Exploring the Mediating Role of Career Adaptability in the Link Between Career Self-Efficacy and Career Decision-Making Among Chinese College Students
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Abstract
Background and Aim: Career decision-making is a major developmental challenge for university students as they transition from academic life to the professional workforce. Making effective career decisions requires not only confidence in one’s abilities but also the psychological resources necessary to adapt to changing career environments. Although career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) has been widely recognized as an important factor influencing career-related decisions, the underlying psychological mechanisms through which CDSE affects career decision-making strength (CDMS) remain insufficiently understood. Grounded in Career Construction Theory, this study aims to investigate the mediating role of career adaptability (CA) in the relationship between CDSE and CDMS among Chinese undergraduate students. The research seeks to explain how students’ confidence in their career decision-making abilities can be transformed into stronger and more decisive career actions through the development of adaptability resources.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design to collect data from 236 Chinese undergraduate students. Standardized and validated measurement scales were used to assess career decision-making self-efficacy, career adaptability, and career decision-making strength. The questionnaire evaluated students’ confidence in career-related tasks, their ability to adapt to career challenges, and their level of decisiveness in making career choices. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the proposed mediation relationships among the variables. In addition, bootstrapping analysis was applied to test the significance of indirect effects and confirm the mediation mechanism. This analytical approach ensured the reliability and robustness of the mediation findings.
Results: The findings revealed that career decision-making self-efficacy significantly and positively predicted career adaptability, indicating that students with stronger confidence in their career abilities were more capable of adapting to career-related challenges and transitions. Furthermore, career adaptability significantly predicted career decision-making strength, demonstrating that adaptable students were more likely to make clear, confident, and effective career decisions. More importantly, when career adaptability was included in the structural model, the direct relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy and career decision-making strength became statistically non-significant. Bootstrapping analysis further confirmed a full mediation effect, indicating that career adaptability completely transmitted the influence of self-efficacy on career decision-making strength. These findings highlight the central role of adaptability as a psychological mechanism linking career confidence with decisive career behavior.
Conclusion: This study concludes that career adaptability functions as a critical psychological resource that fully mediates the relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy and career decision-making strength among undergraduate students. The findings suggest that self-confidence alone may not directly lead to effective career decisions unless students also possess the adaptability skills required to manage career uncertainty and change. Therefore, career guidance and counseling programs should place greater emphasis on developing students’ adaptability competencies, including concern, control, curiosity, and confidence, to strengthen career decision-making outcomes and support successful career development.
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