Reliability and Validity of a Chinese Version of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire

Abstract

This study tested the applicability of the 34-item CDDQ (Gati & Saka, 2001) for use with adolescents from the Peoples Republic of China. The study devised a Chinese version of the scale using translation and back-translation, administered it to a sample of 514 Chinese adolescents, tested the psychometric properties of the scale in terms of factor structure and reliability, and examined its validity by testing associations with demographic variables (age, gender, paid work experience, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement) and scales tapping career decision-making self-efficacy and barriers. Results identified two stable factors for the CDDQ, namely Lack of Information and Inconsistent Information, but failed to confirm the third CDDQ factor of Readiness to make a career decision. Factor structure and reliability for the two identified factors were sound, and these factors related in the expected directions to demographic variables and the other career scales. Implications for use of the CDDQ in China are highlighted, and recommendations are made for the revision of the Readiness dimension.