Title: Self-efficacy belief and perceived career barriers as a predictor of vocational outcome expectations

Authors: Fatma Büşra Polat; Yasemin Özdemir

Addresses: Department of Management and Organization, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey ' Department of Human Resources Management, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey

Abstract: With reference to social cognitive career theory, this study aims to detect the predictor role of demographic variables such as self-efficacy belief, perceived career barriers, gender, the level of participation to self-improvement activities, internship and academic success perception on the vocational outcome expectations of university students. In the study, the data were obtained from 281 university students, who were chosen by purposive sampling, and analysed by a statistical program. The findings of the research indicate that self-efficacy belief and perceived career barriers predict vocational outcome expectations meaningfully. Besides, the analyses reveal that there is a positive and medium-level relationship between self-efficacy belief and vocational outcome expectations; on the other hand, a negative and low-level relationship was figured out between perceived career barriers and vocational outcome expectations. Also the findings reveal that vocational outcome expectations meaningfully differentiate according to gender, the level of participation to self-improvement activities and academic success perception.

Keywords: self-efficacy belief; perceived career barriers; vocational outcome expectations; social cognitive career theory.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2020.109681

Middle East Journal of Management, 2020 Vol.7 No.5, pp.452 - 470

Received: 03 May 2019
Accepted: 18 Jul 2019
Published online: 21 Sep 2020 *

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