The Role of Institutional Information Support in College Students' Career Exploration

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: College Student Experiences and Outcomes: Core Curriculum, Career Exploration, Degree Completion (Table 3)

Abstract

When college students engage in academic and career exploration, the types of resources available to them can affect their choices and outcomes. While prior research building on social cognitive career theory has primarily studied social support resources, we examine the role of information support. Specifically, we study a technological approach to provide students with reliable, representative information about historical course enrollment and first-destination career records. We conducted a randomized field experiment with 234 college students to test how it affects self-efficacy in career exploration. Our findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of information support in career exploration and the practical development of scalable tools to support students' career decision-making.

Author

• Youjie Chen, Cornell University