Dr. Margaret Nauta's Research Program

Most broadly, my research interests are in the area of career development. I am interested in the sorts of factors that influence people's academic and career choices, as well as factors that affect their persistence in a given area once they have selected it. Here are some of the specific areas I enjoy studying:

Women's Persistence in Non-traditional Fields

Since the 1950s, women have been increasingly active in the work force. Currently, women comprise just over half of all employees, but they remain drastically underrepresented in fields such as mathematics, the physical sciences, and engineering. Even when they do enter non-traditional fields such as these, women are much less likely than men to persist in such fields over time. One of my research interests centers around issues responsible for this underrepresentation and lower rates of persistence. Some of the factors that my research has identified as contributing to lower rates of persistence in non-traditional college majors include different course-taking patterns, attributional styles, lower self-efficacy, fewer role models, and anticipated work-family conflict. If you would like to read more about these research projects, see the following articles:

Nauta, M. M., & Epperson, D. L. (2003). A longitudinal examination of the social cognitive model applied to high school girls' choices of non-traditional college majors and aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 448-457.  

Nauta, M. M., Epperson, D. L., & Waggoner, K. M. (1999). Perceived causes of success and failure: Are women's attributions related to satisfaction and persistence in engineering majors? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36, 663-676.

Nauta, M. M., Epperson, D. L., & Kahn, J. H. (1998). A multiple groups analysis of predictors of higher level career aspirations among women in science and engineering. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 483-496.

Schaefers, K. G., Epperson, D. L., & Nauta, M. M. (1997). Women's career development: Can theoretically derived variables predict persistence in engineering majors? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 44, 173-183.

College Students' Academic Progress

I am also interested in factors that facilitate students' college performance and persistence. Research and anecdote suggest that the first year of college is a critical time for many students. The number of transitions associated with that first year can make it a stressful time for students and their families. Although most students adjust to this first year of college just fine, approximately 25% of students nationwide drop out after their first year. This may be a good choice for many students, especially if their career goals don't necessitate a college degree. However, other students who would benefit from earning a college degree report that they left during their first year for reasons that did not have to do with their career goals. Some of the factors that my research has identified as contributing to lower first-year academic performance and persistence include lower self-efficacy, lower outcome expectations, social isolation, and certain personality tendencies. If you would like to read more about these research projects, see the following articles:

Kahn, J. H., Nauta, M. M., Gailbreath, R. D., Tipps, J., & Chartrand, J. M. (2002). The utility of career and personality assessment in predicting academic progress. Journal of Career Assessment, 10, 3-23.

Kahn, J. H., & Nauta, M. M. (2001). Social-cognitive predictors of college persistence: The importance of proximal assessment. Research in Higher Education, 42, 633-652.

Role Model Influences on Career Development

Albert Bandura (1977, 1986) was one of the first psychologists to propose that people learn from other people by watching them. He called this vicarious learning. In 1981, Nancy Betz and Gail Hackett applied this concept to career development. They proposed that people make career choice, in part, based on what they have learned from watching other people. If a young girl sees very few examples of women scientists, she may conclude (incorrectly) that women are incapable of doing well in science and technical fields. Similarly, if a young boy sees few examples of male elementary school teachers, he may rule out elementary school teaching as a career possibility for himself. I am very interested in the impact that role models have on people's career choices. One of my research projects involved developing an instrument that can be used to assess the kinds of influence role models have had on a person's career choices. A second project examined how these influences differed between groups of heterosexual versus gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. If you would like to read more about these research projects, see the following articles:

Karunanayake, D., & Nauta, M. M. (2004). The relationship of race and students’ identified career role models and perceived role model influence. The Career Development Quarterly, 52, 226-235.

Nauta, M. M., & Kokaly, M. L. (2001). Assessing role model influences on students' academic and career decisions. Journal of Career Assessment, 9, 81-99.

Nauta, M. M., Saucier, A. M., & Woodard, L. E. (2001). Interpersonal influences on career decision-making: The impact of sexual orientation. The Career Development Quarterly, 49, 352-362.

Relationships Among Social-Cognitive Career Influences

A recent theory of career development, Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), proposes that people's career choices are a product of many factors, including personality, learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, and goals. I am interested in examining the ways in which these factors are related to one another empirically. For example, do we become interested in a career area because we feel confident that we can succeed in that area, or do we feel confident that we can succeed in an area because we are interested in it? If you would like to read more about these research projects, see the following articles:

Nauta, M. M. (2004). Self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationships between personality factors and career interests. Journal of Career Assessment, 12, 381-394.

Nauta, M. M., Kahn, J. H., Angell, J. W., & Cantarelli, E. A. (2002). Identifying the antecedent in the relation between career interests and self-efficacy: Is it one, the other, or both? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 290-301.

Albaugh, L. M., & Nauta, M. M. (2005). Career decision self-efficacy, career barriers, and college women’s experiences of intimate partner violence. Journal of Career Assessment, 13, 288-306.

Krous, T. M. D., & Nauta, M. M. (2005). Values, motivations, and learning experiences of future professionals: Who wants to serve underserved populations? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36, 688-694.

If you are interested in speaking with me about any of these projects or topics, I welcome you to do so. If you are an ISU student who is interested in obtaining some research experience, please stop by my office. I will be happy to talk with you about my current research projects and describe ways you might get involved.

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