Career Exploration and Career Decision Self-Efficacy in Northwest Chinese Pre-service Kindergarten Teachers: The Mediating Role of Work Volition and Career Adaptability

Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis

The concept of career adaptability emerged from the broader field of career development theory and has received increasing attention in the past two decades. To measure career adaptability, there are different scale development studies in the literature, but the most widely used and preferred one is the Career Adapt-abilities Scale developed by Savickas and Porfeli. Therefore, in the present study, the general reliability of the Career Adapt-abilities Scale was measured through meta-analysis. One hundred forty nine study (N = 82519) were included in the analyses. For the CAAS overall score, the average reliability coefficient among the 171 reliability estimations was high. However, reliability estimates in the studies included in the research show high heterogeneity. As a result of the moderator analysis, it was concluded that reliability estimates of these scores differ by item level, culture, language, category of items, different forms of CAAS, age, and SD. Regarding the application of the CAAS in research, the consequences of these findings are discussed in light of the relevant literature.

Effect of purpose-based career coaching on career decision-making

To enhance coaching experiences in career development, diverse approaches must be developed and tested. This study’s objective was to determine the effectiveness of a purpose-based career coaching framework on career decision-making difficulties. In this study, randomized experimental conditions and interviews were combined. A theoretical sampling procedure was used for a period of two years to generate samples for the study. A total of 187 youths were recruited, but 78 did not meet the study criteria, while 29 declined to take part. A sample of 80 youths met the study criteria and completed all phases of the study. Twelve one-to-one sessions, aligning with the Pb-CC framework, covered core techniques such as reimagining, spiritualizing, self-discovery, career exploration, identifying, and matching. Qualitative data was collected using a researcher-developed interview protocol, consisting of three open-ended questions such as: “How would you describe the meaning or purpose of your life?; What is the category of career that relates to your purpose?; and What do you believe about purpose and career?” In addition, Career Decision-Making Scale (CDDS) was used to collect data. Quantitative data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which includes the organization of data, the identification and development of themes, the saturation of themes, and the presentation of themes. At the end of the intervention, participants successfully identified their purpose and skillfully matched it with suitable careers. The effect of purpose-based career coaching has been found to be significant on career decision making. These findings bear practical significance for career counselling, policy implementation, industrialization, research and career development.

Career exploration and its influence on the relationship between self-efficacy and career choice: The moderating role of social support

Career choice is a highly complex process. The growth in the number, nature, and overlap between occupations creates a more multifaceted career landscape, especially for young people. This study expands the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by developing a model that includes additional factors influencing career choices, such as self-efficacy, career exploration, and social support. A convenient sampling method was applied, with 340 Vietnamese students responding to the questionnaire on Google Forms between August and October 2022. The results supported the research hypotheses, with environmental exploration emerging as the most decisive factor influencing career choice. The most exciting finding of this article is the negative impact of social support on the relationship between environmental exploration and career choice. Finally, the results underscore the significance of implementing career guidance and providing career experiences for university students at educational institutions.

The relationship between pre-service kindergarten teachers’ professional identification and career adaptability: A chain mediation model

Background

The healthy development of preschool education requires the support of stable and high-quality preschool teachers. However, there are still many deficiencies in preschool teachers in China at present. For pre-service kindergarten teachers, it is very significant to improve their career adaptability and enter professional positions smoothly. Numerous studies have found the effect of professional identification on the career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers, but few studies have explored the potential influencing mechanisms among variables. On the basis of previous studies, this study explores the chain mediating effect of teacher efficacy and self-leadership on the relationship between professional identification and career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers.

Methods

Three hundred eighty-eight participants were recruited from two schools in Zhejiang Province. After screening, 377 questionnaires for pre-service kindergarten teachers were used for data analysis. The questionnaire included self-reported demographic information, professional identification, teacher efficacy, self-leadership, and career adaptability. We collected information on variables by using PISNS, TSE, RSLQ, and CFI, and analyzed the data using SPSS.

Results

(1) Professional identification and career adaptability have a significant positive correlation. (2) The influence of occupational identification on the career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers was carried out in three different ways: professional identification → teacher efficacy → career adaptability, professional identification → self-leadership → career adaptability, and professional identification → teacher efficacy → self-leadership → career adaptability.

Conclusion

Teacher efficacy and self-leadership may mediate the relationship between professional identification and career adaptability of pre-service kindergarten teachers. This study highlighted the complexity of the link between preschool teachers’ professional identification and career adaptability. The paper also discussed the limitations and implications of this study.

Do college students with future work self-salience demonstrate higher levels of career adaptability? From a dual perspective of teachers and students

Faced with tremendous employment pressure, how to enhance effective career exploration and career adaptability is crucial for college students’ career. This study uses self-assessed data from 840 undergraduate students at three time points to reveal the formation mechanism of career adaptability from a dual perspective of teacher support and students’ effective part-time behavior. In particular, the mediating role of career exploration is introduced based on self-regulation theory, and the moderating role of teacher support and students’ effective part-time work is introduced based on social cognitive career theory. The results show that (1) Future work self-salience positively influences career adaptability; (2) future work self-salience indirectly influences career adaptability through career exploration; (3) both teacher support and students’ effective part-time behavior positively moderate the indirect relationship between future work self-salience and career adaptability through career exploration. This study attempts to provide practical guidance for college graduates to engage in career exploration and career construction.

The Role of EFL/ESL Teachers' Psychological Empowerment and Optimism on Their Job Commitment

Research has approved that teaching is a complex profession involving many cognitive, social, cultural, and psycho-emotional factors. To perform efficiently, teachers must be psycho-emotionally powerful and ready to cope with the existing challenges and complications of teaching a second/foreign language. This demands attempts to be made to psychologically empower the teachers to form positive outlooks about their profession and practices. Despite the criticality of psychological empowerment (PE), few studies in L2 contexts have dealt with it. Against this gap, the present article aimed to theoretically analyze the interaction among teachers' PE, optimism, and commitment. In so doing, the definitions, models, components, typologies, and empirical studies related to these constructs were presented. Finally, practical implications of this line of research for EFL/ESL teachers, teacher trainers, and researchers are provided to raise their awareness of psycho-emotional factors involved L2 education.

Work Volition Scale for Chinese Working Adults: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study

The present study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Work Volition Scales (WVS), an instrument that assesses three components of work volition: volition, financial constraint, and construct constraint. In Study 1 ( N = 498), the WVS was translated into Chinese, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted resulting in that three factors were consistent with the original scale. In Study 2 ( N = 442), the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the bifactor model provided the most parsimonious fit to the data. The measurement invariance test then revealed that the WVS is equivalent across gender, age, education level, and job tenure. In addition, convergent and concurrent validity supported the finding that the WVS and three subscales are linked with related variables. The results support significant incremental validity in predicting career satisfaction, meaningful work, and life well-being. The findings suggest that the WVS is a valuable instrument for researchers and career counselors who seek to explore work volition among Chinese working adults.