Shaping future career success in Chinese adolescents: a chain mediation model of perceived parental career support, future work self-salience, and academic engagement
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Abstract
Grounded primarily in Career Construction Theory, this study examined the association between perceived parental career support and career adaptability among Chinese adolescents and tested whether future work self-salience and academic engagement were involved in this association as potential mediators. In the Chinese senior high school context, students are often required to make consequential educational and career-related decisions while access to systematic career education may be uneven, making family-based resources particularly salient. Although previous studies have linked perceived parental career support, future-oriented self-concepts, and engagement to career development outcomes, the sequential mechanism involving future work self-salience and academic engagement has rarely been examined in adolescent samples. Using a cross-sectional paper-and-pencil survey conducted in 2024, the study included 778 students in Grades 10-12 from a senior high school in Guizhou, China (M = 16.89, SD = 1.06; 41% male). Pearson correlation analyses and bootstrapped mediation analyses (PROCESS Model 6, 5,000 resamples) showed that perceived parental career support, future work self-salience, and academic engagement were all positively associated with career adaptability. Significant indirect associations were observed through future work self-salience, through academic engagement, and through the sequential pathway from future work self-salience to academic engagement. These findings highlight the potential relevance of coordinated school-family support for adolescents’ career development, while the cross-sectional design does not allow conclusions about causal direction.
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