The Relationship Between Proactive Personality and Career Adaptability Among College Students: A Mediating Analysis of Career Decision-Making Self Efficacy
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Abstract
This study examines the effect of proactive personality on career adaptability among students and the moderating role of career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) in this relationship, using PROCESS Macro analysis. The focus of this study is to deepen the theoretical understanding of the conditions that strengthen or weaken the relationship between proactive personality and student career adaptability. A correlational design with a quantitative approach was employed with 175 students at Semarang State University. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Proactive Personality Scale Short Version (PPS-SV), a CDMSE adapted from the Career and Educational Decision Self-Efficacy Inventory (CEDSIS), and the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS). The analysis shows that proactive personality has a positive and significant effect on career adaptability (B = .4013; p < .001), and CDMSE also has a significant positive effect (B = 2.0365; p < .001; r = .870). However, the interaction test indicates that CDMSE does not significantly moderate the effect of proactive personality on career adaptability (F(1,171) = 3.2734; p = .0722). This confirms that CDMSE functions as a strong direct predictor rather than a moderating variable. These findings enrich the literature on Indonesian students’ career adaptability and open up further research directions to explore other mediator or moderator variables.
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