Home⇛Asia Pacific Journal of Management and Sustainable Development⇛vol. 12 no. 3 Part 4 (2024)

Career Planning, Guidance and Innovation Among Chinese College Students

Zhou Xi

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

This study explored the interconnectedness of career planning, guidance, and innovation among Chinese college students, addressing a significant gap in understanding how these elements contribute to students' employment competitiveness. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, the need for effective career development strategies is critical. The study aimed to assess demographic profiles, evaluate career planning strategies, gauge the quality of career guidance, and measure levels of career innovation among participants. Employing a quantitative research design, the study involved college students from various institutions in China, utilizing a stratified sampling technique to ensure a representative sample. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, which was validated for reliability. Key findings revealed a strong correlation among career planning, guidance, and innovation, indicating that enhanced career planning significantly improved students' guidance and innovative capacities. The results highlighted the importance of self-awareness and clarity in career goals, demonstrating that students with better planning tended to exhibit higher entrepreneurial drive and innovation willingness. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge in career development by providing empirical evidence on the importance of integrated career strategies. A significant recommendation from the study is the implementation of targeted workshops focused on enhancing students' career planning skills, thereby improving their overall employment competitiveness.



References:

  1. Gysbers, N. C., Heppner, M. J., & Johnston, J. A. (2000). Conseil et développement de carrière tout au long de la vie. L'orientation scolaire et professionnelle, (29/1), 91-115.
  2. Cheung, P. C., & Arnold, D. H. (2014). The role of career guidance in youth development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(2), 242-256.
  3. Sultana, A., & Islam, M. S. (2019). The effectiveness of career guidance programs on career decision-making self-efficacy of university students. Journal of Educational and Training Technologies, 2(2), 72-82.
  4. Wu, J., Zhang, J., & Wang, X. (2020). The effect of career planning course on career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy of college students in China. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 20(2), 147-158.
  5. Li, H., Xiao, Y., & Liu, X. (2019). The challenges and countermeasures of career development for college students in the era of artificial intelligence. Studies in Vocational and Technical Education, 41(3), 1-8.
  6. Wang, Y., & Zhang, J. (2021). The effectiveness of career counseling on career decision-making self-efficacy and career adaptability of college students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 23(6), 1627-1638.
  7. Pan, J., Li, D., & Gao, W. (2020). The impact of career adaptability training on the employability of college students: A moderated mediation model of career decision-making self-efficacy and career anchors. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1424.
  8. Zhang, Y., & Perey, G.M. (2024). Career Planning: Its Implementation and Impact. Mathematical Modeling and Algorithm Application.
  9. Yan-hua, B. (2014). Development of career services in Chinese higher education. US-China Education Review B, 4, 331-343.
  10. Xiaoqing, Y., & Noordin, Z. M. (2024). Career readiness in Chinese universities: Challenges and opportunities in career guidance education. Journal of Digitainability, Realism & Mastery (DREAM), 3(05), 148-156.
  11. McCombes, S. (2022). Descriptive research. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/descriptive-research/
  12. Jiang, Y. (2024). Path of coordinated development of career planning education and employment guidance for college students. China's job (02) 71-73. The doi: 10.16622 / j.carol carroll nki. 11-3709 / d. 2024.02.023.
  13. Chi-Hung, L (2019). A Study of the Influence of Career Counseling and Guidance  Perception on the Employment Competencies of Design Students in Central Taiwan.
  14. Li, X. (2020). Research on the Influence Mechanism and Path of Career Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education on College Students' Entrepreneurial Intention (Doctoral Dissertation) University of International Business and Economics.
  15. McKenzie, S., Coldwell-Neilson, J., & Palmer, S. (2021). Integrating career development into an undergraduate IT curriculum at an Australian University. Education and information technologies, 26(5), 5971-5990.
  16. Aprinaldi, E., Yusuf, A. M., & Afdal, A. (2021). Super Life Span Theory and Its Implications in Career Guidance and Counseling in Schools. Jurnal Neo Konseling, 3(3), 46-49.
  17. Gati, I., & Kulcsár, V. (2021). Making better career decisions: From challenges to opportunities. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 126, 103545.
  18. Sultana, T., & Mahmud, M. K. (2020). Exploring the influential stimulators of career choice: An empirical assessment by exploratory factor analysis. Asian Journal of Empirical Research, 10(5), 137-149.
  19. Savickas, M. L. (2011). Constructing Careers: Actors, Agents, and Authors. Journal of Career Assessment, 19(3), 247-255.
  20. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2017). Social Cognitive Career Theory: A Review and Clarification. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(1), 79-94.
  21. Xin, L., Tang, F., Li, M., & Zhou, W. (2020, January 22). From School to Work: Improving Graduates’ Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 12(3), 804-804. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030804
  22. Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (2019). Social Cognitive Career Theory at 25: Progress in Studying the Domain Satisfaction and Career Self-Management Models. Journal of Career Assessment, 27(4), 563-578. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072719852736
  23. Jackson, D., & Tomlinson, M. (2022). The relative importance of work experience, extra-curricular and university-based activities on student employability. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(3), 602–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1901663
  24. Damodar, P., Shetty, A., & Dsouza, M. P. (2024). Crafting careers through theory-driven interventions: A scoping review of the utility of social cognitive career theory and career maturity inventory. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2024.2308081
  25. Tanau, F O., & Salim, R M A. (2020, August 28). Proactive personality and career decision self-efficacy: The mediating role of planned happenstance., 17(2), 123-123. https://doi.org/10.26555/humanitas.v17i2.13775
  26. Yang, L., & Wong, L. P. (2020). Career and life planning education: Extending the self-concept theory and its multidimensional model to assess career-related self-concept of students with diverse abilities. ECNU Review of Education, 3(4), 659-677.
  27. Makhloufi, L., Laghouag, A., Sahli, A A., & Bélaïd, F. (2021, May 12). Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Innovation Capability: The Mediating Role of Absorptive Capability and Organizational Learning Capabilities. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 13(10), 5399-5399. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105399
  28. Musneh, S N H., Ambad, S N A., & Roslin, R M. (2021, February 7). A review on Innovation and its Strategic Importance to the Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). , 6(2), 275-281. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v6i2.664
  29. Khan, S., & Mohiya, M. (2020, January 1). Determinants of SMEs employees’ creativity and their impact on innovation at workplac. Growing Science, 3865-3872. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2020.7.025
  30. Shirazi, F., & Heidari, S. (2019). The relationship between critical thinking skills and learning styles and academic achievement of nursing students. Journal of Nursing Research, 27(4), e34. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnr.0000000000000347
  31. Birdi, K S. (2020, May 28). Insights on impact from the development, delivery, and evaluation of the CLEAR IDEAS innovation training model. Taylor & Francis, 30(3), 400-414. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2020.1770854
  32. Kreuzer, C., & Weber, S. (2020, February 22). Apprentices’ Errors in Intrapreneurship: Findings from a Large-Scale Assessment. Springer Science+Business Media, 13(2), 341-366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-020-09241-5
  33. Chen, H., Tang, Y., & Han, J. (2022). Building students' entrepreneurial competencies in Chinese universities: Diverse learning environment, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurship education. Sustainability, 14(15), 9105. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159105
  34. Guo, Y., Zhang, Z., & Zhang, H. (2024). Inverted U-shaped influence of informal field-based learning on the continuous adoption of artificial intelligence technology. International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJCAT.2024.144666
  35. Liu, T., & Zhang, G. (2025). Employee leadership emergence and his/her own innovative behavior: Role-based emotional experience as mediator. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 443. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040443
  36. Caniago, A., & Rustanto, A E. (2022). The Effect of Career Development on Employee Performance (Case Study at CV Anggara Prima)., 19(2), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.31334/bijak.v19i2.2311
  37. Crişan, C., Pavelea, A., & Ghimbuluţ, O. (2015). A need assessment on students’ career guidance. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 180, 1022-1029.
  38. Jiang, Z., Newman, A., Le, H., Presbitero, A., & Zheng, C. (2019). Career exploration: A review and future research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 338-356.
  39. Nadelson, L. S., Palmer, A. D. N., Benton, T., Basnet, R., Bissonnette, M., Cantwell, L., ... & Lanci, S. (2018). Developing next generation of innovators: Teaching entrepreneurial mindset elements across disciplines. International Journal of Higher Education, 7(5), 114-126.

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic