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Social capital and career adaptability: the mediating role of psychological capital

Abdolrahim Gheyassi (Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran)
Amir Alambeigi (Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran)

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning

ISSN: 2042-3896

Article publication date: 20 February 2024

Issue publication date: 25 September 2024

243

Abstract

Purpose

This study’s main objective is to determine the extent to which social capital and psychological capital can explain differences in career adaptability among higher education students.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a survey research design. Data were gathered using an online questionnaire completed by 384 fourth-year undergraduate agricultural students in Iran. The inverse square root and multistage sampling methods were used to determine the sample size. The partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) method examined the associations between latent variables.

Findings

The results suggest that social and psychological capital significantly influence the career adaptability of agricultural students, highlighting their significance in enhancing career adaptability. Moreover, psychological capital positively mediates the relationship between social capital and career adaptability.

Practical implications

Agricultural higher education institutions must focus on developing students' social and psychological capital to cultivate career adaptability in agricultural students. Agricultural higher education institutions, for example, should help students develop soft skills.

Originality/value

This study offers novel insights into the significance of individual resources, such as social and psychological capital, in enhancing the career adaptability of students. In addition, the key contribution of this study is the researchers' empirical evidence that multiple career resources are interconnected (social capital, career adaptability, and psychological capital).

Keywords

Citation

Gheyassi, A. and Alambeigi, A. (2024), "Social capital and career adaptability: the mediating role of psychological capital", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 14 No. 5, pp. 1070-1086. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2023-0021

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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