Social Emotional Learning Skills and Career Decision Self -Efficacy as Predictors of University Students’ Career Futures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/ankad.v10i2.350Keywords:
career future, social-emotional learning skills, career decision-making self-efficacy, individual and vocational developmentAbstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive power of university students' social emotional learning (SEL) skills and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDES) on their career futures (CG). The study group included 263 university students (187 female, 76 male; age X = 24.3). Data were collected using the Social Emotional Learning Scale-Young Adult Form, the Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Career Futures Scale. Multiple linear regression analysis applied to the data showed that the total scores of social emotional learning skills and career decision-making self-efficacy together explained 31% of the total variance in career futures scores. Social emotional learning skills were the strongest predictor of career futures (β=.32), and career decision-making self-efficacy significantly predicted total career futures scores (β=.29). Findings indicated that university students' social emotional learning skills and career decision-making self-efficacy had an impact on their career futures. The research findings are discussed based on relevant literatüre. The limitations of the research are stated, and suggestions are presented for future theoretical and practice research and studies that can be studied in university career development centers.
References
Akıncı, F. N., & Eryılmaz, A. (2022). The relationship between emotional autonomy, functions of identity and career adaptability in psychological counselor candidates: The mediating role of career decision-making self-efficacy. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 12(65), 343–361. https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.1138874
Amalia, F. R., & Kurniawati, F. (2019). Self-efficacy source and career adaptability: The mediating roles of career decision self-efficacy. Humanitas: Indonesian Psychological Journal, 16(1), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v16i1.9573
Autin, K. A., Douglass, R. P., Duffy, R. D., England, J. W., & Allan, B. A. (2017). Subjective social status, work volition, and career adaptability: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 99, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.11.007
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice Hall.
Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1997). Applications of self-efficacy theory to the career assessment of women. Journal of Career Assessment, 5(4), 383–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/106907279700500402
Betz, N. E., Klein, K. L., & Taylor, K. M. (1996). Evaluation of a short form of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale. Journal of Career Assessment, 4(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072796004001
Bulut, B., & Bacanlı, F. (2024). Examining the relationships between career development, daily life decision making and social emotional learning skills of middle school students. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(8), 792–801. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i8.4769
Büyükgöze‐Kavas, A. (2016). Predicting career adaptability from positive psychological traits. The Career Development Quarterly, 64(2), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12045
Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2011). Sosyal bilimler için veri analizi el kitabı: İstatistik, araştırma deseni, SPSS uygulamaları ve yorum. Pegem Akademi.
Carter, A. J. (Ed.). (2019). Young people, employment and work psychology: Interventions and solutions. Routledge.
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2020). Core SEL competencies. https://casel.org/sel-framework/
Coetzee, M., & Harry, N. (2014). Emotional intelligence as a predictor of employees' career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 84(1), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.09.001
Clarke, M. (2008). Understanding and managing employability in changing career contexts. Journal of European Industrial Training, 32(4), 258–284. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810871379
Day, S. X., & Rottinghaus, P. (2003). The healthy personality. In W. B. Walsh (Ed.), Counseling psychology and optimal human functioning (pp. 1-23). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
De Guzman, A. B., & Choi, K. O. (2013). The relations of employability skills to career adaptability among technical school students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 82(3), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.01.009
Duffy, R. D. (2010). Sense of control and career adaptability among undergraduate students. Journal of Career Assessment, 18(4), 420–430. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072710374587
Erkuş, A. (2013). Davranış bilimleri için bilimsel araştırma süreci. Seçkin Yayıncılık
Esen-Aygün, H., & Şahin-Taşkın, C. (2017). Teachers' views of social-emotional skills and their perspectives on social-emotional learning programs. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(7), 205–215. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137527.pdf
Eva, N., Newman, A., Jiang, Z., & Brouwer, M. (2020). Career optimism: A systematic review and agenda for future research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 116, 103287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.02.011
Fouad, N. A., & Bynner, J. (2008). Work transitions. American Psychologist, 63(4), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.4.241
Gadassi, R., Gati, I., & Wagman-Rolnick, H. (2013). The adaptability of career decision-making profiles: Associations with self-efficacy, affect, and career exploration. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(4), 701–710. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845312470027
Hamzah, S. R. A., Kai Le, K., & Musa, S. N. S. (2021). The mediating role of career decision self-efficacy on the relationship of career emotional intelligence and self-esteem with career adaptability among university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 26(1), 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2021.1886952
Hareli, M., Knutsen, J. C., Nowakowski, L. M., Conley, C. S., & Gonzales, C. H. (2025). Infusing social-emotional skills into a career and life planning course for college adults: A qualitative analysis and quantitative summary of student perceptions at post-course and at post-college follow-up. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy, 5, 100097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2025.100097
Hartung, P. J., & Cadaret, M. C. (2017). Career adaptability: Changing self and situation for satisfaction and success. In Psychology of career adaptability, employability and resilience (pp. 15–28). Springer International Publishing.
Hirschi, A. (2012). The career resources model: An integrative framework for career counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2012.700506
Hou, C., Wu, L., & Liu, Z. (2014). Effect of proactive personality and decision-making self-efficacy on career adaptability among Chinese graduates. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 42(6), 903–912. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2014.42.6.903
Hou, C., Wu, Y., & Liu, Z. (2019). Career decision-making self-efficacy mediates the effect of social support on career adaptability: A longitudinal study. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 47(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.8157
Işık, E. (2010). Sosyal bilişsel kariyer teorisi temelli bir grup müdahalesinin üniversite öğrencilerinin kariyer kararı yetkinlik ve mesleki sonuç beklenti düzeylerine etkisi. [Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi]. Çukurova Üniversitesi.
Johnston, C. S., Luciano, E. C., Maggiori, C., Ruch, W., & Rossier, J. (2013). Validation of the German version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and its relation to orientations to happiness and work stress. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(3), 295–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.06.002
Kalafat, T. (2012). Kariyer Geleceği Ölçeği (Kargel): Türk örneklemi için psikometrik özelliklerinin incelenmesi. Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 4(38), 169–179. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/tpdrd/issue/21458/229728
Karacan-Özdemir, N., & Bacanlı, F. (2020). Sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerileri ve kariyer gelişimi: Öğretmen ve psikolojik danişman rolleri. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 49(226), 323–344. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1089790
Karacan-Özdemir, N., & Büyükçolpan, H. (2021). A scale development study: Social emotional learning scale-young adult form (SELS-YF). Kastamonu Education Journal, 29(4), 205–218. https://doi.org/10.24106/kefdergi.822770
Kim, N. R., & Lee, K. H. (2018). The effect of internal locus of control on career adaptability: The mediating role of career decision‐making self‐efficacy and occupational engagement. Journal of Employment Counseling, 55(1), 2–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/joec.12069
Korkmaz, B. C., & Karaman, N. G. (2024). Akademik başarıya giden yol: Sosyal duygusal öğrenme. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences (JFES), 57(3), 1295–1329. https://doi.org/10.30964/auebfd.1258547
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2000). Contextual supports and barriers to career choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 36–49. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.1.36
Maree, J. B. (2012). Career Adapt-abilities Scale – South African form: Psychometric properties and construct validity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 730–733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.005
Marko, K. W., & Savickas, M. L. (1998). Effectiveness of a career time perspective intervention. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 52, 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1996.1566
McIlveen, P., Burton, L. J., & Beccaria, G. (2013). A short form of the Career Futures Inventory. Journal of Career Assessment, 21(1), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072712450493
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). An overview of psychological measurement. In Wolman B. B. (Ed.) Clinical diagnosis of mental disorders: A handbook, 97–146.
Oliveira, Í. M., de Castro, I., Silva, A. D., & Taveira, M. D. C. (2023). Social-emotional skills, career adaptability, and agentic school engagement of first-year high school students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(8), 5597. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085597
Öztemel, K. (2018). Kariyer uyumluluğu ve kariyer iyimserliğinde kariyer seçimlerine bağlılığın yordayıcı rolü. Researcher: Social Science Studies, 6(1), 302–314. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/researcher/issue/66629/1042616.xml
Pellegrino, G., Feraco, T., Meneghetti, C., & Carretti, B. (2025). Ready for what’s next? The associations between social, emotional, and behavioral skills and career adaptability in high school students. Journal of Adolescence, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12486
Pinquart, M., Juang, L. P., & Silbereisen, R. K. (2003). Self-efficacy and successful school-to-work transition: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(3), 329–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(02)00031-3
Pirsoul, T., Parmentier, M., Sovet, L., & Nils, F. (2023). Emotional intelligence and career-related outcomes: A meta-analysis. Human Resource Management Review, 33(3), 100967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100967
Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912460400
Rossier, J., Zecca, G., Stauffer, S. D., Maggiori, C., & Dauwalder, J. P. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in a French-speaking Swiss sample: Psychometric properties and relationships to personality and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 734–743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.004
Rottinghaus, P. J., Day, S. X., & Borgen, F. H. (2005). The Career Futures Inventory: A measure of career-related adaptability and optimism. Journal of Career Assessment, 13(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072704270271
Salim, R. M. A., Istiasih, M. R., Rumalutur, N. A., & Situmorang, D. D. B. (2023). The role of career decision self-efficacy as a mediator of peer support on students’ career adaptability. Heliyon, 9(4). https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(23)02118-7
Salman, N., & Bacanlı, F. (2024). Kariyer uyumluluğu, sosyal duygusal öğrenme ve kariyer umuları arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi. Kariyer Psikolojik Danışmanlığı Dergisi, 7(1), 42–59. https://doi.org/10.58501/kpdd.1434951_3
Sarsıkoğlu, A. F., & Bacanlı, F. (2019). Üniversite öğrencilerinin kariyer engelleri ile kariyer uyumlulukları arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi. Uluslararası Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 7(13), 95–113. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/842855
Savickas, M. L. (2002). Career construction: A developmental theory of vocational behavior. In D. J. Brown (Ed.), Career choice and development (pp. 149–205). Jossey-Bass.
Savickas, M. L. (2003). Toward a taxonomy of human strengths: Career counseling’s contribution to positive psychology. In W. B. Walsh (Ed.), Counseling psychology and optimal human functioning (pp. 229–249). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Savickas, M. L. (2005). The theory and practice of career construction. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling (pp. 42–70). John Wiley and Sons.
Savickas, M., & Porfeli, E. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011
Stead, G. B., LaVeck, L. M., & Hurtado Rua, S. M. (2022). Career adaptability and career decision self-efficacy: Meta-analysis. Journal of Career Development, 49(4), 951–964. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211012477
Teixeira, M. A. P., Bardagi, M. P., Lassance, M. C. P., Magalhaes, M. O., & Duarte, M. E. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale—Brazilian form: Psychometric properties and relationships to personality. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 680–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.007
Udayar, S., Fiori, M., Thalmayer, A. G., & Rossier, J. (2018). Investigating the link between trait emotional intelligence, career indecision, and self-perceived employability: The role of career adaptability. Personality and Individual Differences, 135, 7–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.06.046
Uzun, M. (2025). Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli kapsamında sosyal duygusal öğrenme becerilerinin incelenmesi. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education Research, 11(2), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.24289/ijsser.1610561
Van Vianen, A. E., Klehe, U. C., Koen, J., & Dries, N. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale—Netherlands form: Psychometric properties and relationships to ability, personality, and regulatory focus. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 716–724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.002
Yıldız, F., & Kabasakal, Z. (2023). Üniversite öğrencilerinin kariyer uyumluluk düzeylerinin kariyer endişeleri ve kariyer kararı verme öz yeterliği açısından incelenmesi. Akademik Araştırmalar ve Çalışmalar Dergisi (AKAD), 15(28), 91–103. https://doi.org/10.20990/kilisiibfakademik.1246185
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Anatolian Cultural Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
