Predicting Career Goal Discrepancy based on Career-Related Stress, Career Goal Feedback, and Field of Study in Students

Purpose: Career goal discrepancy is the perceived gap between the current state and future state that the person considers for his or her career future. The purpose of the study was to predict career goal discrepancy by career-related stress, career goal feedback, and field of study in students. Methods: The statistical population of the study includes all senior students in Isfahan during 2016-2017. From this population, 450 students (225 male & 225 female) were selected through random stratified sampling. Career Goal Discrepancy Scale (Creed & Hood, 2015), Career-Related Stress Inventory (Choi et al, 2011), and Career Goal Feedback Scale (Hu, Creed & Hood, 2016) were used for data collection in this  correlational study. Data were analyzed using correlational and multiple-regression methods. Findings: Results showed a positive and meaningful correlation between career-related stress, negative feedback about progress, negative feedback about goal suitability, and field of study with career goal discrepancy. Also, career-related stress, career goal feedback, and field of study predicted career goal discrepancy with  coefficient of determination of 0/63. This means that career goal discrepancy can be predicted by career-related stress, career goal feedback, and field of study. Results: It is necessary that school counselors, parents, and other people important to the students think about their current academic state and their ideal state into the future; then help them in order to evaluate the discrepancy between these two, and eventually teach them techniques and actions to reduce this gap.