Assessing Perceived Future Decent Work Securement Among Chinese Impoverished College Students

Abstract

Drawing from Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), the current study sampled 254 college students from impoverished families in China and examined their perceptions of access to future decent work as predicted by subjective social status and marginalization and mediated by work volition and career adaptability. As impoverished college students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and thus cannot afford college expenses, understanding their perception regarding future careers echoes the call for renewing the focus on equity and diversity within vocational psychology. Findings supported subjective social status as an indirect predictor of perceptions of future decent work via work volition. Work volition and career adaptability directly predicted perceptions of future decent work. Additionally, there is a significant conditional indirect effect between subjective social status, work volition, and perceptions of future decent work. Specifically, the effect was only significant for first-year students. Overall, this study adds new evidence on the applicability of the PWT among student populations. Implications for career researchers, vocational counselors, and student affairs professionals are provided.

Validation of Work Need Satisfaction Scales Among Chinese Working Adults: A Psychology of Working Theory Perspective

“…Indeed, the PWT is an inclusive theory that embraces everyone who works and wants to work worldwide and is appropriate for individualistic and collectivist cultures (Blustein, 2013;Duffy et al, 2019). Several studies have explored the global applicability of the PWT, including applicability in Eastern countries and collectivist cultures, such as Turkey (Kozan et al, 2019), South Korea (Kim et al, 2019;Kim et al, 2020), and China (Wang et al, 2019;Wei et al, 2021). Recently, Chinese researchers have begun to clarify how the PWT is understood in contemporary China.…”

“…Wang et al (2019) demonstrated the significant mediating roles of work volition and access to decent work in the relationship between social status and career-related outcomes among Chinese urban workers. Wei et al (2021) examined how contextual factors influenced Chinese college students' perceptions and how, constrained by their backgrounds, impoverished college students may have limited financial and social resources to act volitionally when making career choices after graduation.…”

Factors associated with work volition among Chinese undergraduates

“…Furthermore, mobility derived from a market-oriented economy and urbanization has greatly challenged the basis of the traditional hukou registration system and forced the government to adjust its policies, including allowing migrants to change their hukou category after they have been employed in a city for a certain period (Chan and Zhang, 1999 ; Lu and Wan, 2014 ). Thus, mobility constraints (Wei et al, 2022 ) have been taken seriously and largely resolved. Therefore, the finding that hukou does not have a negative impact of classism on work volition is understandable (e.g., Wang et al, 2019 ; Kim and Allan, 2021 ), based on the analysis above.…”

“…On the one hand, college students are likely at critical points in their decision-making process (Duffy et al, 2016b ), and making a career decision is an important career issue for them (Cheung et al, 2020 ). On the other hand, college students are likely to face increasing barriers to achieving their ultimate career goals (Duffy et al, 2012 ; Cheung et al, 2020 ), such as mobility constraints (Wei et al, 2022 ), although they are considered at the top of the career privilege pyramid and possess more freedom and volition than others when making their career choice because of professional competence, qualifications, and generic skill sets (e.g., analytical skills and critical thinking) based on on-campus training and exposure to extracurricular programs (Cheung et al, 2020 ). Therefore, it is necessary to examine the state of the population; however, previous studies have been largely restricted to working adults (Wei et al, 2022 ).…”

The associations of decent work with wellbeing and career capabilities: a meta-analysis

“…Fourth, the decent work concept differs from other concepts such as quality of working life, as it is also characterized by a future perspective (Brill, 2021). That is also the reason why decent work is suggested to be regarded as aspired dimensions of work rather than as immediately achievable goals (Webster et al, 2015). How people make sense of their work-related aspirations in their specific contexts is perceived to influence their present and future wellbeing .…”