Effects of cognitive-person factors on career choice of tertiary students: the moderating role of chance events

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of several individual elements vis-a-vis the environment that affects students’ choice of a career. The study assesses the effects of cognitive-person factors on the career decision-making of tertiary students and analyses how chance events moderate these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the survey research design to gather data from 302 final-year tertiary students from four (4) Faculties and sixteen (16) academic departments of a Technical University in Ghana. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires and analysed using the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The study reveals that students’ self-efficacy and outcome expectations are two cognitive-person factors that positively and significantly influence students’ career choices. However, chance events of tertiary students were found not to moderate the relationship between cognitive-person factors and students’ career choices.

Practical implications

Understanding how several cognitive-person factors influence the career choice of students through the lens of social career-cognitive theory could enable researchers to advance knowledge in the career choice process. Counselors and guidance coordinators need to motivate and encourage career/job exploration and development by identifying sources of psychosocial support available to students.

Originality/value

This study identifies the cognitive person factors that drive career decisions and provides one of the initial attempts to investigate how chance events moderate students’ cognitive-person career choice relationship.

Citation

Osei, H.V., Tepprey, E. and Mensah, P.O. (2023), "Effects of cognitive-person factors on career choice of tertiary students: the moderating role of chance events", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 15 No. 4, pp. 919-932. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-04-2022-0115