Career Assessment With Native Americans: Role Salience and Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

One hundred thirty-seven Native American college students currently attending a tribal college were surveyed regarding their life-role salience and career decision-making self-efficacy. Also included was an examination of students’ reason for attending college. Findings revealed that although participation, commitment, and value expectations for the work role were more salient than the role of community service across these same three dimensions, home/family participation and commitment emerged as more salient than work participation and commitment. Correlational analysis indicated that (a) value expectations for work; (b) student role participation, commitment, and value expectations; and (c) community service commitment and value expectations all significantly correlated with career decision-making self-efficacy. Participants’ decisions to attend college suggested that they regard education as important to a good life and are motivated to attend college to help their family and community and to escape the high unemployment rate on the reservation.