Validating a Measure of Postsecondary Supports

We investigated environmental supports, an under-studied aspect of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994), with rural Appalachian youth, an under-studied population. We developed a 25-item instrument to measure the construct of Postsecondary Supports (PSS): proximal influences that bolster the pursuit of postsecondary education. The new measure of PSS showed strong internal consistency and construct validity. Moreover, PSS was positively correlated with College-Going Self Efficacy (CGSE) and College Outcome Expectations (COE), explaining more unique variance than a measure of perceived educational barriers.