Structural Relationships Between Classroom Culture, Motivation, Carrer interest, Self-Efficacy, and Career Planning in Chinese Secondary Vocational Education
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to construct and validate a structural model that explains the influence of Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, Carrer interest, and Self-Efficacy on Career Planning among secondary vocational students in mainland China. A total of 807 valid questionnaires were collected from a provincial demonstration vocational school using a combination of stratified cluster sampling and convenience sampling. Established measurement scales were adapted for the Chinese vocational education context, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Structural equation modeling results indicated that Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, and Carrer interest had significant positive effects on Self-Efficacy, which subsequently exerted a significant positive effect on Career Planning, demonstrating its mediating role in linking contextual and motivational factors with career outcomes. Classroom Culture Construction, Learning Motivation, Carrer interest, and Self-Efficacy all demonstrated significant positive effects on Career Planning, with Learning Motivation showing the strongest predictive strength among all variables. Differential analysis revealed that gender, grade level, and academic self-evaluation produced significant differences in some of the core variables. By integrating classroom environmental factors with individual psychological resources within a unified framework, this study extends existing career planning models that primarily emphasize personal traits and highlights the combined influence of educational context and internal motivation on students’ career development. The study highlights the importance of cultivating supportive classroom culture, enhancing learning motivation, fostering carrer interest, and strengthening self-efficacy to improve students’ career planning.
Highlights
• Learning motivation was the strongest predictor of career planning among secondary vocational students.
• Classroom culture construction significantly enhanced self-efficacy and career planning.
• Self-efficacy partially mediated the effects of classroom culture, learning motivation, and career interest on career planning.
Article Details

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Copyright: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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