The Structural Relationships Among Work-Based Learning, Teacher Career Support, Academic Self-Efficacy, Career Outcome Expectations, and Career Decision-Making of Prospective Graduates in Specialized Vocational High Schools

Abstract

One in five graduates of specialized vocational high schools in Korea enters neither employment nor higher education, and the one-year employment retention rate among those who do find jobs remains at about 65%. This instability calls for an examination of how systematically prospective graduates reach their career decisions and what school experiences shape them. Drawing on social cognitive career theory, this study examined the structural relationships through which work-based learning and teacher career support reach career decision-making via academic self-efficacy and career outcome expectations. From a population of 52,188 prospective graduates nationwide as of April 2024, a proportional stratified cluster sample was drawn, and responses from 496 students were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and Mplus 7. The main conclusions are as follows. First, career decision-making comprises clarity of career goals, certainty about one's career choice, and implementation of career plans, and a structural model with these components as the endogenous variable can be established. Second, work-based learning does not directly affect career decision-making but exerts its influence by fostering academic self-efficacy. Third, academic self-efficacy has the strongest influence on career decision-making and also shapes career outcome expectations as an antecedent. Fourth, whereas work-based learning operates solely through academic self-efficacy, teacher career support influences career decision-making through career outcome expectations while also exerting a direct effect, indicating that the two factors contribute through distinct pathways. Based on these conclusions, practical implications and suggestions for follow-up research were discussed.