Linking career construction styles to career adaptability among university students

A canonical correlation analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID15697250
AuthorsOlcay Yılmaz (0000-0003-4740-3782, TED University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume14
Issue1
Publication date2026-03-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMC Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2050-7283 • E-ISSN: 2050-7283
PublisherBioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1186/s40359-026-04391-y
PMID41851823
OpenAlexW7138910874
LanguageEN
References cited48

This study investigates the relationship between university students’ career construction styles and their career adaptability using Career Construction Theory (CCT) as a guiding framework. Career construction styles—crystallizing, exploring, and deciding—were examined in relation to the adaptability dimensions of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. This study utilized a quantitative, correlational research approach to investigate the association between university students’ career construction styles and their career adaptability resources. Canonical correlation analysis was chosen as the principal statistical method, with the first variable set encompassing three dimensions of career construction (Crystallizing, Exploring, and Deciding), and the second variable set consisting of four dimensions of career adaptability (Concern, Control, Curiosity, and Confidence). This study utilized a “Personal Information Form” together with the “Student Career Construction Inventory” and “Career Adaptability Scale” as instruments for collecting data and a cohort of 780 Turkish university students participated in research. Among the career construction dimensions, Crystallizing and Deciding showed the highest structure coefficients within the canonical variate representing Career Construction Styles. However, the proportion of variance in one set associated with the canonical variate of the other set was modest, suggesting that while these forms of behaviour contribute meaningfully to adaptability. Among adaptability resources, concern demonstrated the most substantial canonical loading, indicating that students who are able to define vocational identities and make informed career decisions tend to display stronger future orientation. Although the canonical correlation was statistically significant, redundancy indices indicated a modest proportion of variance in one variable set that is associated with the canonical variate derived from the other set, underscoring the multifaceted nature of career adaptability. These findings reinforce the value of fostering vocational identity formation and decision-making skills in enhancing students’ adaptability, particularly during school-to-work transitions. The study offers implications for culturally informed career counseling interventions and emphasizes the need for longitudinal and multi-method approaches in future research to capture the dynamic interplay between career construction and adaptability

Adaptability · Canonical analysis · Canonical correlation · Career development · Correlation · Explained variation · Set (abstract data type · Structural equation modeling · Variance (accounting · Career Development and Diversity · Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Higher Education and Employability

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