Effects of Self-Awareness of Chinese College Students on Employment Confidence through Career Preparation Behavior and Hope : Moderated Mediation Effect of Grit

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to examine whether grit moderates the mediating effect of self-awareness on employment confidence through career preparation behavior and hope, thereby providing foundational data for improving employment confidence among Chinese college students. To achieve this research objective, convenience sampling was used to select 300 Chinese college students from universities in three different cities, and data were collected through a questionnaire. For data analysis, frequency analysis, reliability analysis, mean comparison analysis (t-test, One-way ANOVA), bivariate correlation analysis, mediating effect, moderating effect, and moderated mediating effect analyses were employed. The conclusions of the study are as follows. First, self-awareness was higher among students aged 19 and below and in the 20-year-old age group compared to those aged 21 and older. Freshmen and sophomores showed higher self-awareness than juniors and seniors. Grit was higher among females than males, and those aged 19 and below had higher grit compared to other age groups. Career preparation behavior was higher among females than males, and hope was higher in the 19 and below and 20-year-old age groups compared to those aged 21 and 22 and above. Employment confidence was higher among females than males, and in terms of age, those aged 19 and below had higher employment confidence compared to those aged 21 and 22 and older, and those aged 20 had higher employment confidence than those aged 22 and older. Second, self-awareness, grit, career preparation behavior, hope, and employment confidence all showed positive correlations. Third, self-awareness directly influenced students' employment confidence, but it also indirectly influenced employment confidence through career preparation behavior. Fourth, self-awareness directly influenced employment confidence, but it also had an indirect effect through hope. Fifth, self-awareness not only directly influenced employment confidence but also indirectly influenced it through both career preparation behavior and hope. Sixth, grit moderated the relationship between self-awareness and career preparation behavior, amplifying the effect of self-awareness on career preparation behavior. Seventh, grit moderated and mediated the path from self-awareness → career preparation behavior → hope → employment confidence, contributing to the enhancement of employment confidence. This study elucidates the structural relationship between self-awareness and employment confidence, providing new insights into the interaction between career preparation and individual psychological characteristics. Specifically, the discovery of grit’s moderated mediating effect suggests that personalized guidance tailored to an individual’s perseverance and passion levels is necessary in career counseling for college students. Keywords: Self-awareness, Grit, Career Preparation Behavior, Hope, Employment Confidence, College Students, Mediating Effect, Moderating Effect, Moderated Mediating Effect.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Table of Contents
• Abstract vi
• I. Introduction 1
• 1. Research Necessity and Purpose 1
• 2. Research Questions 3
• 3. Definition of Terms 4
• II. Theoretical Background 6
• 1. Employment Confidence 6
• 2. Self-Awareness 7
• 3. Relationship Between Self-Awareness and Employment Confidence 8
• 4. Double Mediating Role of Career Preparation Behavior and Hope 10
• 5. Moderating Role of Grit 18
• III. Research Methods 21
• 1. Research Model 21
• 2. Survey Subjects and Data Collection Methods 21
• 3. Research Tools 23
• 4. Data Analysis 26
• IV. Research Results 28
• 1. Differences in Key Variables According to General Characteristics 28
• 2. Correlation Between Variables 33
• 3. Mediating Effect of Career Preparation Behavior 34
• 4. Mediating Effect of Hope 36
• 5. Double Mediation Effects of Career Preparation Behavior and Hope 38
• 6. Moderating Effect of Grit 40
• 7. Moderated Mediating Effect of Grit 44
• V. Discussion and Conclusion 51
• 1. Discussion 51
• 2. Conclusion 54
• References 57
• 국문초록 68
• Appendix 71
• 1. English Questionnaires 71
• 2. Chinese Questionnaires 75
• Acknowledgement 79
• List of Tables
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-1) ><Table> General characteristics of the study subjects 22
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-2) ><Table> Items and reliability of self-awareness 23
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-3) ><Table> Items and reliability of grit 24
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-4) ><Table> Items and reliability of career preparation behavior 25
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-5) ><Table> Items and reliability of hope 25
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( III-6) ><Table> Items and reliability of employment confidence 26
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-1) ><Table> Differences in self-awareness according to general characteristics 28
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-2) ><Table> Differences in grit according to general characteristics 29
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-3) ><Table> Differences in career preparation behavior according to general characteristics 30
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-4) ><Table> Differences in hope according to general characteristics 31
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-5) ><Table> Differences in employment confidence according to general characteristics 32
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-6) ><Table> Correlation between main research variables and descriptive statistics 33
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-7) ><Table> Analysis of mediating effects of career preparation behavior 35
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-8) ><Table> Analysis of the mediating effect of hope 37
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-9) ><Table> Analysis of the double mediation effects of career preparation behavior and hope 39
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-10) ><Table> Analysis of the moderating effect of grit 42
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-11) ><Table> Analysis of the moderating effect of grit in the moderated mediation model 46
• <! Not Allowed Attribute Filtered ( IV-12) ><Table> Direct effect and conditional indirect effects 49
•  
• List of Figures
• [Figure III-1] Research model 21
• [Figure IV-1] Statistical model of the mediating effect of career preparation behavior 35
• [Figure IV-2] Statistical model of the mediating effect of hope 37
• [Figure IV-3 Statistical model of double mediation effect of career preparation behavior and hope 39
• [Figure IV-4] Statistical model of the moderating effect of grit 42
• [Figure IV-5] Moderating effect of grit 44
• [Figure IV-6] Statistical model of moderated mediating effect of grit 46
• [Figure IV-7] Moderating effect of grit in moderated mediation model 48