The effects of Korean college students’ self-identity on career decision-making self-efficacy

Preparing for a career is a key task that should be completed during the transition period from adolescence to adulthood. With a sample of 160 Korean college students we analyzed the effect of self-identity on career decision-making self-efficacy and examined the roles of college adjustment and social support as mediators in this relationship. The results showed that college adjustment and social support both mediated the effect of self-identity on career decision-making self-efficacy. College students with a stronger sense of self-identity adapted more positively to college life and perceived more social support, which led to higher career decision-making self-efficacy. Although our focus was on Korean college students, our results have practical implications for the enhancement of all college students’ career decision-making self-efficacy.