Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Career Development Studies

Background:

• Career adaptability is a key concept in career development theory, gaining prominence over the last 20 years.
• The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) by Savickas and Porfeli is the most utilized measure for assessing career adaptability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the overall reliability of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) using a meta-analytic approach.
• To investigate the heterogeneity in reliability estimates reported across various studies using the CAAS.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analysis was conducted on 149 studies, encompassing a total of 82,519 participants.
• Reliability coefficients from 171 estimations were analyzed to determine the general reliability of the CAAS.

Main Results:

• The meta-analysis revealed a high average reliability coefficient for the overall CAAS score.
• Significant heterogeneity was observed in reliability estimates across studies, indicating variability in scale performance.
• Moderator analysis identified item level, culture, language, item category, CAAS form, age, and SD as factors influencing reliability.

Conclusions:

• While the CAAS demonstrates strong overall reliability, its application in research requires careful consideration of contextual factors.
• The identified sources of heterogeneity necessitate nuanced interpretation of CAAS scores across diverse research settings.
• Further research should explore the implications of these findings for cross-cultural and diverse population studies using the CAAS.