A Preliminary Study on the Effectiveness of the Chinese Career Key Online

The Chinese Career Key (CCK) Online was studied for its effectiveness and user satisfaction. Study participants were 92 students at a public high school in Hong Kong. The research findings provide preliminary evidence of reliability, validity, and user satisfaction for the CCK Online. Limitations and implications for future studies and counseling practice across cultures are discussed. In 1999, the paper-and-pencil version of the Chinese Career Key (CCK) was developed to fill the need for career assessment and to strengthen career guidance for the youth of Hong Kong and China (Jones & Ting, 1999). The CCK was modified from the English-language Career Key (Jones, 1987, 1990). The Career Key measure, which is based on Holland's (1997) theory of vocational choice, assesses a person's resemblance to the six Holland types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional; hereinafter referred to as RIASEC). The CCK measures Chinese students' resemblances to Holland's types and helps those students identify careers that would likely fit their personalities. In development of the CCK, the guidelines for translation and validation proposed by Hansen and Fouad (1984) were adopted. In 2001, the CCK Online (ht^://vv'ww.careerkey.org/chinese/) was developed (Ting, 2007a). The CCX Online contains an assessment section (resembling the CCK paper- and-pencil version) and information on Holland's theory, career decision making, college planning, and studying abroad. The CCK Online has been adopted as a free, professional-quality tool for career assessment in some developing countries such as China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (Ting, 2007b). More than 30 high schools, universities, and agencies in Hong Kong have adopted the paper-andpencil version of the CCK and link to CCK Online (Ting, 2007a). For example, the Web site of the Joint Institution Job Information System (http://www.jijis.org.hk/jijis/) has been developed for all Hong Kong universities. However, no formal study of the CCK Online has been conducted. Furthermore, few studies of online career assessment have been conducted ( Harris-Bowlsbey & Sampson, 2005; Reile, 2000). The purpose of this study was to compare the CCK Online with the CCK paper-and-pencil version and the Self-Directed Search Form R (SDS; Holland, 1994) and to examine user satisfaction with the CCK Online. Two research questions were formulated: 1. What are the reliabilities and validity of Holland's RIASEC scales on the CCK Online among the students? 2. How helpful do the students find the CCK Online? Method Participants in this study were 92 students (44 girls, 48 boys) from a public high school in Hong Kong. Of the students, 50 were in Grade 10 and 42 were in Grade 12. Two classes each were in science and arts streams. The mean age of participants was 17.2 years. The teaching medium in the school was English, and all participants were fluent in English. The CCK Online and the CCK paper-and-pencil version contain the same 66 items. Individuals rate the extent to which each of 42 occupational titles interests them using a 3-point scale on which 2 = definitely interests or attracts you in some way, 1 = might interest you, and 0 = undecided, does not sound interesting, or would dislike. Each RIASEC type is represented by 7 occupational titles; scores may range from 0 to 14 for each type. Individuals also rate the extent to which each of 24 statements describes them using a 3-point scale on which 2 = very true of you, 1 = mostly true of you, and 0 = does not describe you. Each RIASEC type is represented by 4 statements; scores may range from 0 to 8 for each type. Scores from occupational titles and statements are summed to create a total score for each RIASEC type; scores may range from 0 to 22 for each type. A previous study of the CCK paper-and-pencil version supports its validity and reliability (Ting & Jones, 2005). The SDS is a self-report interest inventory developed by Holland (1994) and is based on his theory of vocational choice (Holland, 1997). …