The Theoretical Framework Of Social Cognitive Career Theory

Theoretical Framework

Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) emphasizes cognitive-person variables that enable people to influence their own career development, as well as extra-person, contextual variables, which enhance or constrain personal agency (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). SCCT attempts to understand the processes through which people form interests, make choices, and achieve varying levels of success in educational and occupational pursuits (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 2000). Cognitive-person variables include qualities such as self-efficacy and personal goals that enable people to exercise personal control or agency in their own career development; while environmental variables consider a person’s physical attributes, features of their environment, and particular learning experiences which have influence on career-related interests and choice behaviors. Environmental variables can be further divided into two basic categories according to their relative proximity to the career choice-making process. Distal factors are those which have had an impact on the learning experiences through which expectations have developed, for instance the type of career role models to which one is exposed and the support or encouragement one receives for engaging in

The current consensus in higher education is that critical thinking is important in order for students to think independently, but the question of who is responsible for teaching critical thinking is not so clear. Critical thinking skills are not generally the province of any one department on campus, but are purported to be taught across the curriculum at most universities. Traditional academic governance allows individual teaching faculty to determine the content of their syllabi, and whether or not they include critical thinking skills as an explicit or implicit part of the