Unpacking the role of self-esteem in career uncertainty: a self-determination perspective

Shin-Huei Lin, Chia-Huei Wu and Lung Hung Chen

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: The aim of this study is to explain why students with high self-esteem have lower career uncertainty than students with low self-esteem. Based on self-determination theory, students with high self-esteem would have higher efficacy in making decisions, which would encourage them to choose a major for self-concordance, such as interest and ability, and increase their course involvement. Both factors are assumed to be related to lower career uncertainty. Data from a national survey of the Taiwan Higher Education Database within the Survey Research Data Archive from juniors at 92 colleges and universities in Taiwan (N = 7418) were analyzed to examine the model. Results supported the proposed model by showing that students with high self-esteem had lower career uncertainty because they chose a major for self-concordant reasons and had a strong motivation to learn, both of which contribute to lower career uncertainty.

Keywords: self-determination; career uncertainty; self-esteem; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in Journal of Positive Psychology, 2015, 10(3), pp. 231-239. ISSN: 1743-9760

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:59056

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