The influence of teaching quality, social support, and career self-efficacy on the career adaptability skills: evidence from a polytechnic in Indonesia

Original article

Many studies have been developed to discuss career adaptability in the last decade [1–3]. For example, several studies highlight the importance of developing career adaptability in educational institutions such as schools and colleges [4–6]. The development of career adaptability skills is significant in vocational education, especially polytechnics. This is because polytechnics seek to prepare students to be skilled in certain areas of expertise1. In addition, a career has been seen as a sequence of important positions in a person’s life, especially its role in ensuring human survival2. Thus, it is very important the process of preparing an individual’s career in adolescence [7; 8], especially for polytechnic students. Currently, career adaptability skill at polytechnics is considered appropriate because it can help individuals deal with changes in the employment structure during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future. Polytechnics need to anticipate and respond to changes in the labor structure in the industry to prepare prospective workers who are adaptive to these changes.

Previous studies have discussed and proven that one type of skill to deal with the changing needs of the industry is career adaptability skills [3; 6; 9]. In principle, career adaptability skills are readiness to carry out tasks to be involved in work roles and adjustments that cannot be predicted due to changes. Previous studies have revealed that career adaptability skills can encourage a successful school-to-work transition [5], increase academic persistence [10], and improve career success [9]. Therefore, the formation of career adaptability skills needs to be prepared as early as possible in polytechnics by involving several important antecedent factors in forming career adaptability skills for polytechnic students.

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) states that individual career development can be formed through the interaction between the dimensions of the learning experience, person, and contextual [11; 12]. In the context of this study, the implementation of SCCT plays an essential role in directing how to instill career adaptability skills in polytechnic students by involving factors from the three dimensions of SCCT, which include teaching quality, social support, and social self-efficacy. Empirically, improving teaching quality (e.g., experiential learning, learning styles, and teaching quality) is important for the career development of vocational students [13; 14]. Several methods have shown an increase in the quality of teachers in vocational education, for example, applying various work-based learning methods in polytechnics [15; 16]. This means that the quality of vocational learning in an internship program is crucial for developing career adaptability skills for polytechnic students.

In addition, efforts to build social support for students to form career adaptability are significant. Wang and Fu [17] revealed that social support could improve career adaptability. In another study, social support predicts career adaptation resources consisting of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence [18] . The study aligns with the Career Construction Theory (CCT), the contextual factors are important in career development. CCT mentions that contextual factors are the only predictors of career development and personal factors³. Personal factors that are often discussed in career development studies are psychological aspects. This makes sense, and sound psychological capital will encourage increased career adaptation of hotel frontline employees [19]. Furthermore, one psychological capital considered playing an important role in psychological capital is self-efficacy [20]. Previous studies also mentioned that personal factors that are widely discussed and have an essential role in career development are career self-efficacy [21; 22]. Wang and Fu [17] stated that self-efficacy is a mediator on the effect of social support on career adaptability.

Based on the theoretical database and previous studies, it can be concluded that the teaching quality, social support, and career self-efficacy are essential factors in shaping the career adaptability of polytechnic students. Although many studies have discussed the importance of these factors on career adaptability skills, there are still limited studies that discuss the mechanism of forming career adaptability skills by involving the antecedent factors of teaching quality, social support, and career self-efficacy of polytechnic students. Therefore, this study

aims to examine the structural model of the formation of career adaptability skills of polytechnic students by involving factors of teaching quality, social support, and career self-efficacy as mediator. Specifically, this study aims to examine the effect of teaching quality, social support, and career self-efficacy factors on the career adaptability skills of polytechnic students.