The relationship between career adaptability, person and situation variables, and career concerns in young adults

PA Creed, T Fallon, M Hood�- Journal of vocational behavior, 2009 - Elsevier
PA Creed, T Fallon, M Hood
Journal of vocational behavior, 2009Elsevier
We surveyed 245 first-year university students using measures of career concerns, career
adaptability (career planning, career exploration, self-exploration, decision-making, self-
regulation), goal-orientation (learning, performance-prove, performance-avoid) and social
support (family, friends, significant others), and tested:(a) whether the career adaptability
variables could be represented by a second-order factor of career adaptability;(b) whether
career adaptability, goal-orientation and social support were associated with fewer career�…
We surveyed 245 first-year university students using measures of career concerns, career adaptability (career planning, career exploration, self-exploration, decision-making, self-regulation), goal-orientation (learning, performance-prove, performance-avoid) and social support (family, friends, significant others), and tested: (a) whether the career adaptability variables could be represented by a second-order factor of career adaptability; (b) whether career adaptability, goal-orientation and social support were associated with fewer career concerns; and (c) whether career adaptability mediated the relationship between goal-orientation and social support and career concerns. The study demonstrated that the career adaptability variables were inter-related and could be represented by a higher-order factor. Decision-making and self-exploration were negatively associated with career concerns, and decision-making mediated the relationship between goal-orientation and career concerns. Having more of a learning orientation was associated with more decision-making and fewer career concerns, whereas holding a performance-prove orientation was associated with poorer decision-making and more career concerns.
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