Nationality differences in the relationship between career decision-making profiles and career self-efficacy

We examined the moderating role of Chinese versus American nationality on the relationship between university students’ career decision making and career self-efficacy. Participants were 196 American and 323 Chinese college students, who completed the Career Decision-Making Profiles questionnaire (assessing information gathering, locus of control, information processing, effort spent in decision making, procrastination, consulting with others, speed of decision making, dependence on others, desire to please others, willingness to compromise, and aspiration) and a measure of career self-efficacy (assessing adaptability, career-training motivation, feedback-seeking attitudes, and job mobility preparedness). Results showed that the positive relationship between career self-efficacy and the aspiration for an ideal occupation, speed of final decision making, and information gathering dimensions was stronger among American than Chinese students. In addition, the negative relationship between career self-efficacy and the willingness to compromise and desire to please others was weaker among Chinese than American students. Implications for career education are discussed.