Abstract
The aim of this study is to explain why students with high self-esteem have lower career uncertainty than students with low self-esteem. Based on self-determination theory, students with high self-esteem would have higher efficacy in making decisions, which would encourage them to choose a major for self-concordance, such as interest and ability, and increase their course involvement. Both factors are assumed to be related to lower career uncertainty. Data from a national survey of the Taiwan Higher Education Database within the Survey Research Data Archive from juniors at 92 colleges and universities in Taiwan (N = 7418) were analyzed to examine the model. Results supported the proposed model by showing that students with high self-esteem had lower career uncertainty because they chose a major for self-concordant reasons and had a strong motivation to learn, both of which contribute to lower career uncertainty.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 231-239 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Positive Psychology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 4 May 2015 |
Keywords
- career uncertainty
- education
- self-determination
- self-esteem