Ramstadius, Katie D. (2016) Career Adapting Measured Using Problem-Solving Appraisal in the Career Construction Adaption Model. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Career construction theory (CCT) proposes a sequence of adaptation ranging across adaptivity, adaptability, adapting and adaptation. Current theory of careers and coping suggests that people’s experiences of work engagement and life satisfaction, are associated with the psychological skills of problem solving and career adaptability, which are partly determined by personality traits. This project aimed to advance this theoretical foundation. It was hypothesised that: higher openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness (adaptivity) would lead to greater career adaptability (adaptability); greater career adaptability would lead to greater problem-solving skill (adapting); and greater problem-solving skill would result in greater work engagement and life satisfaction (adaptation). Indirect relationships between variables were also explored. Data were collected using an online survey comprising the: Mini-International Personality Item Pool, Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, Problem-Solving Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and demographic questions. Responses from 370 Australian adult employees were gathered and analysed using path analysis. As hypothesised, personality traits (except agreeableness) positively predicted career adaptability, and career adaptability positively predicted problem solving. However, problem solving failed to predict work engagement and life satisfaction, and was removed from the resulting path model. It was concluded that the Problem-Solving Inventory may be a poor measure of career adapting, highlighting the need for future investigation into the use of problem solving to quantify adapting within a careers framework. This project’s uniqueness is in its inclusion of all four components of the CCT adaptation model, combined with its use of problem solving to measure adapting.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Gavin Beccaria |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Sep 2025 01:12 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Sep 2025 01:12 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | personality ; career adaptability ; problem solving ; work engagement ; life satisfaction ; career construction theory |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52682 |
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