Purpose of the Questionnaire

The Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) aims to assess the difficulties individuals face during the process of making career decisions. It is addressed to students, university students, and adults who experience uncertainty or indecisiveness regarding their career choices. The tool evaluates psychological, emotional, and cognitive difficulties, such as pressure from external factors or negative beliefs.

Questionnaire Analysis

The CDDQ was developed by Gati, Krausz, and Osipow in 1996 and was adapted into the Greek language by Koumoundourou and Kassotakis in 2007. It consists of multiple questions rated on a Likert scale (5- or 7-point), which are grouped into subscales measuring indecisiveness, insecurity about abilities or interests, external pressure such as expectations from others, and negative beliefs about career choices.

Scoring of Items

Each item is scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 or 7 (strongly agree). The total score results from the sum of the responses, with higher values indicating greater difficulties. Each subscale has its own score, which allows for identifying specific difficulty areas.
For example, a score between 30 and 50 indicates mild difficulties, while a score above 70 suggests significant difficulties.

Statistical Analysis

The total CDDQ scale ranges from 10 to 70 depending on the number of items, while each subscale typically ranges from 5 to 35 for seven items. Statistical indices such as mean scores, standard deviations, and correlations between subscales are calculated.

Validity

The CDDQ demonstrates both theoretical and empirical validity. It correlates with other indecisiveness scales (Gati et al., 1996), and the Greek version confirms its structure and correlations with similar tools (Koumoundourou & Kassotakis, 2007).

Reliability

The internal consistency of the instrument is high, with a Cronbach’s alpha greater than 0.80, indicating good reliability. In addition, the scores remain stable over time, ensuring the repeatability of the results.

References

Foreign Literature: Gati, I., Krausz, M., & Osipow, S. (1996). A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(4), 510–526.
Greek Literature: Koumoundourou, G., & Kassotakis, M. (2007). The Greek version of the CDDQ: Psychometric evaluation. Presented at the International Guidance Conference, Padova, Italy.

Keywords

Career decision, indecisiveness, psychometric scale, Likert, statistical analysis, validity, reliability.