Career Mobility in Agricultural Education: a Social Learning Theory Approach

Much of the research on factors relative to career turnover of teachers has focused on specifics such as long hours or the amount of paper work (Cole, 1984; Bundy and Fruelich, 1969; Dillon, 1978; Knight, 1978). While interesting and potentially beneficial, such studies could be enhanced by linking these specifics to underlying concepts thereby giving a more in-depth perspective of the career mobility phenomenon. An appealing approach for such an in-depth inquiry into turnover is social learning theory. Social learning theory posits that psychological functioning can be explained in terms of the interaction of personal characteristics, previous behavior (learning) and environmental determinants (Chapman, 1984). This psychological functioning involves valuing certain outcomes, discriminating among situations in terms of their potential to bring about these valued outcomes, judging one’s ability to function and decide which situations to enter and how to behave in them. Krumboltz (1979) expanded this basic definition of social learning theory in career decision-malting as a way to identify the interaction of personal characteristics, learning experiences, cognitive and emotional responses, and performance skills that produce movement along one career path or another. This movement includes an individual’s decision to stay in a profession or leave.