The adolescent role assessment: psychometric properties and theoretical usefulness.

OBJECTIVE Fostering career adaptability may improve vocational outcomes for adolescents. This study examined the responses of adolescents on the Adolescent Role Assessment (ARA) to explore its usefulness as a measure of career adaptability. METHOD The ARA was administered to 101 adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and factor analysis were generated from the ARA scores. Dominant narrative themes were coded into the six domains of the ARA and into the domains identified in the factor analysis. RESULTS The internal consistency of the ARA was low with few differences in findings across age. The identified factors--developing aspirations, self-efficacy, interpersonal competencies, and autonomy--are consistent with constructs of career adaptability found in the literature and differentiated low and high scorers. CONCLUSION Major changes to the ARA content and scaling or development of a new assessment of career adaptability using the factor structure are recommended for clinical and research applications.