Career Planning Research Articles

Career aspirations of dental students: insights from a multinational study using social cognitive career theory (SCCT)

BackgroundDental students' career choices are shaped by many factors, including their personal abilities and goals, environmental factors and the resources available to them. Understanding the drivers for this career pathway decision is crucial for educational institutions' development of comprehensive curricula. This study applies Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to investigate the professional aspirations of dental students globally, providing insights into the factors that influence career choices of dental students from different regions to understand how personal, socioeconomic and cultural differences influence their decisions.MethodsA cross-sectional, multicentred survey was conducted between May and July 2023, involving 1964 dental students from over 20 countries. Self-administered questionnaires based on SCCT were used to assess participants' self-efficacy, professional and personal outcome expectations, career goals, and career path preferences. Statistical analysis, including multivariable logistic regression and mediation analysis, was employed to identify the relationships between the SCCT framework, sociodemographic factors and career aspirations.ResultsThe study revealed that 51.2% of participants preferred a specialty in clinical dentistry, while 28.1% aimed for general dentistry. Mediation analysis demonstrated notable pathways from career planning training to career aspirations through self-efficacy, professional and personal expectations. Self-efficacy mediated 26.7%–98.65% of the effect on career preferences coming forward as a key mediator. Demographic statistics demonstrated that regional and economic differences significantly impacted students’ career choice, where students from higher-income countries reported more likely to choose general dentistry and those from lower-income countries were more drawn to specialty fields or public health.ConclusionsThis study offers new insights into the global career aspirations of dental students through the prism of the SCCT. These findings highlight the need for dental schools and associations to offer tailored career planning training based on students' backgrounds at an early phase of their education. Providing support and career guidance, especially in underserved regions, can help students make informed decisions that align with their personal and professional goals. This will ultimately contribute to a more diverse and well-prepared global dental workforce.

“COMPARING PRE-PLACEMENT EXPECTATIONS VS POST-PLACEMENT REALITIES IN THE CAREER JOURNEY OF FRESH GRADUATES”

The transition from school to the job market is an important milestone in the lives of new graduates. This research intends to investigate the gap between students expectations before they are placed and the real-life experiences upon entering the working world. Based on the analysis of data gathered from recent graduates in different fields, the study highlights the major areas of mismatch, such as job positions, compensation levels, work-life balance, opportunities for career advancement, and organizational culture. The research also investigates how these mismatches affect job satisfaction, motivation, performance. Through qualitative and quantitative approaches, the study sheds light on the determinants of expectation-reality gaps and makes suggestions to educational institutions, employers, and students on how to close this gap. Ultimately, the research aims to facilitate a smoother career transition for new graduates by promoting realistic career planning and closer congruence between academic training and industry needs. KEY WORDS: Fresh Graduates, Pre-placement Expectations, Post-placement Realities, Career Transition, Job Satisfaction, Expectation-Reality Gap, Workplace Adaptation, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Employment Outcomes

Predicting (Dis)satisfaction in Adolescents’ Educational Choices—Investigating Profiles in Work Values Across the Transition to Secondary Education

ABSTRACTWe examined the work value profiles of Finnish ninth graders (n = 884, 56% girls) in terms of Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Social, Status, Autonomy, and Stimulation values. Furthermore, we examined profile differences in levels of (a) career decision‐making self‐efficacy, (b) task values related to career planning, and (c) engagement with upper secondary education (i.e., satisfaction with educational choice, dropout intentions). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified three profiles—Ambitious (∼24%), Meaning‐seeking (∼56%), and Compensation‐oriented (∼18%)—which were replicable and stable from Grade 9 Fall to Spring. Membership in the Compensation‐oriented group was associated with the lowest levels of career decision‐making self‐efficacy, task values related to career planning, satisfaction with posttransition educational choice, and the highest levels of secondary school dropout intentions. In contrast, membership in the Ambitious group was associated with the highest levels of career decision‐making self‐efficacy, highest task values related to career planning, and highest satisfaction with posttransition educational choice.

The Impact of Medical School Experiences in Global Surgery on Perceptions and Career Plans Among U.S. Medical Students.

The Impact of Medical School Experiences in Global Surgery on Perceptions and Career Plans Among U.S. Medical Students.

First-year Class Instills Confidence in Nontechnical Skills for Collegiate Success

Universities are encouraging academic units to offer introductory courses that include content to help new students adapt and adjust to college life, deal with stress, and plan for future careers. Few studies have identified the level of confidence that students have in these skills when they matriculate or after completing such courses. For 3 years, first-year plant science majors were surveyed at the beginning and end of their first semester at Cornell to determine whether a class focused on improving skills for success (PLSCI 1101: Pathways to Success in Plant Sciences) resulted in enhanced confidence. Skills and practices deemed important for success and targeted in class included study habits, constructing a resume, interviewing effectively, developing cultural humility, discovering one’s identity, managing mental health, approaching faculty, exploring graduate school, and learning about plant science careers. Assessing these skills with standard fact-based testing methods is not effective, so we assessed change in confidence during the semester, allowing students to self-assess their own learning. We also were able to examine differences in responses based on gender and matriculation status (freshmen admits vs. transfers) and found that differences were minor across years. The course was most effective at enhancing confidence in knowing about graduate school, learning about faculty interests, writing a resume, and learning about career options. Students entering the class already had a high level of confidence in their ability to manage stress, interview well, talk with faculty, ask questions in class, and study. However, confidence always improved by every measure from the beginning to the end of the semester, and many of these changes were statistically significant. This class succeeded in building confidence in specific skills and practices necessary for a successful college career and future employment.

Manifestations of research ethics and integrity leadership in national surveys – cases of Estonia, Finland, Norway, France and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Background A systems approach encourages the consideration of the national dimension of research integrity. National surveys provide a picture of a wider research community overarching research institutions. Material We investigated how research ethics and integrity leadership (REI) is manifested in national surveys by conducting a cross-case meta-synthesis of national surveys of Finland, Estonia, Norway, France and the Netherlands using deductive thematic analysis. The REI leadership competence framework involves four central principles: “people’s needs,” “developing the community,” “leaders” personal competencies,’ and “open culture.” Results The principle “researchers” needs’ seemed to be related to the support in the working environment, socializing for values and principles, leaders taking responsibility and the need for understanding for career planning, common practices and managing pressure. “Community development” was characterized through REI infrastructure, like guidelines and training, even though participation in training varied substantially across the countries. The principle “leaders” competencies’ indicated that leaders should be role-models especially in acting appropriately when allegations of misconduct arise. “Open culture” was displayed through trust and courage to talk about ethics including whistleblowing. Conclusions Results indicated that observed misconduct was often not reported because of fear of retaliation, missing instructions or seeing no point in reporting. We provide recommendations for the development of REI leadership.

실과 교과의 산업과 직업 및 진로 중심의 교재형 콘텐츠 개발

This study aims to develop textbook-style content focused on industry, careers, and career exploration for the elementary school Practical Arts curriculum. This curriculum plays a crucial role in helping students understand the evolving industrial landscape and the world of work, equipping them with foundational competencies for the future. To this end, the study supplements the existing curriculum with content that reflects modern societal and future industrial demands, thereby offering students career exploration experiences. The research process involved analyzing the Practical Arts curriculum and selecting learning topics based on the characteristics of local industries in the preparation phase. During the development phase, experiential, hands-on learning activities were designed to facilitate career exploration. The evaluation and improvement phase involved refining the developed content through expert validity reviews. The textbook-style content is structured into 40 sessions, covering areas such as understanding local industries and occupations, exploring sustainable future industries, integrating creativity and technology, career exploration and planning, and solving real-life problems with outcome sharing. This approach enables students to foster an understanding of local industries and the world of work, acquire real-life problem-solving skills, and cultivate creative thinking. Expert validity reviews positively evaluated the developed content for its alignment with learning objectives, the effectiveness of experiential activities, and the applicability of local industry and occupation examples. However, concerns were raised regarding mismatches between certain session content and learner levels, as well as the excessive amount of learning material. To address these concerns, the study highlighted the need to adjust learning difficulty, provide foundational resources, and strengthen the organic connections between learning contents. Furthermore, specifying evaluation criteria to better capture students' creativity and problem-solving processes was recommended, along with the importance of teacher training and implementation guides. Future research should focus on continuous content improvement and expand its applicability to enable students to experience learning outcomes in diverse environments.

Assessing Senior High School Students’ Awareness of Sustainable Development Goals in a Philippine STEM School

This study examines senior high school students’ awareness and integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within a Philippine STEM school context. Employing a quantitative descriptive design, the research used a structured survey to assess students’ self-reported SDG knowledge, information sources, subject penetration, and the impacts on personal lives and career planning, culminating in the development of an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) model. Findings reveal that formal education is the predominant source of SDG awareness, yet students show limited understanding of the SDGs’ temporal and geographic scopes. While subjects such as STEM Research, Social Science, Science Elective, and Science Core exhibit robust SDG integration, disciplines like Mathematics demonstrate significant gaps. Furthermore, path analysis indicates that both self-reported knowledge and information channels play a crucial role in shaping learning outcomes, personal engagement, and future career choices – results that underpin the development of a comprehensive Education for Sustainable Development model. These outcomes advocate for the adoption of innovative, cross-curricular pedagogical strategies, and enhanced career guidance programs to more effectively align sustainability education with national strategic frameworks and prepare students for sustainability-driven professional pathways.

Coping with career uncertainty: A qualitative study on work readiness of recent health graduates

This study aimed to understand recent graduates’ experiences of finding relevant work and perceptions of work readiness. Semi-structured interviews with 15 recent graduates from non-clinical health degree programs were conducted. Interviews, analysed thematically, explored work readiness definitions and skills and attributes, contribution and deficiencies of their courses to employability, and suggestions for improving the curriculum. Three major themes were identified: (1) career planning and decision making; (2) the process of finding a job; (3) bridging the gap from university to the workplace. Focusing on navigating the career uncertainty of broad degree programs, gaining and translating skills and experience, making the most of opportunities and maintaining a good attitude throughout were identified as possible avenues to support preparation for the health workforce. In practice, enhancing the information available regarding career options from non-clinical health degrees, through graduate tracking, and bolstering student capacity to handle uncertainty through authentic learning experiences is recommended.

Intrapreneurial self-capital and career self-management: A moderated-mediation model of career optimism and protean career orientation

This study examines the impact of intrapreneurial self-capital (ISC) on career self-management (CSM) via career optimism, moderated by protean career orientation (PCO), theoretically originated from the social cognitive model of career self-management (SCM-CSM) (Lent & Brown (2013) and career construction theory (Savickas, 2013). It contributes to the literature in testing a self-sustainable career model applicable to MBA students that can aid in their career planning and management. Using a cross-sectional design, data obtained from 516 final-year MBA students suggest a positive relationship between intrapreneurial self-capital (ISC) and career self-management (CSM), intrapreneurial self-capital (ISC) and career optimism, career optimism, and career self-management (CSM). A partially mediated relationship between intrapreneurial self-capital (ISC), career optimism, and career self-management (CSM) was found to be stronger for participants having higher protean career orientation (PCO). Practical implications and directions for future research have also been discussed in this study.

Survey on Career Planning Awareness and Readiness Among Freshman Medical Students in the Context of Digital Medicine

Objective: To understand the current situation of career planning awareness and readiness of freshman medical students with a background in digital medicine, and to provide references for optimizing the medical education system and career guidance. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on freshman medical students at a university in Yunnan Province using questionnaire survey. Results: A total of 272 questionnaires were distributed and 264 valid questionnaires were returned, yielding an effective response rate of 97.10%. The average score of digital medical awareness of freshman medical students was (70.50 ± 8.81), and 63.63% of the students had a high awareness (score ≧ 70); The average score of career planning awareness and readiness of freshman medical students was (91.76 ± 14.87), and 60.63% of students had high awareness and readiness (score ≧ 90). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the total score of digital medical awareness was positively correlated with the total score of career planning awareness and readiness (r = 0.13, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Freshman medical students’ career planning awareness and readiness are generally good, but their practical application of digital medical-related skills still needs improvement. It is suggested that schools strengthen the integration of interdisciplinary curriculum, introduce digital vocational training modules, and formulate differentiated guidance strategies for different majors to enhance students’ professional competitiveness in the digital medical era.

174 Career Mentorship in Clinical Research Pathways in Medicine: UCLA Mentorship and Advocacy in Teaching Clinical Health-Related Research (MATCH) Program

Objectives/Goals: To assess the impact of the MATCH Program on mentees and mentors over the years, we have surveyed both groups on the effectiveness of the mentorship process, how the MATCH program influenced mentees’ future career plans, and their ongoing interest in clinical research. Methods/Study Population: To evaluate impact on mentees and mentors in the most recent cycle, we fielded two program evaluation surveys, for mentors and mentees. The surveys were distributed and collected using Qualtrics in May 2024. The mentee survey collected data on relationship with mentors, quality of mentorship, future career/education plans, and self-assessment of the program impact. The mentor survey collected data on relationship with mentees, mentees’ engagement, and a self-assessment of the program impact. Qualitative analysis was conducted to determine key themes expressed by participants. The responses were compared to assess the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship from both parties. Results/Anticipated Results: Respondents included 15/20 (75%) mentees and 15/20 (75%) mentors. All mentees (100%) and mentors (100%) stated they would like to continue their relationship outside of the program. The majority of mentees 13/15 (87%) and mentors 13/25 (87%) also viewed their mentee/mentor relationship to be excellent or good. Most mentors 10/15 (67%) stated it was their first time serving as a mentor for the program. Mentees also found their experience in the program very beneficial with 6/15 (40%) stating that MATCH changed their career plans. In addition, most mentees 14/15 (93%) indicated that they are community college or four-year college/university bound. Most mentees 11/15 (73%) indicated an interest in pursuing a health or medical career. Also, 10/15 (67%) mentees stated an interest in pursuing a career in research. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Both mentees and mentors have benefited from the program’s daisy chain mentoring and the program has helped facilitate a potential lifelong mentorship between mentees and mentors. The program also demonstrates promise of developing a pre-health pathway for historically underrepresented students in STEM.

Research on Enhancing Employment Core Competitiveness of University Students

The employment issue of university students has always been a matter of great social concern. In the new era, university students face a complex and ever-changing job market. Only by enhancing their core competitiveness in employment can they stand out in the fiercely competitive job market. Based on an analysis of the connotations of college students core competitiveness in employment, this article identifies issues such as outdated career selection concepts, vague career planning, and insufficient professional competence during the process of improving core competitiveness. It proposes suggestions including establishing the concept of "employment-oriented ideological and political education," conducting specialized career planning education, optimizing talent cultivation models, and building a multi-party collaborative talent nurturing mechanism.

The UK paediatric ophthalmology workforce crisis - a national perspective.

The significant and pressing workforce issues facing paediatric ophthalmology were highlighted by the 2022 RCOphth census. Here we present a national UK survey with the aim of deepening the understanding of the size and contributing factors, and inform future strategies. In September 2023 an online questionnaire survey link was sent to U.K. based ophthalmologists. Questions were tailored to separate groups; ophthalmologists in training (OST registrars), ophthalmologists in training (fellows), paediatric ophthalmology consultants, or SAS (specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors). OST registrars were questioned on quality of teaching, experience, dissuading factors from pursuing paediatric ophthalmology and career plans. Fellows were questioned on career plans. Paediatric ophthalmology consultants and SAS doctors were questioned workforce issues and solutions to recruitment. 145 responses: 53.8% (78/145) OST registrars, 7.6% (11/145) fellows, 37.9% (55/145) consultants and 0.7% (1/145) SAS doctors. 87% (67/77) of OST registrars did not want a career in paediatric ophthalmology, citing complexity of strabismus and discomfort with examining children as dissuading factors. 59.6% of consultants reported one or more departmental paediatric ophthalmology vacancies, and identified early sub-specialty exposure and increased emphasis on teaching as solutions to recruitment. SAS doctors reported a desire for career development support. We present a national survey exploring the workforce issues facing paediatric ophthalmology in the UK. Our results suggest the situation is set to worsen in the short term. Potential solutions are early sub-specialty exposure and increased emphasis on paediatric ophthalmology teaching during training.

Barriers to early career development for Chinese nurses with master's degrees: A qualitative study.

Barriers to early career development for Chinese nurses with master's degrees: A qualitative study.

기계학습 모델 기반 전국 대학생 자퇴의향 예측 탐색 연구: 2019-2023 KEDI NASEL 데이터 활용

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop a machine learning-based model that predicts the intention to withdraw of university students nationwide using NASEL integrated data from 2019 to 2023 from the Korea Education Development Institute and to explore important predictors. Methods The research model consisted of 55 independent variables and three classes of dependent variables (‘no intention to withdraw’, ‘non-academic intention to withdraw’, and ‘academic intention to withdraw’. In addition, undersampling and oversampling were applied to solve the class imbalance problem, and a total of 16,620 samples were analyzed. The predictive performance of each model was compared and analyzed using various machine learning algorithms (random forest, decision tree, logistic regression, XGB, LGBM, ensemble model, etc.). Results When comparing the model performance, Random Forest, Ensemble, and LGBM had the highest prediction accuracy. In contrast, decision trees and logistic regression models performed relatively poorly. In particular, college satisfaction, career plans after graduation, number of semesters enrolled, interaction with peers and professors, active learning, collaborative learning, and thinking activities were identified as important predictors of withdrawal intentions in the top three models. Conclusions We found that a model that distinguishes between academic and non-academic withdraw intentions can contribute to tailored interventions to prevent withdraw.

Constructing Meaningful Careers for All: Building an Evidence-Informed Conceptual Framework for Faculty Development on a Foundation of Fulfillment.

Faculty development programs are an important part of career building and professional fulfillment for health professionals. A framework that addresses the centrality of fulfillment at work for diverse medical careers is lacking, yet necessary, for faculty development programs to have a comprehensive positive impact. A conceptual framework for faculty development to support meaningful careers for all individuals was, therefore, constructed through an exploration of the literature on professional fulfillment, career planning, and development across career paths, stages, and identity groups, as well as forms of professional career support such as mentoring. An exploration of fulfillment revealed the role of meaningful work as both anchor and guide for the framework. The key elements of the framework that emerged included an individualized career planning process, curricula to address both cross-cutting competencies and specific career path needs, a robust and multidirectional career support community, and a process of career construction continuing over a professional lifespan. This faculty development framework that aims to construct meaningful careers is of value to institutions that are committed to professional fulfillment for faculty in all career paths and stages and can be adapted to health care providers in different settings.

Integrating neural network and multimedia technologies to enhance college students’ career development

Combining neural network technologies and computational techniques, this research establishes a career development promotion system based on a multi-modal neural network. It reveals that computer simulation technology and multimedia have positive intervention effects on college students’ career decision-making behaviors, similar to how biomolecular interactions regulate biological processes. This technology ensures scientific rigor, objectivity, and authenticity. A knowledge fusion algorithm, built on attributes and rules within the Hadoop platform and MapReduce parallel computing framework, facilitates effective data integration. Additionally, inspired by the regulatory mechanisms in biomolecular systems, a neural network-based algorithm, utilizing gradient descent, is applied to cultural learning, augmented by feedback analysis to assess students’ psychological changes, posture, and response dynamics during the learning process. To further optimize the career development framework, an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) is used to enhance the performance of neural networks. Numerical simulations demonstrate the robustness of the proposed algorithm, achieving high accuracy (0.981), recall rate (1.0), and F-measure (0.997) in similarity computations. These results are particularly notable when biomechanic metrics, such as gesture and posture tracking, are integrated with linguistic data, such as spelling and vocabulary. The findings underscore that incorporating neural network insights into multimedia teaching methodologies can significantly enhance psychological motivation, behavioral adaptability, and engagement in college students, fostering improved educational outcomes and advancing interdisciplinary innovation in neural networks. It effectively enhances the internal driving force of “technology empowering psychological development” in the career planning system and provides a cognitive computing and biomechanic perspective for the construction of the smart education ecosystem.

Lived Experiences of Teachers During Their Career Transitions from Beginning Teachers to Highly Proficient Teachers

Abstract Aim: This study explored the lived experiences of teachers transitioning from beginning teachers to highly proficient teachers. Understanding the difficulties, self-perceptions, support networks, coping mechanisms, and achievements teachers experienced during their professional development was its main goal. Methodology: A qualitative, phenomenological approach was employed to capture the subjective experiences of educators. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight master teachers from the National Capital Region and DepEd Region III, selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in their career progression. Results: Findings revealed that teachers encountered significant challenges, including curriculum adaptation, inappropriate teaching assignments, financial constraints, and emotional struggles. Despite initial self-doubt and professional insecurity, they gradually developed confidence, resilience, and leadership qualities. Mentorship, institutional support, collegial collaboration, and professional development played crucial roles in their career advancement. Teachers employed strategies such as problem-solving, career planning, continuous learning, and work-life balance to navigate their transition. Their success was marked by academic and research excellence, leadership roles, recognition, and financial stability. Conclusion: The study concluded that structured institutional support, mentorship programs, and professional development opportunities are vital in ensuring a smoother transition for teachers. Recommendations included enhancing the Teacher Induction Program, strengthening mentorship initiatives, integrating growth mindset training, expanding professional learning communities, and implementing structured career pathways. Keywords: Teacher Career Transition, Professional Development, Mentorship, Teacher Well-being, Leadership Development, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Doctor of Education Management

Perceptions Toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) Among Animal Science Students in Chinese Agricultural Institutions—From Perspectives of Curriculum Learning, Career Planning, Social Responsibility, and Creativity

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to advance and iterate, various industries have undergone intelligent reformation. China’s animal husbandry industry, given its importance for people’s livelihoods, is no exception to this transformation. Using AI technology in this field is becoming increasingly common since it not only improves production efficiency but also revolutionizes traditional business models. Animal science is a fundamental discipline that drives the progress of animal husbandry by studying the growth, breeding, nutritional needs, and feeding management of livestock and poultry. This discipline also explores advanced veterinary theories and technologies for epidemic prevention and control. The ultimate objective of this discipline is to ensure the production of high-quality and sufficient animal products to fulfill the demands of both production and daily life. It is predicted that the deep integration of AI technology into animal science will bring unprecedented opportunities to the animal husbandry industry. This study aims to explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on students’ learning experiences and future educational directions. By situating the research within the context of current developments in educational technology, we hope to provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers and employ a questionnaire survey to explore the perceptions and attitudes of students majoring in animal science from various agricultural institutions in China toward this integration. The results of the study provide valuable and practical references for the cultivation and development of artificial intelligence talent in China’s livestock industry.