Student engagement in “becoming employable”: a comparative case study of master’s students from two universities in China

Abstract

This study explores how master’s students in China engage in employability building, examining the influence of family socioeconomic status (SES) and institutional type on their cognitive, affective and behavioral engagement dimensions. Adopting a comparative case study design, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with 37 master’s students from two distinct university contexts in China: a local public university (S University) and a Sino-British cooperative university (X University). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Students’ engagement in employability building manifests across cognitive (labor market intelligence, self-awareness, reflective career planning), affective (career identity, stress management, emotional resilience) and behavioral (career exploration, skill development, networking) dimensions. Higher-SES students and those at the internationalized university demonstrated stronger long-term career vision, greater self-confidence, strategic flexibility and cross-cultural adaptability. Conversely, lower-SES students and those at the local university prioritized immediate technical skill acquisition, exhibited greater reliance on external validation and adopted more instrumental, short-term approaches. Affective engagement, however, remained convergent across groups, with all students experiencing comparable job-seeking stress and anxiety in response to China’s competitive labor market. This study advances theoretical understanding by extending student engagement frameworks from academic settings to employability building, demonstrating how familial and institutional habitus intersect to shape engagement patterns. It provides empirical evidence that family SES and institutional internationalization differentially condition how students cognitively, affectively and behaviorally prepare for the labor market. The findings offer practical insights for higher education institutions to design tailored interventions that address socioeconomic disparities and enhance graduate employability outcomes.