Social Cognitive Career Theory Research Articles

Gender Perspectives on Role Models: Insights from STEM Students and Professionals

AbstractQualified professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education are in increasingly short supply globally. Role models can help increase women’s representation in STEM, both at entry and senior levels. The study objectives were to identify the characteristics of role models in STEM higher education and careers and to investigate the differences in role model characteristics between career stages and between genders. We used a mixed-methods methodology involving a questionnaire and interviews. The participants, 788 alumni and final-year undergraduate and graduate students from a STEM research university, responded to the questionnaire, and ten leading women in STEM professions were interviewed. The questionnaire results indicated that a higher proportion of women than men reported being influenced by a role model during their studies. Seven key characteristics of role models were identified from the open-ended responses and the interviews: ambitious, charismatic, empathic and encouraging, inspiring, knowledgeable, gifted, and professional. The most frequent characteristics women mentioned were empathic and encouraging. The research findings support and align with the social cognitive career theory (SCCT), demonstrating how role modeling, which is part of the environmental theme, boosts intrinsic motivation—part of the personal theme, for individuals in STEM, especially women. These processes impact women’s determination and professional performance—part of the behavioral theme. Based on our findings, to advance toward a STEM workforce characterized by greater fairness, we recommend designing and deploying structured mentoring programs and forums in STEM departments that can provide young women with more role models for success and thus with more hope for success in these fields.

The dynamics of employability capitals for the transition to work: career identity, cultural capital, job interview self-efficacy and self-perceived employability

Purpose This study aims to understand how employability capitals’ dynamics foster self-perceived employability (SPE) among students and graduates, which is still being empirically explored. Building upon the Employability Capital Growth Model and the Social Cognitive Career Theory’s career self-management model, we aimed to understand how different capitals associate by testing a serial mediation model connecting career identity (reflecting career identity capital) and SPE through the serial mediation of cultural capital and job interview self-efficacy (ISE) (an element of psychological capital).Design/methodology/approach We adopted a two-wave design involving 227 Italian University students and graduates. We recruited participants through multi-channel communication. The hypothesised relationships were analysed employing the structural equation modelling approach with the SPSS AMOS statistical package.Findings The results indicated that career identity, cultural capital, ISE and SPE are meaningfully related. In particular, in line with our expectations, we observed that career identity predicts cultural capital, which is positively associated with ISE which, ultimately, impacts SPE.Originality/value Our work adds to existing research by advancing the understanding of employability capitals, explaining how they interact and influence SPE, which is crucial for a sustainable transition into the workforce. At a practical level, our findings call upon, and guide, efforts from various stakeholders in the graduate career ecosystem (i.e. universities and their partners) to offer students and graduates meaningful experiences to form and use their employability capitals.

Effect of proactive personality on career adaptability of higher vocational college students: the mediating role of college experience

For higher vocational students, the college stage is an important period in their career development, and the college experience plays an important role in the relationship between their proactive personality and career adaptability, which in turn has a significant impact on their future career development. From the perspective of social cognitive career theory and taking 476 vocational students as samples, this paper explores the mediating role of college experience between proactive personality and career adaptability of vocational college students. The college experience scale is revised for higher vocational students, and it is verified to have good reliability and validity. SPSS and Amos were used to conduct correlation analysis，and the PROCESS macro was used for mediating effect analysis. The results show that the college experience of vocational students plays a partial mediating role in the effect of proactive personality on career adaptability. This work innovatively uses social cognitive career theory to explore the role of college experience in the relationship between proactive personality and career adaptability among vocational students. The theoretical models are established and empirical verification is conducted, confirming that higher vocational students’ college experience can affect their career adaptability. These results provide empirical evidence for vocational colleges to improve the career guidance of college students, and intervention measures are proposed to enhance students’ career adaptability during school years, thus promoting their sustainable development.

Testing a social cognitive model of career self‐management with Turkish undergraduate students

AbstractThis study investigated the direct and indirect associations between social–emotional learning (SEL) skills, career decision self‐efficacy (CDSE), vocational outcome expectations (VOE), and career engagement (CE) within social cognitive career theory (SCCT) in a sample of Turkish university students. Junior and senior students (N = 460) completed the Social–Emotional Learning Scale‐Young Adult Form, the Career Decision Self‐Efficacy Scale‐Short Form, the Vocational Outcome Expectations Scale, the Career Engagement Scale, and the Demographic Information Form. Data was collected during COVID‐19 lockdowns in 2021. The results of a multiple serial mediation model indicated that higher SEL skills were related to higher CDSE and VOE, and, in turn, to CE. Overall, the results show that SCCT provides a promising framework for identifying predictors of CE, self‐directed career management behavior, in young adults during the transition from school to work. These findings have implications for theory, research, and practice by identifying potential influences on CE during COVID‐19.

Gender Dynamics in STEM Fields: Women's Experiences in Different Cultural Contexts

Purpose: The general aim of this study was to explore gender dynamics in STEM fields particularly, women’s experiences in different cultural contexts. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the gender dynamics in STEM fields. Through a comparative analysis across diverse cultural settings, significant variations in women's experiences in STEM were revealed, with some societies demonstrating greater gender equity and support for women. However, persistent disparities and challenges related to cultural norms and gender roles were observed in others. The research underscored the intersectional nature of gender dynamics in STEM, emphasizing the interconnectedness of gender with other dimensions of identity such as race and ethnicity. Additionally, cultural stereotypes and societal expectations were identified as significant barriers to women's participation and advancement in STEM fields. The findings underscored the importance of context-specific approaches to promoting gender equity in STEM and highlighted the need for challenging stereotypes and fostering inclusive environments for women in STEM fields globally. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social Cognitive Career theory (SCCT), intersectionality theory and Cultural-Historical Activity theory (CHAT) may be used to anchor future studies on gender dynamics in STEM fields. The study provided valuable recommendations with significant implications for theory, practice, and policy. It contributed to theoretical advancements by highlighting the intersectional nature of gender dynamics in STEM, offering practical recommendations for stakeholders in education and workforce development, and suggesting policy interventions aimed at promoting gender equity in STEM fields. The study emphasized the importance of organizational change, global collaboration, and continuous evaluation and improvement in advancing gender equity in STEM. By implementing these recommendations, stakeholders could work towards creating more equitable and inclusive environments where women could thrive and contribute meaningfully to STEM fields worldwide.

Perceived parental career expectation and adolescent career development: The mediating role of adolescent career-planning and goal-setting self-efficacy and the moderating role of perceived parent-adolescent career congruence.

The underlying mechanisms (i.e., linking and conditioning mechanisms) in the association between perceived parental career expectation and adolescents' career development remain understudied. Under the guidance of the social cognitive career theory, this study used three-wave longitudinal data from 3,196 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.55 years old, SD = .44; 52.8% girls at Wave 1) to fill such gaps. Results indicate conditional indirect effects. Specifically, the indirect association of perceived parental career expectation with adolescents' career adaptability and ambivalence via adolescents' career-planning and goal-setting self-efficacy was stronger when perceived parent-adolescent career congruence was higher than that when perceived parent-adolescent career congruence was lower. Such effects were identified even after various career-related parenting practices were controlled for. Implications for theory, future research and interventions were also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

On your marks, get set, go! Jumping the hurdles of employability development at an early career stage

This study draws on contributions from Social Cognitive Career Theory and Conservation of Resources theory to investigate how configurations of career barriers associated with gender and ethnicity influence the development of perceived employability. Our study with graduates surveyed before and two years after completing their degrees, shows that groups of graduates perceiving higher career barriers experience a significant decline in perceived employability during the early stage of their careers. In contrast, those perceiving fewer career hurdles report a more stable employability trajectory and have higher perceived employability two years after graduating. Our study contributes to the literature by showing that perceived employability does not necessarily increase with labor market experience but can instead remain stable or even decline depending on perceived career hindrances.

"Connecting the Dots” for Recruiting Secondary Science Teachers in Urban Schools: An Exploration of Career Choice for Undergraduate Science Majors

AbstractDespite critical shortages of secondary science teachers in urban schools, relatively little research has focused on the recruitment of undergraduate science majors to teach in urban contexts. This study utilized a retrospective narrative inquiry methodology to explore the career pathways of 14 undergraduate science majors into secondary science teaching. The primary data source was interviews that were conducted at the beginning of an urban teacher education program. Interviews were analyzed through the framework of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to identify the characteristics, beliefs, and experiences that featured prominently in their narrativizations of their career pathway into urban science education. Findings highlight a non-linear process of career choice characterized by three themes: rejecting traditional science careers, reevaluating their interests and skills for teaching, and prioritizing socially oriented career goals. Implications for enhancing the recruitment of undergraduate science majors into urban science teaching include transforming undergraduate science majors to value teaching careers and taking a more community-based approach to science teacher recruitment.

Physician educators' perceptions of experiences contributing to teaching.

Physician educators are essential in training the next generation of physicians. However, physician educators' perspectives about what experiences they find beneficial to their teaching and the prevalence of these experiences remain unknown. Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and communities of practice (CoP), we explored what experiences physician educators perceive as beneficial in preparing them to teach. In 2019, the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in the United States surveyed its physician alumni to understand their education experiences during medical school, their current career path and what has contributed to their teaching role. Content analysis was applied to extract themes across the text response. Chi-square analysis was applied to examine if perceived contributing factors vary based on physician educators' gender, specialty and academic ranks. The five most prevalent contributing factors participants (n = 781) identified are (1) experiences gained during residency and fellowship (29.8%), (2) teaching as faculty member (28.9%) and (3) class experiences and peer interaction during medical school (26%). We organised three themes that reflected major avenues of how physician educators acquire teaching skills: reflection about quality teaching, journey as learners and learning by doing. Gender and clinical specialty were differentially associated with contributing factors such as faculty development and meta-reflection. The results are in line with theories of SCCT and CoP, in which we identified self-directed learning and regulation in shaping physician educators' teaching. The findings also revealed gaps and potential contexts for more formalised teaching practices to develop physician educators.

Women’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Persistence After University Graduation: Insights From Kazakhstan

Women’s persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been widely researched in educational settings, whereas less is known about their STEM persistence after graduation. Drawing on social cognitive career theory and in-depth semi-structured interviews with twenty women graduates majoring in STEM fields, this article explores women’s persistence in STEM fields in Kazakhstan within four years after university graduation. The findings of the study are mapped around four themes—STEM self-efficacy beliefs, STEM career outcome expectations, organizational factors, and socio-structural factors—that are found important in shaping STEM women’s post-graduation career choices. The study also reveals factors accounting for disparities in women’s STEM persistence across different STEM fields. Implications highlight the need for more work at organizational and socio-structural levels to develop favorable conditions motivating and enabling women to persist in STEM careers within a patriarchal context.

Awareness of Women's Inclusion in STEM: Twitter Data in Italy

This paper focuses on assessing public awareness of women in STEM disciplines. The underrepresentation of women in STEM has garnered recent attention, and this study is grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, which examines how individual, contextual, and experiential factors impact interests and goals in STEM. Individual factors, such as self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations, play a crucial role in shaping career choices. Contextual factors influence women's leadership roles, particularly in male-dominated environments, and may differ in female-majority settings. Additionally, social modelling, where individuals learn from observing others, contributes to self-efficacy. Our study focuses on contextual factors that influence awareness of women in STEM. We employ a panel-type econometric model spanning 2014-2022 and analyse 29,985 tweets to explore the influence of socioeconomic factors on public opinions in various Italian regions. Italy's significant regional disparities make it an ideal setting for this research, considering factors like human capital, industry, and government. The managerial implications underscore the importance of understanding public opinion to inform decisions that promote women's inclusion in STEM fields for policymakers and corporate management. This study's unique use of geolocated data on Twitter adds a novel dimension to the intersection of STEM and women.

Exploring Primary School Pupils’ Career Aspirations in Ibadan, Nigeria: A Qualitative Approach

Aspiration constitutes a significant social construct, encapsulating the forward-looking mental framework of an individual. Adapting the Social Cognitive Career Theory, this research aimed to delineate the factors influencing the career aspirations of primary school students in their final and penultimate years in Ibadan. Data were amassed via unstructured yet in-depth interviews with 48 pupils, who were chosen using a multi-stage sampling method from two distinct local government areas within Ibadan. Subsequent to collection, the data underwent transcription, coding, and thematic analysis. The study highlighted the prevalence of gender-stereotyped career choices. The research identified that environmental factors exert varying degrees of influence on the pupils' career aspirations, whereas perceived academic capabilities play a pivotal role in shaping these aspirations. Based on these findings, it is recommended to incorporate comprehensive career guidance and development programs within the primary education curriculum in Ibadan.

Psychological empowerment an antecedent to career satisfaction: modeling affective commitment as a mediator and resilience as a moderator

PurposeThe study, grounded on the social cognitive career theory, seeks to analyze the upshot of psychological empowerment on career satisfaction via affective commitment. The study also aims to examine the impact of the interplay among affective commitment and resilience on the career satisfaction of Indian service industry professionals.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the data has been collected from 277 employees using standardized measures from the North Indian service industry. To test the proposed model, Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) (Hayes, 2013) was utilized.FindingsThe outcomes of the study offered substantial support for the theorized link between psychological empowerment, affective commitment, resilience and career satisfaction. The outcomes confirmed an affirmative association concerning psychological empowerment and career satisfaction through affective commitment as a mediator and resilience as a moderator. The study concludes that the workforce with extraordinary resilience will perceive a stronger influence of psychological empowerment on career satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe study offers a few pertinent inputs for the organizations operating in high-power distance culture to comprehend the role of psychological empowerment and “resilient attributes” of personality in developing a sense of career satisfaction amongst Indian service sector employees.Originality/valueThe present research examines the association between psychological empowerment, affective commitment, resilience and career satisfaction for the first time as mediated moderation model and the same has neither been examined theoretically or empirically.

An investigation into accounting and business students’ employability beliefs

ABSTRACT The accounting profession is challenged by professional shortages, declining university enrolments, and uncertainty about the profile of future accountants regarding technological advancements. It is thus timely to investigate the employability beliefs of accounting students in higher education throughout Australia. This study employed a multi-factor self-assessment of perceived employability (PE) grounded in social cognitive career theory to investigate the PE of accounting students (n = 3116) relative to other business students (n = 4973), and across degree progression. Compared with their business peers, accounting students reported greater program awareness, but their perceived communication skills, emotional intelligence, and ethical and responsible behaviour were lower than their business peers. Accounting students became more likely to reconsider their choice of program as they progressed, with accounting students in their third year or later less confident in terms of self-awareness, program awareness, the perceived relevance of their program, and their perceived ethical and responsible behaviour. The discipline-specific comparisons extend previous research and indicate that employability initiatives should be embedded early in accounting curricula to enhance students’ PE, career understanding, and related skillsets. The potential to enhance accounting students’ PE, and thus improve academic achievement, persistence, and employment outcomes is relevant to educators, curriculum managers and accreditation bodies.

THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY IN PREDICTING THE ANTECEDENTS OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION

This study analyzes the influence of self-efficacy, role models, and attitudes toward social entrepreneurship on social entrepreneurial intention. It also examines the moderating role of role models in the relationship between self-efficacy and social entrepreneurial intention. This study uses a structural equation model to test five hypotheses. It relies on primary data collected through questionnaires distributed to 114 students from various Indonesian universities. These respondents, identified through convenience sampling, had all learned social entrepreneurship at their university. This study found that self-efficacy positively affects social entrepreneurial intention; role models also positively influence social entrepreneurial intention and attitude toward social entrepreneurship; and attitude toward social entrepreneurship positively impacts social entrepreneurial intention. Role models do not moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and social entrepreneurial intention. The originality of this research lies in its novel adaptation of social learning theory and social cognitive career theory to understand social entrepreneurial intention. As such, this study adds to the theoretical understanding of social entrepreneurial intention, which has been intensively studied using the theory of planned behavior.

Antecedents of digital entrepreneurial intention among engineering students

The study aims to investigate the factors shape digital entrepreneurial intention based on the application of the Social Cognitive Career theory. A sample of 345 engineering students and the structural equation modeling method are used to provides a better understanding of the factors (attitude toward digital entrepreneurship, digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy, digital entrepreneurial knowledge, and digital entrepreneurial education) that motivate engineering students to engage in digital entrepreneurship. The results indicate that attitude toward digital entrepreneurship significantly and positively impacts the digital entrepreneurship intention. Additionally, digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy plays a crucial role in fostering a positive attitude toward digital entrepreneurship. The study highlights the importance of digital entrepreneurial knowledge, which positively affects both self-efficacy and attitude toward digital entrepreneurship. The finding emphasizes the significance of digital entrepreneurial education in enhancing knowledge and digital entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The results are anticipated to offer both theoretical and practical insights into the factors encouraging digital entrepreneurial intentions.

Skill Development in Current and Future Workers to Thrive in the Digital Aquaculture Industry

The digitisation of the agriculture industry provides an opportune context for accelerating sustainable food production. Aquaculture is among the fastest-growing agriculture sectors and is well placed to help address food supply shortages, directly contributing to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 2. However, the sector currently has inadequate digital capability and enabling conditions to thrive. Social cognitive career theory asserts that career choices and persistence are directly influenced by a person’s thoughts, including their self-efficacy; therefore, the upskilling and reskilling of labour is required to build confidence in their digital capabilities and reduce turnover intentions. Consequently, this study sought to identify the key skills and needs for this workforce to transition to digitally driven ways of working. The results indicated that a range of skills and abilities that enable people to improve their digital capabilities were required. The findings are presented and discussed.

The Effect of Openness to Experience on Students’ Readiness for School-To-Work Transition

This study examines how and whether the constructs of openness to experience in the work placement learning setting (openness to learning in a new environment, openness to supervisor feedback, and openness to diversity) might influence students’ readiness for school-to-work transition. Also, it builds upon the assumptions of the social cognitive career theory – model of self-career management to examine the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the proposed relationships. Analysis of 543 responses from undergraduate students undertaking work placement learning in 221 Nigerian firms using the structural equation modelling revealed positive effects of the constructs of openness to experience on students’ readiness for school-to-work transition. Also, self-efficacy was a significant mediator in the positive relationships. Our findings make important theoretical and practical contributions by offering highlights into the crucial role of openness to experience in enhancing students’ readiness for school-to-work transition via self-efficacy in the work placement learning setting.

Vicarious learning and graduates' adaptive career behaviours: the case of graduates on clinical internships

PurposeThe effect of vicarious learning during clinical or medical internships on graduates' adaptive career behaviours has attracted scant attention from healthcare researchers, particularly, in the developing world context. Drawing upon the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management (SCCT-CSM), the current study examines how vicarious learning influences the clinical graduates' adaptive career behaviours (i.e. career exploration and decision-making) via career exploration and decision-making self-efficacy (CEDSE) and career intention.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 293 nursing graduates undertaking clinical internships in 25 hospitals across Nigeria who willingly participated in this study as they were also assured of confidentiality at two-waves. The proposed hypotheses were tested using a path analysis.FindingsThe findings showed that vicarious learning during clinical internship had a direct effect on career exploration, decision-making and career decision self-efficacy among graduate trainees. Also, the findings revealed that the effects of vicarious learning on the graduates' career exploration and career decision-making were significantly mediated by career decision self-efficacy and career intentions.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study have important practical implications for higher education institutions and industries that send and receive clinical graduates for clinical internships to gain more skills. More emphasis should be on encouraging learners to learn vicariously in addition to other forms of learning experiences available during clinical internships.Originality/valueThe study explains that the graduates' higher engagement in clinical career exploration and decision-making was based on a higher level of vicarious learning during internships. The results suggest that higher education institutions and healthcare service providers can derive greater benefits from more emphasis on promoting vicarious learning during clinical internships.

Story untold: A phenomenological study of the lived experiences impacting the career development of Black women in rehabilitation counselor education

AbstractThis transcendental phenomenological study described the lived experiences impacting career development among Black women in counselor education specializing in rehabilitation counseling. Womanism centralize their voices in this inquiry, while social cognitive career theory enabled more culturally informed interpretation of their experiences. The findings facilitate correct placement of this group into the literature on employment, career development, and counselor education, and can inform policy changes, curriculum, and interventions to promote diversity and equity in the field.