Education and career aspirations among Chinese high school students: validation of the career aspiration scale

Abstract

The original Career Aspiration Scale (CAS; O'Brien, 1996) was translated and modified to form the Chinese 10-item Career Aspiration Scale. The Chinese CAS includes three subscales (Leadership & Achievement, Job Satisfaction, and Continue Education). The Chinese CAS was used in this study with a sample of Hong Kong high school students (N = 677). Reliability analyses showed that the total scale and subscales were internally consistent. The results of the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factory analysis suggested that the Chinese CAS provided adequate indicators of Chinese adolescents' education and career aspirations. The study also provided an opportunity to investigate briefly the relationship between scores on CAS and students' academic achievement levels and socio-economic status. © 2012 De La Salle University, Philippines.