Career Indecision in China: Measurement Equivalence With the United States and South Korea

This study explored the measurement equivalence of the Career Indecision Profile (CIP) in a Chinese sample with both U.S. and South Korean samples. Past measurement invariance research on the CIP in four international samples (Icelandic young adults, Italian adolescents, French-speaking young adults, and South Korean adolescents) has supported a four-factor structure in the U.S. and in the three Western samples but not in the South Korean sample. Rather, a five-factor structure emerged in South Korea. This study sought to identify whether either the four- or five-factor structure would demonstrate suitable fit for a Chinese adolescent sample. Results indicated that the four-factor structure developed in the United States did not replicate in China, but the five-factor structure found in South Korea showed adequate fit. Additional analysis suggested full metric invariance on all five scales and scalar invariance on four of the five scales. These findings extend the past measurement invariance work with the CIP to suggest two potential ways with which to understand career indecision: a four-factor structure in Western cultures and a five-factor model in Eastern cultures. Future research needs are discussed.