The Relationship Between Career Exploration and Career Maturity Among University Students in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: A Moderated Mediation Model

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_12How to use a DOI?

Keywords

University Students; Career Exploration; Career Maturity; Mediation Model; Social Cognitive Career Theory

Abstract

Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory, this research probes the psychological pathway from career exploration to career maturity in undergraduates studying within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The study tests a model in which commitment to one’s academic major serves as a mediator and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) acts as a moderator. Using convenience sampling, questionnaires were sent to 650 students at 13 higher education institutions in Guangdong, and 595 valid answers were collected. Key results showed that: (1) career exploration positively forecasts career maturity; (2) career exploration positively predicts major commitment; (3) major commitment promotes career maturity; (4) major commitment partially mediates the link between career exploration and career maturity; (5) CDMSE strengthens the effect of major commitment on career maturity, thereby also amplifying the indirect channel “Career Exploration → Major Commitment → Career Maturity.” These findings illuminate the underlying logic of university students’ career growth and offer practical insights for career guidance in higher education.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Lingna Wu
AU  - Lin Ruan
AU  - Zhonghui Cao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
TI  - The Relationship Between Career Exploration and Career Maturity Among University Students in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: A Moderated Mediation Model
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 4th International Conference on Management Innovation and Economy Development (MIED 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 92
EP  - 99
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_12
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-787-3_12
ID  - Wu2026
ER  -