Understanding Contextual and Personality-Related Factors Predicting Student Career Certainty in Work Placement Learning

This study builds on the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management (SCCT-CSM) to examine the effects of faculty-based supervisor informational support, parental instrumental support and classmate emotional support on student career certainty during work placement learning. It also examined the mediating effects of self-esteem and career decision self-efficacy in the relationships. Using data collected at three-time points from undergraduate students undertaking work placement learning in 109 Nigerian organizations, we test an SCCT-CSM-driven model of contextual factors (i.e. supports), core SCCT variable (self-efficacy), personality-related variable (i.e. self-esteem) and career-related action (i.e. student career certainty) in work placement learning context. The results suggest that perceiving higher informational and instrumental support from faculty-based supervisors and parents stimulated students’ career decision self-efficacy and self-esteem in learning career-related skills, consequently leading to higher student career certainty. The findings have important implications for faculty-based placement learning supervisors, parents, students and placements host organizations to acknowledge the role of support in enhancing student career certainty. Thus, support should be highly considered during work placement learning to improve student career certainty.