counseling intellectually talented youth. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 600–624). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Achter, J. A., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (1996). Multipotentiality among the intellectually gifted: “It was never there and already it’s vanishing”. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 56–76. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.43.1.65
Achter, J. A., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Eftekhari-Sanjani, H. (1999). Assessing vocational preferences among gifted adolescents adds incremental validity to abilities: A discriminant analysis of educational outcomes over a 10-year interval. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 777–786. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.91.4.777
Autor, D. H. (2015). Why are there still so many jobs? The history and future of workplace automation. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29, 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.29.3.3
Blustein, D. L., Chaves, A. P., Diemer, M. A., Gallagher, L. A., Marshall, K. G., Sirin, S., & Bhati, K. S. (2002). Voices of the forgotten half: The role of social class in the school-to-work transition. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.49.3.311
Blustein, D. L., McWhirter, E. H., & Perry, J. C. (2005). An emancipatory communitarian approach to vocational development theory, research, and practice. The Counseling Psychologist, 33, 141–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000004272268
Brown, D. (2002). Career choice and development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chen, C. P., & Wong, J. (2013). Career counseling for gifted students. Australian Journal of Career Development, 22, 121–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1038416213507909
Chen, H. A., Ng, S., & Rao, A. R. (2005). Cultural differences in consumer impatience. Journal of Marketing Research, 17, 291–301. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.2005.42.3.291
Chudzikowski, K. (2012). Career transitions and career success in the “new” career era. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81, 298–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.10.005
Dawis, R. V. (2005). The Minnesota theory of work adjustment. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 3–23). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Dawis, R. V., & Lofquist, L. H. (1984). A psychological theory of work adjustment. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Di Fabio, A., Palazzeschi, L., Asulin-Peretz, L., & Gati, I. (2013). Career indecision versus indecisiveness: Associations with personality traits and emotional intelligence. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712454698
Diemer, M. A. (2007). Parental and school influences upon the career development of poor youth of color. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 70, 502–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2007.02.003
Doyle, E. (2011). Career development needs of low socioeconomic status university students. Australian Journal of Career Development, 20, 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/103841621102000309
Emmett, J. D., & Minor, C. W. (1993). Career decision-making factors in gifted young adults. Career Development Quarterly, 41, 350–366. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.1993.tb00409.x
Fan, Y. (2000). A classification of Chinese culture. Cross Cultural Management, 7, 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1108/13527600010797057
Fiebig, J. N. (2003). Gifted American and German early adolescent girls: Influences on career orientation and aspirations. High Ability Studies, 14, 165–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359813032000163898
Fiebig, J. N. (2008). Gifted American and German adolescent women: A longitudinal examination of attachment, separation, gender roles, and career aspirations. High Ability Studies, 19, 67–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598130801980349
Fouad, N. A., & Kantamneni, N. (2008). Contextual factors in vocational psychology: Intersections of individual, group, and societal dimensions. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (pp. 408–425). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Furlong, A., & Cartmel, F. (2004). Vulnerable young men in fragile labour markets: Employment, unemployment and the search for long-term security. York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Gati, I., Krausz, M., & Osipow, S. H. (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 510–526. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.43.4.510
Gittins, R. (2017, December 13). Robots aren’t stealing jobs: Truth behind claim scaring pants off our graduates. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/comment/robots-arent-stealing-jobs-truth-behind-claim-scaring-pants-off-our-graduates-20171211-h02y18.html
Gore, J., Holmes, K., Smith, M., Southgate, E., & Albright, J. (2015). Socioeconomic status and the career aspirations of Australian school students: Testing enduring assumptions. The Australian Educational Researcher, 42, 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-015-0172-5
Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). Circumscription and compromise: A developmental theory of occupational aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28, 545–579. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.28.6.545
Gottfredson, L. S. (2002). Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription, compromise, and self-creation. In D. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 85–148). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gottfredson, L. S. (2003). The challenge and promise of cognitive career assessment. Journal of Career Assessment, 11, 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072703011002001
Gottfredson, L. S. (2005). Applying Gottfredson's theory of circumscription and compromise in career guidance and counseling. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 71–100). New York, NY: Wiley.
Grant, D. F., Battle, D. A., & Heggoy, S. J. (2000). The journey through college of seven gifted females: Influences on their career related decisions. Roeper Review, 22, 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190009554047
Greenbank, P., & Hepworth, S. (2008). Working class students and the career decision-making process: A qualitative study. Manchester, UK: HECSU.
Greene, M. J. (2003). Gifted adrift? Career counseling of the gifted and talented. Roeper Review, 25, 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190309554201
Greene, M. J. (2006). Helping build lives: Career and life development of gifted and talented students. Professional School Counseling, 10, 34–42.
Gross, M. U. M. (2006). Exceptionally gifted children: Long-term outcomes of academic acceleration and nonacceleration. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 29, 404–429. https://doi.org/10.4219/jeg-2006-247
Guay, F., Senécal, C., Gauthier, L., & Fernet, C. (2003). Predicting career indecision: A self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 165–177. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.50.2.165
Herr, E. L. (2003). The future of career counseling as an instrument of public policy. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 8–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2003.tb00622.x
Herr, E. L., & Cramer, S. H. (1996). Career guidance and counseling through the lifespan: Systematic approaches (5th ed.). New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Hodkinson, P., & Sparkes, A. C. (1997). Careership: A sociological theory of career decision-making. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18, 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142569970180102
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviours, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. (1988). The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, 16, 5–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(88)90009-5
Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Hou, Z., & Leung, S. A. (2011). Vocational aspirations of Chinese high school students and their parents’ expectations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2011.05.008
Huang, G. H. C., & Gove, M. (2015). Confucianism, Chinese families, and academic achievement: Exploring how Confucianism and Asian descendant parenting practices influence children’s academic achievement. In M. Khine (Ed.), Science education in East Asia (pp. 41–66). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16390-1_3
Jung, J. Y. (2009). Culture, motivation, and vocational decision-making of senior high school students (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/fapi/datastream/unsworks:5596/SOURCE02?view=true
Jung, J. Y. (2013). The cognitive processes associated with occupational/career indecision: A model for gifted adolescents. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 36, 433–460. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353213506067
Jung, J. Y. (2014). Modeling the occupational/career decision-making processes of intellectually gifted adolescents: A competing models strategy. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 37, 128–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353214529045
Jung, J. Y. (2017). Occupational/career decision-making thought processes of adolescents of high intellectual ability. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 40, 50–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353217690040
Jung, J. Y. (2018). Occupational/career amotivation and indecision for gifted and talented adolescents: A cognitive decision-making process perspective. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 28, 143–165. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2016.33
Jung, J. Y. (2019). The career decisions of gifted students and other high ability groups. Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Jung, J. Y. (in press). The career development of gifted students. In J. A. Athanasou & H. N. Perera (Eds.), International handbook of career guidance. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Jung, J. Y., & Young, M. (2017). Occupational/career indecision for economically disadvantaged high school students of high intellectual ability: A mixed methods cognitive process model. Psychology in the Schools, 54, 718–735. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22023
Jung, J. Y., & Young, M. (2019). The occupational/career decision-making processes of intellectually gifted adolescents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds: A mixed methods perspective. Gifted Child Quarterly, 63, 36–57.
Karibe, H., Kawakami, T., Suzuki, A., Waita, S., Ogata, K., Aoyagi, K., et al. (2009). Career choice and attitudes towards dental education amongst dental students in Japan and Sweden. European Journal of Dental Education, 13, 80–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0579.2008.00543.x
Kelly, K. (1992). Career maturity of young gifted adolescents: A replication study. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 16, 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/016235329201600105
Kerr, B. A., & Sodano, S. (2003). Career assessment with intellectually gifted students. Journal of Career Assessment, 11, 168–186. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072703011002004
Kim, K. N. (2012). Trajectories of female student’s career decision between high school and college: Organizationally separate but developmentally linked. Asia Pacific Education Review, 13, 349–562. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-012-9217-x
Krumboltz, J. D. (1979). A social learning theory of career decision making. In A. M. Mitchell, G. B. Jones, & J. D. Krumboltz (Eds.), Social learning and career decision making (pp. 19–49). Cranston, RI: Carroll.
Lee, K. H., & Sriraman, B. (2012). Gifted girls and nonmathematical aspirations: A longitudinal case study of two gifted Korean girls. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 56, 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986211426899
Leitão, M., Guedes, Á., Yamamoto, M. E., & Lopes, F. D. A. (2013). Do people adjust career choices according to socioeconomic conditions? An evolutionary analysis of future discounting. Psychology & Neuroscience, 6, 383–390. https://doi.org/10.3922/j.psns.2013.3.16
Leong, F. T. L., & Chervinko, S. (1996). Construct validity of career indecision: Negative personality traits as predictors of career indecision. Journal of Career Assessment, 4, 315–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907279600400306
Leong, F. T. L., & Serafica, F. C. (1995). Career development of Asian Americans: A research area in need of a good theory. In F. T. L. Leong (Ed.), Career development and vocational behavior of racial and ethnic minorities (pp. 67–102). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Leung, A. S., Ivey, D., & Suzuki, L. (1994). Factors affecting the career aspirations of Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72, 404–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1994.tb00958.x
Leung, S. A. (1998). Vocational identity and career choice congruence of gifted and talented high school students. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 11, 325–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515079808254064
Leung, S. A., Hou, Z.-J., Gati, I., & Li, X. (2011). Effects of parental expectations and cultural-values orientation on career decision-making difficulties of Chinese university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78, 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.08.004
Lim, V. K. G. (2003). Money matters: An empirical investigation of money, face and Confucian work ethic. Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 953–970. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00311-2
Lofquist, L. H., & Dawis, R. V. (1991). Essentials of person-environment-correspondence counseling. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2000). States of excellence. American Psychologist, 55, 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.137
Makel, M., Kell, H. J., Lubinski, D., Putallaz, M., & Benbow, C. P. (2016). When lightning strikes twice: Profoundly gifted, profoundly accomplished. Psychological Science, 27, 1004–1018. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616644735
Matthews, D. J., & Foster, J. F. (2005). Mystery to mastery: Shifting paradigms in gifted education. Roeper Review, 28, 64–69. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190609554340
Maxwell, M. (2007). Career counseling is personal counseling: A constructivist approach to nurturing the development of gifted female adolescents. The Career Development Quarterly, 55, 206–224. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2007.tb00078.x
Mello, Z. R. (2009). Racial/ethnic group and socioeconomic status variation in educational and occupational expectations from adolescence to adulthood. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 494–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.029
Metheny, J., & McWhirter, E. H. (2013). Contributions of social status and family support to college students’ career decision self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 378–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712475164
Miller, K., & Cummings, G. (2009). Gifted and talented students’ career aspirations and influences: A systematic review of the literature. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 6, Article 8. https://doi.org/10.2202/1548-923X.1667
Muratori, M. C., & Smith, C. K. (2015). Guiding the talent and career development of the gifted individual. Journal of Counseling and Development, 93, 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00193.x
Ogurlu, U., Kaya, F., & Hizli, E. (2015). Career decisions of gifted students in Turkey. Journal of European Education, 5, 31–45.
Passaretta, G., & Wolbers, M. H. J. (2019). Temporary employment at labour market entry in Europe: Labour market dualism, transitions to secure employment and upward mobility. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 40, 382–408.
Persson, R. S. (2009). Intellectually gifted individuals’ career choices and work satisfaction: A descriptive study. Gifted and Talented International, 24, 11–24.
Raychaudhuri, S., & Jana, B. (2016). Factors influencing career choice of adolescent girls in Kolkata. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies, 3, 281–290.
Rysiew, K. J., Shore, B. M., & Carson, A. D. (1994). Multipotentiality and overchoice syndrome: Clarifying common usage. Gifted and Talented International, 9, 41–46.
Rysiew, K. J., Shore, B. M., & Leeb, R. T. (1999). Multipotentiality, giftedness, and career choice: A review. Journal of Counseling and Development, 77, 423–430. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1999.tb02469.x
Sampson, J. P., Jr., & Chason, A. K. (2008). Helping gifted and talented adolescents and young adults make informed and careful career choices. In S. I. Pfeiffer (Ed.), Handbook of giftedness in children: Psychoeducational theory, research, and best practices (pp. 327–346). New York, NY: Springer.
Savickas, M. L. (2002). Career construction: A developmental theory of vocational behaviour. In D. Brown & associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 149–205). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Savickas, M. L. (2003). Special issue: Career counseling in the next decade. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2003.tb00631.x
Savickas, M. L. (2007). Occupational choice. In H. Gunz & M. Peiperl (Eds.), Handbook of career studies (pp. 79–96). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Singelis, T. M., Triandis, H. C., Bhawuk, D. P. S., & Gelfand, M. J. (1995). Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism: A theoretical and measurement refinement. Cross-Cultural Research, 29, 240–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/106939719502900302
Sparfeldt, J. R. (2007). Vocational interests of gifted adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 1011–1021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.09.010
Stewart, J. B. (1999). Career counseling for the academically gifted student. Canadian Journal of Counseling, 33, 3–12.
Storey, J. A. (2000). “Fracture lines” in the career environment. In A. Collin & R. A. Young (Eds.), The future of career (pp. 21–36). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Störmer, E., Patscha, C., Prendergast, J., Daheim, C., Rhisiart, M., Glover, P., & Beck, H. (2014). The future of work: Jobs and skills in 2030. London, UK: U. K. Commission for Employment and Skills.
Stornelli, D., Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2009). Perfectionism, achievement, and affect in children: A comparison of students from gifted, arts, and regular programmes. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 24, 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573509342392
Sullivan, S. E. (1999). The changing nature of careers: A review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 25, 457–484. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639902500308
Swanson, J. L., & Schneider, M. (2013). Minnesota theory of work adjustment. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (2nd ed., pp. 29–53). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Tang, M. (2003). Career counseling in the future: Constructing, collaborating, advocating. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2003.tb00628.x
Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism and collectivism. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Verbruggen, M. (2010). Career counseling in the new career era. Review of Business and Economics, 55, 2–22.
Vock, M., Köller, O., & Nagy, G. (2013). Vocational interests of intellectually gifted and highly achieving young adults. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 305–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.2011.02063.x
Watters, J. J. (2010). Career decision making among gifted students: The mediation of teachers. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 54, 222–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986210369255
Watts, A. G. (2000). The new career and public policy. In A. Collin & R. Young (Eds.), The future of careers (pp. 259–275). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Webb, R. M., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2002). Mathematically facile adolescents with math–science aspirations: New perspectives on their educational and vocational development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 785–794. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.94.4.785
White, N. J., & Tracey, T. J. G. (2011). An examination of career indecision and application to dispositional authenticity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78, 219–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.09.015
Yates, S., Harris, A., Sabates, R., & Staff, J. (2011). Early occupational aspirations and fractured transitions: A study of entry into “NEET” status in the UK. Journal of Social Policy, 40, 513–534. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279410000656
Acknowledgement
Work relating to parts of this chapter was funded by the Australian Research Council under the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme (DE130100015).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Jung, J.Y. (2019). The Career Decisions of Gifted Students: An Asian-Pacific Perspective. In: Smith, S. (eds) Handbook of Giftedness and Talent Development in the Asia-Pacific. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3021-6_65-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3021-6_65-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3021-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3021-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education