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College is a significant time for undergraduates to declare majors and choose career paths. For many undergraduates, choosing both a major and a career path is challenging. Research shows that many universities deliver career interventions through dedicated career decision-making courses (Mead & Korschgen, 1994). However, there has been limited research on the behavioral and adaptive components of career exploration and planning specific to career-related interventions. As a result, this study was designed to address this gap by investigating the effectiveness of a major/career planning course that focused on the behavioral and adaptive components through occupational engagement, career adaptability, and student career construction. The study's findings suggest the need to structure major/career planning courses that promote the development and implementation of behaviors that increase students' engagement, occupational exploration, career decision-making, and skilling/instrumentation (e.g., making plans for the future, finding a job post-graduation). By doing so, professionals in higher education can help students to excel academically and increase overall retention rates.

This study examined the nomological network for the Family Influence Scale in the United States and India. Specifically, the study assessed the relationship between family influences on career decision making and the constructs of family obligation, work volition, calling, work values, and occupational engagement across two countries. A total of 136 U.S. participants and 377 participants from India responded to a survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk. The study found support for the construct validity and the four different types of family influences both between the United States and the Indian population. Family influence was correlated in expected ways with family obligation, work volition, work values, calling, and occupational engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]