Cross-cultural perspectives on career planning: a comparative study of self-perception among higher vocational students in China and Thailand

Abstract

Career planning among vocational students is shaped by psychological, cultural, and institutional factors. This study examined how selfefficacy, career awareness, and cultural values relate to career planning behavior among vocational students in China and Thailand. A concurrent mixed-methods design was used. Questionnaire data were collected from 400 students in each country and complemented by semistructured interviews with 18 participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples tests, thematic analysis, and covariance based structural equation modeling. Chinese students reported higher career awareness and cultural-value orientation, whereas Thai students reported higher self-efficacy. Cultural values were the dominant direct correlate of career planning behavior in China. In Thailand, career awareness was the dominant correlate. Self-efficacy was not significantly associated with career planning behavior in China but showed a weak negative association in Thailand. The findings demonstrate that SCCT mechanisms vary across cultural contexts. Career guidance should therefore be aligned with the cultural, informational, and institutional conditions of each vocational education system.