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The relationship between career social support and career management competency: The mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy

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Abstract

Career management competency is regarded as key competency which can help college students improve their employability and achieve future career success. However, there are few literatures on the influencing factors of career management competency. This study aimed to examine the potential mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy between career social support and career management competency. Using a cross-sectional design, 577 Chinese college students (mean age = 19.68, 61.35% female) completed the Questionnaire of Career Management Competency, Career Social Support, and Career Decision-making Self Efficacy. The results showed significant positive correlations among career social support, career decision-making self-efficacy, and career management competency. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that career social support and career decision-making self-efficacy were two positive predictors of career management competency. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that career decision-making self-efficacy played a completely mediating role in the influence of career social support on career management competency. These results offered practical implications that provide more career social support and improve career decision-making self-efficacy for promoting college students’ career management competency.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This study is funded by a major project of Philosophy and Social Science Research, the Ministry of Education, called “the research on the construction of high-quality kindergarten principals in China” (Project Approval No. 16JZD050).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Lanzhou City University, 11 Jiefang Road, Shizhuan Campus, Anning District, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, People’s Republic of China

    Hua Wang

  2. School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin Province, People’s Republic of China

    Hua Wang & Runkai Jiao

Authors
  1. Hua Wang
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  2. Runkai Jiao
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Hua Wang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hua Wang. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hua Wang.

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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Psychology school of Northeast Normal University.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wang, H., Jiao, R. The relationship between career social support and career management competency: The mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy. Curr Psychol 42, 23018–23027 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03418-y

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