The Study On The Career Choice Value And Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy In Chinese Master's Nursing Students

OBJECTIVES1. To test the applicability of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE) Scale in Master' nursing students.2. To describe the social-demographic characteristics, perception of career choice, CDMSE, perceived social support, career commitment, internal and external locus of control, trait anxiety in Master'nursing students.3. To analyze the structural relationship between CDMSE and possible related factors including perceived social support, career commitment, internal and external locus of control and trait anxiety by structural equation modeling and identify how these influencing factors effect career decision-making self-efficacy and their contributions to the model.4. To establish an effective set of feasible intervention for improving CDMSE of Chinese Master's nursing students and provide theoretical and practical evidence for tertiary nursing higher education and nursing constitutions in terms of training nursing talent and human resource management.5. To explore Master's nursing students' full perceptions of career choice and career decision-making process completely; to get an in-depth understanding of Master's nursing students'experiences in career choice, career value, philosophy of life, values, belief, attitude and psychological professional development process in qualitative research when analyzing the factors such as perception of career choice and career commitment that influence career decision-making of Master's nursing students by digging deep into quantitative research results; to consider Master's nursing students' professional development from a novel perspective.METHODS1. A model of Master's nursing students'CDMSE was tested using the structural equation modeling based on literature review and related theories.2. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the whole China with fulltime Master's nursing students between October2011and January2012. A total number of565Masters'nursing students were recruited from19colleges or universities in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, East China, South Central China, Southwest China using a multistage cluster stratified random sampling method. Data collecting instruments included social-demographic questionnaire designed by researcher, CDMSE Scale, Professional Commitment Questionnaire (PCQ) Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (I-E LOCS), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI). Software epidate was used for data input. SPSS13.0and Amos7.0was used for data analysis. Descriptive analysis, t-test, analysis of variance/co-variance, Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Pearson correlation analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Multiple Linear Regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were performed to analyze data.3. A phenomenological research approach was used focusing on examining experiences of career choice and value, belief, attitude and psychological changes of career decision-making. Using convenience sampling and purpose sampling18subjects (2male,16female) from previous quantitative research were involved in this qualitative research. Data were collected through semi-structural interview and observation. Guided by Colazzi's methodology, data consolidation and analysis was performed using NVIvo8.0.RESULTS1. Of the possible565respondents,545actually responded with the final response rate reaching94.6%.2. The Cronbach'a coefficients for CDMSE, PCQ, I-E LOCS, PSSS and TAI were0.963,0.917,0.758,0.911and0.897respectively.3. Multiple linear regression analysis results showed that CDMSE was predicated by grade, area, degree type, supervisor's help, trait anxiety, profession commitment, social support and internal and external locus of control.4. According to structural equation modeling, main pathways were as follows:social support to profession commitment (path coefficient=0.223), internal locus of control to social support (path coefficient=0.473), external locus of control to social support (path coefficient=-0.123), social support to trait anxiety (path coefficient=-0.663), internal locus of control to trait anxiety (path coefficient=-0.076), profession commitment to CDMSE (path coefficient=0.698), profession commitment to trait anxiety (path coefficient=0.428), profession commitment to CDMSE (path coefficient=0.261), trait anxiety to CDMSE(path coefficient=0.569), internal locus of control to CDMSE (path coefficient=0.431). The effectiveness of trait anxiety to CDMSE was the biggest one with total effect value-0.569which was completely direct; Effects of external locus of control and social support on CDMSE were completely indirect with effect value-0.441and0.418respectively; Effects of internal locus of control and profession commitment on CDMSE were0.412(direct effect=0.341and indirect effect=0.071) and0.505(direct effect=0.261and indirect effect=0.224), respectively.5. Results of interview data analysis presented that career choice value varied with different subjects and was influenced by personal family background, social life experience and education background and so forth. Theme clusters emerged as the following:career motivation, profession perception, career perception, career expectation, challenge and disadvantages of career choice, obtained support and further need in the career choice process.CONCLUSIONS1. Good reliability and validity are demonstrated in terms of the measure instruments used in this study including CDMSE, PCQ, I-E LOCS, PSSS and TAI. Those instruments can be used in graduate students.2. The levels of CDMSE in Master's nursing students are mostly moderate but it varies from one subject to another with great variation in subject population. There are many factors influencing CDMSE including area, supervisor's help, career guidance, perceived social support, trait anxiety, profession commitment and internal and external locus of control etc.3. The goodness-of-fit index indicates that that structural equation model of CDMSE fits very well and it can be beneficial to nursing education, nursing management and related fields in terms of maximizing CDMSE with many interventions including raising the level of profession commitment, providing social support, conducting internal attribution and focusing on anxiety etc.4. Master's nursing students have strong career choice motivations and their career choices are diverse and complex and suggest reasonable match to the realistic society. This research results can enlighten nursing educators and nursing leaders on the concern about negative perceptions of Master's nursing students in career choice value in case that it would be potential risks to nursing talent retention.