Does socioeconomic status shape young people's goal revision processes in the face of negative career feedback?

• Published in: Journal of vocational behavior Vol. 110; pp. 89 - 101
• Main Authors: Hu, Shi, Creed, Peter A., Hood, Michelle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Elsevier Inc 01.02.2019; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Career development planning; Career feedback; Careers; Correlation analysis; Feedback; Goal revision; Goal setting; Occupational self-efficacy; Social cognitive career theory; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic status; Occupational self-efficacy; Socioeconomic status; Goal revision; Social cognitive career theory; Career feedback
• ISSN: 0001-8791; 1095-9084
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2018.11.011

Based on social cognitive career theory and general self-regulation theories, we examined the relationships between negative career feedback (on goal suitability and goal progress) and goal revision intentions (for goal disengagement and lowering career goals), and tested the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy and the moderating role of socioeconomic status (both objective and subjective SES). Using a sample of 244 college students (73% female; Mage = 19.28 years), we found that both negative feedback types related to greater intentions to disengage from, and lower goals, via lower occupational self-efficacy. Higher objective SES strengthened the relationships between negative feedback on goal suitability and goal revision intentions, while higher subjective SES weakened these relationships indirectly via occupational self-efficacy. In addition, both higher objective and subjective SES weakened the relationships between negative feedback on goal progress and intentions to lower goals. Contrary to expectation, SES did not moderate the relationship between negative feedback on goal progress and goal disengagement intentions, nor did it moderate the indirect relationships between this type of feedback and both forms of goal revision intention via occupational self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of SES and occupational self-efficacy in young people's self-regulation processes when confronted with negative career feedback about either goal suitability or progress. •Negative feedback related to greater intentions of goal disengagement•Negative feedback related to greater intentions of lowering goals•Occupational self-efficacy mediated between negative feedback and goal revision•Higher SES strengthened the link of feedback on goal suitability and goal revision•Higher SES buffered the link of feedback on goal progress and lowering goals