career adaptability

Background: Fresh graduates face an increasingly difficult school-to-work transition, while artificial intelligence (AI) has become a routine study and job-search companion; yet how the intention to use AI translates into employability, and through which mechanisms, remains unclear. Objective: Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this study tests whether behavioral intention to use AI is associated with self-perceived graduate employability directly and indirectly through career adaptability and job search self-efficacy, and whether AI self-efficacy and AI trust moderate these paths. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 612 Indonesian fresh graduates who use AI for career preparation was analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results: AI use intention positively predicted career adaptability (β = 0.305) and job search self-efficacy (β = 0.249), and both resources predicted self-perceived employability. The indirect paths through both resources were significant, and a direct effect of AI use intention on employability remained, indicating partial mediation. AI self-efficacy and AI trust showed significant main effects on their resources, while the interaction-related indirect effects were not significant. Conclusion: AI use intention is associated with self-perceived employability through career adaptability and job search self-efficacy. The cross-sectional findings do not establish causality. Educational institutions and career-service units may use these findings to inform structured AI-supported occupational exploration, skills-gap analysis, résumé refinement, and interview rehearsal, while encouraging critical verification of AI outputs.

Introduction Admission scores predict college performance, but engagement may alter this association. We tested learning engagement as a protective moderator and examined related indirect associations. Methods: We matched admission records, a May–June 2026 survey, and same-semester grades extracted July 13, 2026 for 491 Chinese vocational college students; the survey-to-extraction interval was 14–45 days. Results Engagement weakened the admission-score–achievement association ( B = −0.263, p < 0.001; standardized interaction = −0.144, 95% bootstrap CI [−0.214, −0.071]; ΔR 2 = 0.021). The high-engagement slope was imprecise ( B = 0.099, p = 0.078), not demonstrated to be zero; 18.1% of students exceeded the Johnson–Neyman threshold. Self-efficacy showed cross-sectional indirect associations with achievement (ab = 0.321, 95% bootstrap CI [0.232, 0.416]) and career adaptability (ab = 0.153, 95% bootstrap CI [0.106, 0.202]) through engagement. Teacher support modestly moderated the engagement–achievement association ( B = 0.348, p = 0.025; ΔR 2 = 0.009). Results remained stable in integrated and course-adjusted analyses. Discussion Engagement was associated with weaker dependence of achievement on admission scores, but the interactions were small and observational. The indirect pathways and teacher-support interaction require independent replication.

مقدمه: نمرات پذیرش پیش‌بینی‌کننده عملکرد دانشگاهی هستند، اما درگیری یادگیری ممکن است این ارتباط را تغییر دهد. در این پژوهش، نقش تعدیل‌کنندگی محافظتی درگیری یادگیری و ارتباطات غیرمستقیم مرتبط مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. روش‌ها: داده‌های ثبت‌نام، پرسشنامه‌ای در بازه اردیبهشت تا خرداد ۲۰۲۶ و نمرات همان نیم‌سال که در ۱۳ تیر ۲۰۲۶ استخراج شد، برای ۴۹۱ دانشجوی چینی کالج‌های فنی‌وحرفه‌ای مطابقت داده شد؛ فاصله زمانی بین تکمیل پرسشنامه تا استخراج نمرات ۱۴ تا ۴۵ روز بود. یافته‌ها: درگیری یادگیری ارتباط بین نمره پذیرش و موفقیت را تضعیف کرد (B = −0.263, p < 0.001؛ تعامل استانداردشده = −0.144، فاصله اطمینان بوت‌استرپ ۹۵٪ [−0.214, −0.071]؛ ΔR2 = 0.021). شیب درگیری بالا دقیق نبود (B = 0.099, p = 0.078) و صفر بودن آن اثبات نشد؛ ۱۸.۱٪ از دانشجویان از آستانه Johnson–Neyman فراتر رفتند. خودکارآمدی ارتباطات غیرمستقیم مقطعی با موفقیت (ab = 0.321، فاصله اطمینان بوت‌استرپ ۹۵٪ [0.232, 0.416]) و سازگاری شغلی (ab = 0.153، فاصله اطمینان بوت‌استرپ ۹۵٪ [0.106, 0.202]) از طریق درگیری یادگیری نشان داد. حمایت معلم به طور متوسط ارتباط بین درگیری یادگیری و موفقیت را تعدیل کرد (B = 0.348, p = 0.025؛ ΔR2 = 0.009). نتایج در تحلیل‌های یکپارچه و تعدیل‌شده بر اساس درس پایدار باقی ماند. بحث: درگیری یادگیری با وابستگی کمتر موفقیت به نمرات پذیرش همراه بود، اما تعامل‌ها کوچک و مشاهده‌ای بودند. مسیرهای غیرمستقیم و تعامل حمایت معلم نیازمند تکرار مستقل هستند.