Understanding the career decision making of university students enrolled in STEM disciplines

This study investigated why university students choose to major in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine/health (STEM(M)) disciplines, and how their study and career-related confidence compares with that of their peers. The study engaged 12,576 students enrolled at Australian universities. The findings suggest that STEM(M) students’ career decision making is guided by their interest in the subject and their intentions to help people. Within the STEM(M) cohort, students in medicine and health were more confident in their career decision making than either their STEM or non-STEM(M) peers. Of interest, they were less aware of alternative career pathways and less prepared to reorient their careers should this be necessary. Female students reported greater confidence than male students in their career decision making, career identity, and career commitment. Implications include the need for career narratives beyond the STEM industries and for career development initiatives that are mindful of disciplinary and gendered differences.

Turnover among medical clowns early in their career

In recent years, several investigations of the medical clowning profession have appeared in the literature. However, few studies have focused on factors associated with turnover among medical clowns early in their careers. The current study examined whether individual differences in humor disposition predicted turnover behavior. Participants were 111 medical clowns in a three-phase longitudinal study. Humor disposition was measured in the first week of their training, clowns' job satisfaction two months later, and turnover six months after that. Results showed that humor appreciation decreased actual turnover through the mediating role of job satisfaction, whereas individual differences in humor creation directly decreased turnover. In addition, previous traumatic experiences moderated the associations between humor appreciation and turnover. Overall, our research findings support the notion that humor disposition can help predict which clowns remain in the hospital.

Addressing employability challenges of business graduates in Bangladesh: Evidence from an emerging economy perspective

This study aimed to explore and address the employability challenges of business graduates in the higher education sector in Bangladesh. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed applying thematic analysis (N = 35, 77% male, mean age = 34 years). Findings revealed that skill gaps, lack of quality education system, quality teachers, industry-university collaboration, backdated course curriculum, and corruption are important challenges for graduate employability in Bangladesh. The study suggests improving communication skills, updating course curriculum, curbing institutional corruption, limiting student-teacher politics, hiring and promoting quality teachers, and industry-university collaboration as strategies to improve graduate employability. The findings may help employers, managers, graduates, academics, and policymakers in the higher education sector to identify and address graduate employability challenges in an emerging economy such as Bangladesh.

A five-decade review of gender-based occupational segregation: A bibliometric study of influential authors, institutions, and research clusters

Despite the proliferation of occupational segregation research, only a limited amount has explored it from a gender perspective. The attention that has been given is widely scattered and requires an analysis to identify the major works undertaken and the changes over time. This study aimed to examine and assimilate articles published on gender-based occupational segregation through a bibliometric analysis. The study examined 512 articles published from the early 1970s to 2020 that were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The findings suggest that gender and occupational segregation remain an extensive field of research, although this research comes mainly from North American and European countries. The low representation from developing countries indicates that more research is needed based on these different socio-cultural settings. This study identified three dominant research clusters, namely gendered organisational structures and systems, measurement of occupational segregation, and wage differential. Studies also covered areas including conceptualization, LGBTQ issues, and the role of legislation and institutions in reducing workplace inequalities; thus, providing a direction for scholars and practitioners.

The relationship between locus of control and hope in adolescents: The mediating role of career and talent development self-efficacy

Adolescence is a period that plays a crucial role in career development. Understanding the psychological structures associated with a career can help to better understand adolescents’ career development. The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of career and talent development self-efficacy in the relationship between adolescents’ locus of control and the construct of children’s hope. The study group was composed of 354 adolescents including 170 females and 184 males. The mean age of participants was 14.3 years. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the mediating role of career and talent development self-efficacy in the relationship between locus of control and children's hope. It was concluded that career and talent development self-efficacy had a mediating role in the relationship between locus of control and children’s hope. Mental health professionals and educators who carry out locus of control or hope-based interventions are recommended to pay attention to the mediating role of self-efficacy.

Determining factors of labour market outcomes for recently graduated, underrepresented college students

This study examined the factors that determined labour market outcomes for recently graduated, underrepresented college students. Chile’s largest higher education institution, which has a significant number of first-generation students from more deprived social sectors, was considered. A quantitative methodology was applied using logistic and multinomial regression models. Occupational status and income level were chosen as the dependent variables and five dimensions of independent variables were considered: sociodemographic attributes, human capital, academic characteristics, personality traits, and work environment. The results indicated that males, graduates who worked during their studies, heads of households, graduates from technical-professional high schools, those who completed their higher education studies in a timely manner, those who worked for larger private companies, and those who worked in a different geographical region to the one in which they studied had better labour market outcomes. Suggestions for institutional practices to help underrepresented students have successful career transitions are discussed.

Lean in? The role of single sex schools in the gendering of confidence in high school adolescents

Structural inequalities and stereotypes are held out as explanations for gender differences in reported levels of confidence. However, while it is reported that in the absence of stereotypes women and men should possess identical levels of self-confidence, no study to date has tested this hypothesis. Single sex schools were identified as an environment where structural bias might be mitigated. From a survey of 9,414 Australian adolescents aged 13–17 years attending single sex high schools, no significant difference in overall self-efficacy was identified between genders. Overall, by age cohort there was no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ self-efficacy, with a minor exception of the 15 years cohort. Self-efficacy levels were linked to participation in team sport and undertaking leadership roles. The study provides the first large scale study that demonstrates that women are no less confident than men under conditions where gendered structures are mitigated by their environment.

Entrepreneurship and self-employment for mature-aged people

Not only do Australian mature-aged entrepreneurs contribute $11.9 billion per annum to the Australian economy in over 379,000 businesses, they launch approximately 14,000 new businesses each year and actively contribute to fiscal, social, health, and active ageing outcomes in their communities. Thirty-four per cent of all young businesses in Australia are now led by mature-aged entrepreneurs, identifying mature-aged entrepreneurship as the fastest growing sector of entrepreneurship. This study is the first of its kind to examine mature-aged entrepreneurship in Australia using five pragmatic and embedded case-study examples. Aligning to Cartensen's sociomotional selection theory, we adopted an interpretivist philosphical framework of emergent enquiry action research. The paper includes benefits and challenges associated with mature-aged entrepreneurship, including contextual and theoretical foundations. We provide policy and research recommendations to enhance the development of a dedicated entrepreneurial ecosystem for mature-aged people.

LGBTQ+ youth: Careers threats and interventions

In an era of rapid development, the world is showing greater openness towards diversity and inclusiveness. There is also an increasing amount of career-related research that has shed light on the LGBTQ+ population. Still, the literature reports many career issues that concern young LGBTQ+ individuals. The current article aimed to highlight the contributing issues that might impact young LGBTQ+ groups’ career development, mental health, and well-being – in particular, the issues of workplace hostility, the costs of self-identity disclosure, self-identity confusion, and inadequate career counselling and guidance services. These issues are discussed through the lens of three major career theories: Super’s life-span, life-space theory, Gottfredson’s circumscription and compromise theory, and Krumboltz’s social learning theory. The aim was to equip career counsellors with a better understanding of the challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth and to suggest potentially useful interventions.

Schematic analysis of job application letters by Malaysian graduates

This study applied a “moves analysis” approach to examine job application letters written by 25 Malaysian graduates obtained from an outsourcing organisation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The letters were analysed as to whether they adhered to the seven aspects of the “moves structure” used to analyse job applications (i.e. establishing credentials, introducing candidate, detailing advantages, enclosing relevant documents, ending appropriately, offering incentives, and using pressure tactics). Additionally, interviews were held with five human resource managers from five different organisations. From the interviews, the managers emphasised that it was important that job application letters should contain at least five of the seven moves from the framework. The findings obtained revealed that Malaysian graduates employed five out of the seven strategies from the moves structure and had covered the basic format of the job application letter. Most applicants omitted Move 5 (using pressure tactics), but the findings suggest that this variation did not hinder the communicative purpose of the letters.