Parallel Mediation Analysis of Self-Efficacy and Career Aspiration in the Relationship between Achievement Motivation and Employability
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between achievement motivation and employability, with self-efficacy and career aspiration as mediators, among final-year students in the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Negeri Semarang. The research explores how psychological mechanisms connect motivation and employability within the university context. A quantitative method was applied using data from 315 students, analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The model showed strong reliability and validity, with factor loadings above 0.70 and composite reliability exceeding 0.90. The findings indicate that achievement motivation significantly affects self-efficacy, career aspiration, and employability. Both self-efficacy and career aspiration have significant effects on employability and mediate the relationship between motivation and employability, with career aspiration showing a stronger contribution. The results highlight how internal motivation and future orientation shape employable behavior and readiness for professional demands, providing theoretical and practical insights for higher education in enhancing students’ motivation and career development.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Aisyawati, M. S., Suryaratri, R. D., & Akbar, Z. (2024). International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding Self-regulated learning and Self-Perceived Employability : Causality Analysis in Final Year Students. 490–499.
Akayuure, F. A., & Akayuure, P. (2024). Examining fresh students’ achievement motivation and self-efficacy towards learning high school mathematics. Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education, 5(2), ep24012. https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/14691
Almeida, L. S., Kumar, T., Pozo-rico, T., Pu, R., Li, X., Rattanakosin, T., & Pathom, N. (2022). The influence of achievement motivation on college students ’ employability : A chain mediation analysis of self-efficacy and academic performance. (October), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.972910
Anees, S. (2021). Achievement Motivation and Perceived Employability Amongst Prospective Teachers of Graduate Teacher Education Program. 9(4), 4–10.
Ayvaz, Ahmet, & Elhatip, Yaser Emir. (2025). From Perseverance of Effort to Perceived Employability in First-Generation College Students: The Mediating Role of Career Adaptability and Career Engagement. Journal of Career Assessment, 10690727251313788. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727251313789
Bala, M. H. (2025). Achievement Motivation as a Predictor of Career Decision Making : A Study on Himachal Pradesh Students. 3(7), 2032–2038.
Baluku, M. M., Mugabi, E. N., Nansamba, J., Matagi, L., Onderi, P., & Otto, K. (2021). Psychological Capital and Career Outcomes among Final Year University Students: the Mediating Role of Career Engagement and Perceived Employability. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 6(1), 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41042-020-00040-w
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Self-efficacy: The exercise of control., hal. ix, 604–ix, 604. New York, NY, US: W H Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.
BPS. (2025). Tingkat Pengangguran Terbuka (TPT) sebesar 4,76 persen, Rata-rata Upah Buruh sebesar 3,09 Juta Rupiah. Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS). Diambil dari https://www.bps.go.id/id/pressrelease/2025/05/05/2432/tingkat-pengangguran-terbuka--tpt--sebesar-4-76-persen--rata-rata-upah-buruh-sebesar-3-09-juta-rupiah-.html
Brown, S. D., & Lent, R. W. (2013). Social cognitive model of career self-management: Toward a unifying view of adaptive career behavior across the life span. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(4), 557–568.
Chen, D. (2023). Study on the Achievement Motivation and Employability of Higher Vocational College Students—An Empirical Analysis Based on a Medical and Healthcare Vocational College in Guangzhou. Adult and Higher Education, 5(15), 123–126. https://doi.org/10.23977/aduhe.2023.051519
Cheng, M., Adekola, O., Albia, J., & Cai, S. (2022). Employability in higher education: a review of key stakeholders’ perspectives. Higher Education Evaluation and Development, 16(1), 16–31. https://doi.org/10.1108/heed-03-2021-0025
Chigbu, B. I., & Nekhwevha, F. H. (2022). Academic-faculty environment and graduate employability: variation of work-readiness perceptions. Heliyon, 8(3), e09117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09117
Cole, D., Alberto, J., Trigoso, C., Caro, O. C., Marín, Y. R., Luis, J., & Guevara, M. (2025). Career paths and university education : factors that determine the employment status of university graduates. (October), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1664249
Dong, J., Hassan, N. C., Hassan, A. Bin, Chen, D., & Guo, W. (2024). Effect of Achievement Motivation and Self-Efficacy on General Well-Being among Students at Normal Universities in Ningxia: The Mediating Role of Time Management. Behavioral Sciences, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14010015
Ergün, M., & Şeşen, H. (2021). A Comprehensive Study on University Students’ Perceived Employability: Comparative Effects of Personal and Contextual Factors. SAGE Open, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211036105
Gottfredson, L. S. (1981). Circumscription and compromise: A developmental theory of occupational aspirations. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28(6), 545–579. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.28.6.545
Gregor, M. A., & O’Brien, K. M. (2016). Understanding Career Aspirations Among Young Women: Improving Instrumentation. Journal of Career Assessment, 24(3), 559–572. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072715599537
Hair Jr, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2021). Partial Least (PLS-SEM) Using R Equation Modeling Squares Structural. In Springer (Vol. 30).
Hasan, M., Alam, M. J., & Sharmin, D. (2024). The role of higher education for sustainable employment in Bangladesh. Discover Sustainability, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00778-2
Kassa, E. T. (2023). Exploring Employability of Business Graduates: Evidence from Woldia University. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(2), 1033–1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-021-00856-0
Kausar, T., Kausar, T., Fatima, F., Naureen, A., Yasmeen, S., Noreen, S., … Ahmad, F. (2024). Analysis of Achievement , Motivation and Self-Ef cacy among Undergraduate Nursing Students. 98–102.
Koo, M., & Yang, S. (2025). Likert-Type Scale. 1–11.
Lai, J. W., Zhang, L., Sze, C. C., & Lim, F. S. (2025). Learning Analytics for Bridging the Skills Gap: A Data-Driven Study of Undergraduate Aspirations and Skills Awareness for Career Preparedness. Education Sciences, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010040
Lang, J. W. B., & Fries, S. (2006). A revised 10-item version of the achievement motives scale: Psychometric properties in German-speaking samples. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22(3), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.22.3.216
Li, X., Pu, R., & Liao, H. (2022). The impacts of innovation capability and social adaptability on undergraduates ’ employability : The role of self-efficacy. (November), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954828
Li, X., Pu, R., & Phakdeephirot, N. (2024). The interrelationships between emotional intelligence, achievement motivation and students’ employability: exploring the mediating effect of self-efficacy. Education + Training, 66(7), 738–754. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-12-2021-0464
Lisá, E., Sokolová, L., & Jablonická, P. (2023). Motivation to succeed is not enough : motivated students need to know how to plan / organize their steps on their way to success. (June), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119409
Ma, Y., Hou, L., Cai, W., Gao, X., & Jiang, L. (2024). Linking undergraduates ’ future work self and employability : a moderated mediation model. BMC Psychology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01530-1
Mudzar, N. M. B. M., & Chew, K. W. (2022). Change in Labour Force Skillset for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Literature Review. International Journal of Technology, 13(5), 969–978. https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v13i5.5875
Rothwell, A., Jewell, S., & Hardie, M. (2009). Self-perceived employability: Investigating the responses of post-graduate students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75(2), 152–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2009.05.002
Schettino, G., Marino, L., & Capone, V. (2022). The Impact of University-Related Variables on Students ’ Perceived Employability and Mental Well-Being : An Italian Longitudinal Study.
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Ed.), Measures in Health Psychology: A User’s Portfolio. Causal and Control Beliefs (hal. 35–37). Windsor, UK: NFER-NELSON.
Sony, M., & Mekoth, N. (2022). Employee adaptability skills for Industry 4.0 success: a road map. Production and Manufacturing Research, 10(1), 24–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2022.2035281
Tan, J., Li, J., & Yi, X. (2025). How Can General Self-Efficacy Facilitate Undergraduates’ Employability? A Multiple Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040514
Tight, M. (2023). Employability: a core role of higher education? Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 28(4), 551–571. https://doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2023.2253649
Wang, D., Guo, D., Song, C., Hao, L., & Qiao, Z. (2022). General Self-Efficacy and Employability Among Financially Underprivileged Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Achievement Motivation and Career Aspirations. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(January), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719771
Zhou, D., Peng, Z., & Zhou, H. (2023). The influence of career decision-making self-efficacy on employability of higher vocational students: mediated by emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Education, 8(December). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1274430