AUTHOR=Zhao Xiaoyun , Huang Shun , Shi Chaofan 

TITLE=The effect of parental and teacher autonomy support and core self-evaluations: a three-wave longitudinal study of middle students’ career adaptability

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404478

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404478

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Introduction: As articulated by the career construction theory, middle students are in a critical phase of growth and exploration that necessitates introspection about their interests, values, and aspirations. Career adaptability is the core indicator to measure the career development of middle students and the key ability to achieve career success. Research indicates that many Chinese middle students face significant hurdles in their career development, including a lack of motivation, limited self-awareness, and unclear career trajectories.Objective: To address these challenges, it is imperative to explore the factors influencing career adaptability, particularly the role of parent and teacher autonomy support within the framework of self-determination theory. This study aims to explore the correlation between parent autonomy support (PAS), teacher autonomy support (TAS), core self-evaluations (CSE), and the career adaptability (CA) of middle students.The longitudinal data for this study were collected from two middle schools located in Anhui. Middle students were chosen as the research participants through a cluster sampling method. A total of 482 students were surveyed in three stages over a one-year period, and a cross-lag model was developed.(1) From T1 to T2, T1PAS could predict T2CS, T1CSE could predict T2CA, and T1CA could predict T2TA; (2) From T2 to T3, T2PAS could predict T3CS, T2CSE could predict T3CA, and T2TAS could predict T3PAS; (3) TAS did not forecast CSE and CA over time; (4) T2CSE had a mediating effect between T1PAS and T3CA.Discussion: This study suggests that the autonomy support exerts a consistent positive influence on the career development of early adolescents. Valuing children's autonomy is beneficial for fostering positive self-evaluations and shaping their career trajectories.Conclusions: Autonomy support could directly enhance middle students' career adaptability and further foster career development by bolstering core self-evaluations. Additionally, the effect of parent autonomy support is more stable than that of teacher autonomy support.