Examining the Indirect Effects of Self-Concept on Work Readiness Through Resilience and Career Calling
Abstract
The current study examined the relations among self-concept, career calling, resilience, and work readiness in a Malaysian sample of vocational college students (N = 674). As hypothesized, self-concept was positively associated with work readiness. To explain this relation further, we examined the indirect effect of self-concept through calling and resilience on work readiness. Using structural equation modeling, both career calling and resilience were found to be significant avenues through which self-concept influences work readiness. Results of the indirect effects also indicated that resilience was a stronger pathway compared to career calling. These results suggest that for vocational college students, a more crystallized self-concept may link to greater work readiness skills due, in part, to a heightened sense of resilience and clarity in one’s career calling.
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Biographies
Poh Li Lau, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the Counseling Program of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at University of Malaya, Malaysia. She received her PhD in counseling from University of Malaya. Her research interests are in career counseling, positive psychology, and multicultural counseling. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and playing the ukulele.
Kerrie G. Wilkins-Yel, PhD, is an assistant professor of counseling psychology in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Indiana University Bloomington. She received her PhD in counseling psychology from Arizona State University. Her research investigates the influential factors on academic and career development among underrepresented and cross-cultural groups. In her leisure, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Y. Joel Wong, PhD, is a professor in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology Programs as well as the interim chair of the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at Indiana University Bloomington. He received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests are in positive psychology, Asian American mental health, and the psychology of men and masculinities. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and sampling new cuisines.
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Article first published online: May 19, 2019
Issue published: October 2020
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