The association between socioeconomic status and career preparation of Sino-Kazakh college students: multiple psychological mechanisms of perceived university support and career adaptability
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Introduction Amidst the evolving global labor market, college students’ career preparation demonstrates a close link with family backgrounds and higher education contexts. Grounded in the integrated framework of Career Construction Theory (CCT) and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this study investigates the multiple serial association network of objective socioeconomic status (SES), perceived university support, career adaptability, career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE), and career exploration. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered to 870 college students in China and Kazakhstan. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the relational pathways and cross-national differences. Results (1) In the Sino-Kazakh cross-national comparison, the internal psychological construction sequence (perceived university support → career adaptability → CDSE) exhibited high cross-group structural stability. However, the Kazakhstan sample displayed a closer statistical link between objective family resources and perceived university support, along with a stronger translation from self-efficacy to career exploration behavior. (2) Dual-track analysis indicated that objective family resources and subjective social class positioning presented differentiated and independent associative trajectories within the career preparation network. (3) Perceived university support, career adaptability, and CDSE concurrently functioned as significant sequential mediators in the statistical association between objective family SES and career exploration. Discussion These findings reveal that family socioeconomic background is intertwined with students’ subjective appraisal of campus institutional resources and their career competence beliefs, which concurrently correlate with career exploration behaviors. Lowering navigational and informational thresholds within university support systems to foster resource perception among disadvantaged students may serve as a meaningful approach toward equitable career development guidance.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7225327848