Measuring Career Adaptability in a Sample of Italian University Students: Psychometric Properties and Relations with the Age, Gender, and STEM/No STEM Courses

Mondo, Marina; Barbieri, Barbara; Simone, Silvia De; Bonaiuto, Flavia; Usai, Luca; Agus, Mirian

doi:10.3390/socsci10100372

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 149 publications

(222 reference statements)

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“…In the 21st century, the emerging career patterns are characterized by the experience of being protean-driven by the individual's values and being self-directed [23] and boundaryless-transcending the confines of single employment settings [24] and comprising many positions with multiple organizations. These career patterns exhibit a reduced dependence on traditional career management and are intricately and dynamically linked to career adaptability [25] and to the perception of career success [26].…”

Section: The Context Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining ‘Careers’ and ‘Sustainable Careers’: A Qualitative Study with University Students

Russo,

Valls-Figuera,

Zammitti

et al. 2023

Sustainability

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Contemporary society challenges traditional linear career progressions with the emergence of the ‘sustainable career’ concept. This dynamic career path spans different societal domains over time and involves individuals actively shaping their paths through actions and the interpretation of their experiences. The evolving socioeconomic contexts demand a reevaluation of career development processes, necessitating an examination of individual perspectives on what makes a career authentically sustainable. Despite this, in the Italian and Spanish contexts, a definition of the concept of career and sustainable careers rooted in individuals’ interpretations is still absent. This qualitative study is designed to fill the existing gap by exploring the definition of the concepts of ‘career’ and ‘sustainable career’ in an initial sample of Italian (N = 197) and Spanish (N = 193) students (323 females, 67 males) aged 18–30 years (M = 20.13; SD = 2.13). Participants answered open-ended questions about ‘career’ and ‘sustainable career’. Qualitative data analysis software identified key themes, and correspondence analysis explored differences between the Italian and Spanish samples. The findings reveal that the concept of a career encompasses an evolving sequence of work experiences, incorporating training pathways, a continuous commitment to personal growth goals, and professional satisfaction. A sustainable career extends this, emphasizing a healthy work–life balance and the often-overlooked dimension of social empowerment. This study offers a perspective for designing research and interventions aimed at promoting careers and work environments perceived as authentically sustainable.

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Section: The Context Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Redefining ‘Careers’ and ‘Sustainable Careers’: A Qualitative Study with University Students

Russo,

Valls-Figuera,

Zammitti

et al. 2023

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Managing students’ illusion of control in higher education: effect on unrealistic optimism and expectancy disconfirmation

Luna-Cortes

2024

High Educ

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Prior studies showed that optimism has positive benefits for students in higher education. However, research indicates different types of optimism, including the unrealistic optimism associated with the illusion of control. The literature review showed a lack of research on the effect of the illusion of control among students in higher education. Two studies were conducted to fill this gap. In Study 1 (N = 210), university students responded to two surveys: one before oral presentations in class (measuring illusion of control and unrealistic optimism) and another after they received their grades for the presentations (measuring disconfirmation and satisfaction). The results show that the illusion of control is positively associated with unrealistic optimism, which leads to disconfirmation and dissatisfaction. Study 2 was a between-subjects design experiment (condition (N = 102) vs. control (N = 102)) that tested a stimulus to mitigate the illusion of control in this context. The results of Study 2 show that explaining to students their inability to control some variables during the presentation helps to reduce the illusion of control. This influences lower unrealistic optimism and disconfirmation, leading to higher satisfaction after the presentations. When testing moderating effects of demographics among these relationships, we found that gender moderates the effect of the stimulus used to reduce the illusion of control, with females showing a significantly higher decrease in this bias in comparison with male students. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations that can help to decrease the illusion of control in the context of higher education, with benefits for students and educators.

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The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Career Adaptability, and Gender: Evidence of Professionals from Brazilian Technology Incubators

De Castro,

Da Silva,

Stertz

et al. 2023

RGSA

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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality traits and career adaptability, verifying the existence of the influence of gender in professionals from technology incubators in southern Brazil. Method: Through a quantitative study, the collection of primary data was carried out with a sample of 310 professionals from technology incubators in southern Brazil, where the relationships of the outlined hypotheses were evaluated through structural equation modeling. Results: Through data analysis, it was verified the existence of relationships between the analyzed constructs, in which the strongest correlations were between the Agreeableness with Emotional Stability and Extraversion, Trust with Cooperation and Control with Concern dimensions. Conclusion: Few studies have addressed the issue of career adaptability and personality traits in the technological environment, even more so when it comes to verifying the issue of gender difference in this space. In this sense, this study contributed to in interrelation of the approaches of career adaptability and personality traits, adding the relative gender to the field of technology since this environment is still strictly masculinized. From a practical point of view, it explains the importance of organizational policies that consolidate the amplitude of female participation and representation, especially in strategic positions in technology, raising reflections for managers about diversity and gender equity in an increasingly digital world.

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Measuring Career Adaptability in a Sample of Italian University Students: Psychometric Properties and Relations with the Age, Gender, and STEM/No STEM Courses

Cited by 5 publications

References 149 publications

Redefining ‘Careers’ and ‘Sustainable Careers’: A Qualitative Study with University Students

Redefining ‘Careers’ and ‘Sustainable Careers’: A Qualitative Study with University Students

Managing students’ illusion of control in higher education: effect on unrealistic optimism and expectancy disconfirmation

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Career Adaptability, and Gender: Evidence of Professionals from Brazilian Technology Incubators

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