College Students’ Career Management Competencies:Structure,Characteristics,Influencing Factors And The Roles

Career management competencies are the individual’s competency to manage and regulate life,learning and working behaviors related to career goals throughout one’s life in order to achieve career goals in different stages,which is regarded as key competencies to gain individual career success.College students are in the critical period of career exploration and career competency development.The cultivation and development of career management competency is of great theoretical and practical significance to help college students improve their employability and even achieve future career success.In this study,we used qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the structure,characteristics,influencing factors and the roles of career management competencies in college students.There are five sub-studies:Study 1: Structural exploration of college students’ career management competencies and questionnaire preparation.Based on the theoretical structure model of "self-management and career construction" proposed by Bridgstock,224 university students were investigated with open questionnaire,and the data was coded and sorted through content analysis to form the initial questionnaire for 80 items.Then to revise and test reliability and validity of the questionnaire,collected the data of four samples including 1630 college students.Through item analysis,exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis and other methods of questionnaire revised and inspection,finally formed a formal questionnaire including eight dimensions,55 items.Study 2: A study on the characteristics of college students’ career management competencies.Using college students’ career management competency questionnaire in study 1 as the tool,2556 college students from seven universities in Gansu province were investigated in order to explore the status quo of career management competencies,and analyze the difference of college students’ career management competencies on demographic variables including gender,grade,students,professional category,whether or not the one-child,to participate in the practice time,frequencies of career conversation with their parents.Study 3: Qualitative research on influencing factors of college students’ career management competencies.Based on the investigation on the status quo of college students’ career management competencies in study 2,28 college students with high-level career management competencies were selected as the research subjects,and the semi-structured interview method was used to systematically explore the influencing factors of college students’ career management competencies.The three-level coding methods including open coding,spindle coding and selective coding proposed in the grounded theory were used to sort out and analyze the interview data,and finally the model of influencing factors of college students’ career management competency was formed.Study 4: Empirical research on the factors affecting college students’ career management competencies.Based on the literature review and the interview study of study 3,it was proposed that career social support and career self-efficacy were both important factors affecting college students’ career management competencies,and there was a certain potential relationship among them.Using career social support scale,career decision-making self-efficacy scale and formal college students’ career management competencies questionnaire with good index of the reliability and validity,a convenience sample data of 577 college students were collected to explore the predict effect of career social support and career decision-making self-efficacy on college students’ career management competencies,and test the mediate effect of career decision-making self-efficacy between career social support and career management competencies.Study 5: Study on the role of college students’ career management competencies.It was proposed that the provision of career support and the improvement of career management competencies could reduce college students’ career choice anxiety and improve their life satisfaction,Meanwhile,the relationship between career choice anxiety and life satisfaction was also affected by college students’ career management competencies.This study was divided into two parts including study A and B: Study A explored the predict effect of career social support and career management competencies on college students’ career choice anxiety,and verified the mediating role of career management competencies between career social support and career choice anxiety by using the career social support scale,career choice anxiety questionnaire and formal college students’ career management competencies questionnaire,a convenience sample of 466 college students involved this study;Study B adopted the career choice anxiety questionnaire,career management competencies questionnaire and life satisfaction questionnaire,taking 753 college students as samples,to investigate the predictive effect of career choice anxiety and career management competencies on college students’ life satisfaction,and to test whether career management competencies played a moderate role between career choice anxiety and life satisfaction.Based on above studies,the following conclusions were drawn:(1)The structure of career management competency of college students consisted of eight first-order factors and two second-order factors.The first-order factors include self-cognitive competency,self-control competency,career interpersonal skills,time management competency,focus on development competency,career exploration competency,career decision-making competency and career planning competency.The second-order factors include self-management and career construction.It was a multi-dimensional structure.The self-developed career management competency questionnaire of college students compiled had good reliability and validity,meeted the standards of psychometrics and could be used as a tool to evaluate career management competency of college students in China.(2)The development level of career management competency of college students in our country was above average,but the development was not balanced,in which the score of career decision-making competency is the highest and the score of career planning competency is the lowest.There were significant differences on career management competencies of college students on gender,grade,origin,specialty,frequency of communication with parents,whether or not only child,time to participate in work practice.(3)The main factors affecting the development of college students’ career management competencies included personal background,individual psychological characteristics,career social support and social practice.Among them,personal background and individual psychological characteristics were internal factors,while career social support and social practice were external factors,both of which had a common impact on college students’ career management competencies.Among the specific influencing factors,family background,parent support,teacher support,peer support,career self-efficacy,extracurricular practice,personality and personal competencies were the important factors that affected the career management competencies of college students.(4)Career decision-making self-efficacy and career social support had significant predictive effect on career management competencies of college student.Parental support,teacher support and emotional support of career social support scale had significant positive predictive effect on career management competencies.Self-evaluation,information collection and planning of career decision-making self-efficacy scale had significant positive predictive effect on career management competencies.Career decision-making self-efficacy played a complete mediate role in the relationship between career social support and career management competencies.(5)Self cognition competency and interpersonal competency in college students’ career management competencies had a significant negative predictive effect on college students’ career choice anxiety.Parental support and information support in career social support had a significant negative predictive effect on career choice anxiety.Career management competencies played a partial mediate role between career social support and career choice anxiety.(6)The competencies focus on development,career interpersonal,career decision-making and self-control in college students’ career management competencies had a significant positive predictive effect on life satisfaction.Career management competencies had a negative moderate effect on the relationship between career choice anxiety and life satisfaction.The inhibitory effect of career choice anxiety on life satisfaction was more obvious in the low level career management competencies group than in the high level group.