The purpose of the current study was to help understand scholarly activity better among counseling psychology doctoral students. Two new variables were added to the previously created predictor model of scholarly activity: advisory working alliance and research competence. Three path analytic models were designed in the current study: (1) a primary hypothesized model, (2) an alternative model, and (3) a trimmed model. In the first model, grounded in social-cognitive career theory (SCCT) and the research training environment (RTE) theory, scholarly activity was hypothesized to be explained directly by research interests, research outcome expectations, research self-efficacy, research competence, and year in program. Through these mediator variables, it was expected that investigative interests, research training environment, and advisory working alliance would all indirectly explain scholarly activity. Data from 459 counseling psychology doctoral students were used to test the three path models. Model 1 was shown to be a "good fit" to the data and explained 17% of the variance in scholarly activity.;Model 2 was designed to provide a better understanding of where research competence belongs in the model. In Model 2, research competence was transitioned from an exogenous variable, as it was in Model 1, to an endogenous variable. Path analysis results revealed that Model 2 was a "poor fit" to the data Because Model 1 was a better fit than Model 2, findings from Model 1 were used to create a trimmed model. The trimmed model was shown to be a better fit to the data than Model 1. Overall, the model explained 55% of the variance in research self-efficacy, 16% in research outcome expectations, 62% in research interests, and 18% in scholarly activity. Results provided strong support for SCCT and mixed support for RTE theory. Implications are discussed within the context of research training, and future research is suggested.
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