The Impact of Professional Identity and Social Support on Career Decision-Making Difficulties of Environmental : Focused on Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex employment situations and diversified career choices for environmental design undergraduates in China, this study, based on existing literature, introduces psychological capital as a mediating variable to systematically investigate the influence mechanism of professional identity and social support on career decision-making difficulties. Using a questionnaire survey method, the study targeted environmental design undergraduates from 10 universities in Guangdong Province. Through rigorous sampling and questionnaire collection procedures, a total of 560 questionnaires were distributed with 512 valid responses obtained, ensuring sample representation and data reliability. The research methodology employed normality tests, reliability analysis, factor analysis, and difference analysis to examine the research data. Correlation analysis was used to clarify relationships between variables, while regression analysis verified the effects of professional identity, social support, and psychological capital on career decision-making difficulties. The mediating role of psychological capital was tested through regression analysis methods. The findings revealed as follows. First, professional identity showed a significant negative impact on career decision-making difficulties among environmental design undergraduates. Second, social support demonstrated a significant negative influence on career decision-making difficulties. Third, professional identity exhibited a significant positive effect on psychological capital. Fourth, social support showed a significant positive impact on psychological capital. Fifth, psychological capital had a significant negative influence on career decision-making difficulties. Sixth, psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between professional identity and career decision-making difficulties, with the mediating effect accounting for 31.2% of the total effect. Seventh, psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between social support and career decision-making difficulties, with the mediating effect accounting for 28.7% of the total effect. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in its pioneering introduction of psychological capital into research on the influence mechanism of career decision-making difficulties among environmental design undergraduates, enriching the theoretical framework in this field. The findings of this study are expected to be more broadly applied to career development research for design majors, providing targeted guidance for relevant educators and valuable data support for future research in this field. Keywords: Professional Identity, Social Support, Career Decision-Making Difficulties, Psychological Capital, Environmental Design Major, Undergraduate Students

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. Introduction 1
• 1. Research Background 1
• 2. Research Purpose 5
• 3. Research Questions 6
• 4. Definition of Terms6
• 1) Environmental Design Undergraduates 6
• 2) Professional Identity7
• 3) Social Support 7
• 4) Psychological Capital 7
• 5) Career Decision-Making Difficulties 7
• Ⅱ. Theoretical Background 8
• 1. Environmental Design Undergraduates in China 8
• 1) Environmental Design Major 8
• 2) Current Development Status of Environmental Design
• Education10
• 3) Characteristics of Environmental Design Students 11
• 2. Professional Identity 14
• 1) Concept of Professional Identity14
• 2) Dimensions of Professional Identity17
• 3. Social Support 19
• 1) Concept of Social Support 19
• 2) Dimensions of Social Support 23
• 4. Psychological Capital 26
• 1) Concept of Psychological Capital 26
• 2) Dimensions of Psychological Capital 30
• 5. Career Decision-Making Difficulties 32
• 1) Concept of Career Decision-Making Difficulties 32
• 2) Dimensions of Career Decision-Making Difficulties35
• 6. Relationships between the Research Variables37
• 1) Professional Identity and Career Decision-Making Difficulties 37
• 2) Social Support and Career Decision-Making Difficulties 40
• 3) Professional Identity and Psychological Capital 42
• 4) Social Support and Psychological Capital 44
• 5) Psychological Capital and Career Decision-Making Difficulties · 47
• 6) Research on Mediating Relationships49
• III. Research Methods51
• 1. Research Model and Hypothesis 51
• 2. Research Participants 54
• 3. Research Tools 55
• 4. Research Procedure 68
• 5. Data Analysis69
• Ⅳ. Results71
• 1. Basic Statistical Analysis71
• 1) Descriptive Analysis 71
• 2) Difference Analysis73
• 3) Correlation Analysis 78
• 2. Test of Research Hypotheses 82
• 1) The Impact of Professional Identity on Career Decision-Making
• Difficulties 83
• 2) The Impact of Social Support on Career Decision-Making
• Difficulties 87
• 3) The Impact of Professional Identity on Psychological Capital 91
• 4) The Impact of Social Support on Psychological Capital 96
• 5) The Impact of Psychological Capital on Career Decision-Making
• Difficulties100
• 6) Mediating Effects 105
• 7) Results of Hypotheses Testing108
• V. Conclusion 110
• 1. Research Summary110
• 2. Discussion and Conclusion111
• 3. Limitations and Suggestion118
• References121
• Appendix. Questionnaire 154
• 국문초록 162