Measuring Grit

The construct grit originates from positive psychology and describes an individual’s tendency to persistently pursue long-term goals despite challenges or obstacles. Previous research has shown that domain-general grit is a predictor of educational and vocational success. The present research aimed to establish and validate a German version of the Short Grit Scale by Duckworth and Quinn (2009) , named the BISS-8 ( Beharrlichkeit and Beständiges Intere sse) Scale, and to test for the domain specificity of grit in an educational context. We conducted three studies to investigate the BISS-8 Scale: in Study 1 ( N = 525 university students) confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) replicated a two-dimensional higher-order structure for the scale. Study 2 ( N = 173 university students) investigated the correlations of grit with external criteria such as grade point average (GPA), generalized self-efficacy, general academic self-concept, and personality traits. Finally, in Study 3 ( N = 271 high school students), we found differential correlations with school achievement for domain-specific grit. Moreover, the validity of the BISS-8 Scale was also supported for adolescents by replicating the measurement model. All in all, our results indicate the validity of the BISS-8 Scale and show the importance to account for grit in different domains.

Role of Career Adaptability and Its Resources in Predicting Vocational Attitudes of Indian IT Professionals

Indian Information Technology (IT) market is going through a dynamic state of existence with employment uncertainties, but simultaneously creating promising opportunities. Amidst such unpredictability and possibilities, Indian IT professionals have been striving hard to build a career identity, demonstrating their capabilities to withstand unforeseen and abrupt vocational shocks. In career construction, such capability comes from career adaptability, reflected through resources of concern, control, curiosity and confidence. Yet, attention towards career adaptability is sparse in Indian IT vocational literature. The present study attempts to fill that gap by examining career adaptability and its links with vocational attitudes of career satisfaction and turnover intention. For this, data were collected from 434 Indian IT professionals. Overall, career adaptability was positively related to career satisfaction while turnover intention was independent of it. At the dimensional level, independently, all resources of career adaptability were positively related to career satisfaction. Concern and confidence had relatively greater degree of positive association than curiosity and control. Further, concern led to increased turnover intention, other resources being unrelated to it. Findings may facilitate human resource management of Indian IT organizations and independent career practitioners to enhance the vocational success of their employees and clients.

Ethnic Differences in Language Skills: How Individual and Family Characteristics Aid and Prohibit the Linguistic Integration of Children of Immigrants

Proficiency in the language of a new country is perhaps the most important precondition for the successful integration of immigrants in various other integration aspects, like educational and vocational success, interethnic relations and ethnic identify formation. Explaining ethnic disparities in linguistic integration therefore has the potential to aid our understanding of ethnic differences along various other integration dimensions. In the present contribution, we first demonstrate substantial heterogeneity of adolescents’ language proficiency in four European countries depending on their ethnic origin and their migration history. In order to further understanding these differences we examine very different individual and family factors that can be hypothesised to influence language learning processes. Besides an influence of social background on language learning, we show that ethnic specific factors such as language use in the family are at least partly relevant for the language acquisition process.

Comparative Characteristics of Teachers Motivation with Different Vocational Success

The professional effi ciency of teachers of higher education is associated with the achievement of social and scientifi c success, the psychological mechanisms which are associated with the motivational-requirement sphere. The dominant understanding needs and motives of the most successful teachers will strengthen their eff ectiveness and infl uence the motivation conditions necessary for signifi cant scientifi c and social results. The conducted research allowed to establish that successful teachers are characterized by external motivation and the need for social approval.

The qualitative study on the assessment of career planning process among academician women in managementKadın yönetici akademisyenlerin bireysel kariyer planlama süreçlerinin değerlendirilmesine yönelik nitel çalışma

The Vocational Success and condition of person’s job satisfaction can be possible with career planning planned as active, improvable and manageable. Meeting in-depth interview with 11 women academician who are directrice in Konya Universities (still as directrice or having done), their individual career planning process was desired to evaluate. The study carried out using qualitative data collection techniques. Participants were asked questions about themselves and their individual career planning process. Demographic questions about female academicians introducing themselves include: age, marital status, title, number of children, and administrative level. And the questions about individual career planning process are; the self-evaluation process of directrice academicians, processes of individual career objectives, identification of available or potential career opportunities, preparing and implementing of participant’s career plans and directing the individual career objectives with feedback were evaluated. The significant results were obtained related to individual career planning in the process of management and academician of women academicians. ÖzetMesleki başarı ve bireylerin mesleğinden tatmin olma durumu etkin bir şekilde planlanan, geliştirilebilen ve yönetilebilen bir kariyer planı ile mümkün olmaktadır. Konya ili üniversitelerinde yönetici pozisyonunda olan (halen yöneticilik yapan ya da yapmış olan) 11 kadın akademisyen ile derinlemesine bir görüşme yapılarak onların bireysel kariyer planlama süreçleri değerlendirilmek istenmiştir. Çalışma, nitel veri toplama teknikleri kullanılarak yürütülmüştür. Katılımcılara kendilerini tanıtıcı ve bireysel kariyer planlama sürecine ilişkin sorular yöneltilmiştir. Kadın akademisyenlerin kendilerini tanıtıcı demografik sorular; yaş, medeni durum, ünvan, çocuk sayısı, yöneticilik kademesi gibi sorulardan oluşmaktadır. Bireysel kariyer planlama süreci ile ilgili sorular ise; yönetici pozisyonundaki kadın akademisyenlerin özdeğerleme süreci, bireysel kariyer hedeflerinin, mevcut ve olası kariyer olanaklarının belirlenmesi, katılımcıların kariyer planlarının hazırlanması ve uygulanması, geri bildirim ile bireysel kariyer hedeflerine yön verme ile ilgili süreçleri değerlendirilmiştir. Kadın akademisyenlerin yöneticilik ve akademisyenlik süreçlerinde, bireysel kariyer planlama ile ilgili önemli sonuçlar elde edilmiştir.