A B S T R A C T
The Effect of Career Exploration Behavior and Self-Esteem on Career Decision-Making in Middle School Students: The Moderating Role of Social Anxiety
by
Park Hye Mi
Department of Youth Education
Graduate School
Korea National Open Un...
A B S T R A C T
The Effect of Career Exploration Behavior and Self-Esteem on Career Decision-Making in Middle School Students: The Moderating Role of Social Anxiety
by
Park Hye Mi
Department of Youth Education
Graduate School
Korea National Open University
Supervised by Professor : Jeon, Yeong Uk.
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of career exploration behavior and self-esteem on career decision-making among middle school students, and to identify the moderating effect of social anxiety in the relationship between these variables. To achieve this objective, the following research questions were established: First, how does the career exploration behavior of middle school students affect their career decision-making? Second, how does the self-esteem of middle school students affect their career decision-making? Third, is there a moderating effect of social anxiety in the relationship between career exploration behavior and career decision-making? Fourth, is there a moderating effect of social anxiety in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making?
The subjects of this study were 1st to 3rd-grade middle school students residing in Seoul, and data were collected through convenience sampling. The survey was conducted from November 4 to November 20, 2024, at 'A' Middle School and 'B' Youth Facility. A total of 277 questionnaires were distributed and collected; after excluding insincere responses, 246 copies were used for the final analysis. To analyze the effects of career exploration behavior and self-esteem on career decision-making, multiple regression analysis was performed using IBM SPSS software (version 26). Furthermore, to verify the moderating effect of social anxiety, Model 1 of the SPSS Process Macro 4.0 was utilized with 5,000 bootstrapping iterations.
The main findings of this study are as follows: First, middle school students' career exploration behavior had a statistically significant effect on the concreteness, appropriateness, and certainty of their career decision-making. Second, self-esteem had a statistically significant effect on career decision-making concreteness, appropriateness, and certainty. Third, no moderating effect of social anxiety was found in the relationship between career exploration behavior and the concreteness, appropriateness, and certainty of career decision-making. Fourth, a moderating effect of social anxiety appeared in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making certainty. However, no moderating effect of social anxiety was found in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making concreteness and appropriateness.
The implications based on these research findings are as follows: First, middle school students' career exploration behavior has a positive effect on their career decision-making. It is important for schools and youth organizations to enable middle school students to actively engage in career exploration behaviors by providing systematic and effective career and vocational education, thereby helping them make concrete and rational career choices and decisions. Second, middle school students' self-esteem has a positive effect on their career decision-making. Society and parents should provide many positive experiences and form an emotional support system so that middle school students can make career decisions with high self-esteem and confidence. Third, the moderating effect of social anxiety was not observed in the relationship between middle school students' career exploration behavior and career decision-making. This suggests that regardless of the level of a middle school student's social anxiety, the impact of career exploration behavior on career decision-making is very direct and significant. Fourth, a moderating effect of social anxiety was found in the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making certainty. The influence of self-esteem on career decision-making certainty appears stronger in adolescents with low social anxiety compared to those with high social anxiety. This indicates that social anxiety negatively affects the relationship between adolescent self-esteem and career decision-making; as the perception of social anxiety increases, the positive effect of self-esteem on career decision-making certainty weakens.
Based on the research results and implications, suggestions for practical measures in the youth field and for follow-up studies are as follows: First, it is necessary to establish measures to promote career exploration behavior. To help improve the career decision-making abilities of middle school students, strategies should be developed to enhance the quality and increase the frequency of career exploration behaviors, which have a positive impact on career decision-making. Second, measures to enhance self-esteem are required. To improve adolescents' self-esteem, it is necessary to provide opportunities for individual self-acceptance and achievement. This should be supported by parents' emotional support and positive role modeling, the formation of a culture of mutual respect in schools, and the provision of self-esteem enhancement programs. Furthermore, society should foster a culture that respects diversity and provides universal access to parental education. Third, practical measures to reduce social anxiety among adolescents are needed. To lower the social anxiety perceived by adolescents, it is essential to reduce inequalities in areas such as the economy and information, and to strengthen social safety nets so that youth can feel safe from various social anxiety factors. Fourth, follow-up studies with diverse target populations are necessary. While social anxiety among adolescents is gradually rising due to rapid and diverse social changes, research on this subject remains very insufficient. Continuous interest and research efforts in this area are required. Fifth, qualitative research is needed to understand the social anxiety that affects the self-esteem and career decision-making of middle school students. To deeply understand the causes and complexities of social anxiety felt by middle school students, which are difficult to grasp through quantitative research alone, it is necessary to closely examine the specific situations and individual environments in which they experience anxiety.
Keywords: Career exploration behavior, Self-esteem, Social anxiety, Career decision-making, Middle school students