The Role of Senior University Students’ Career Adaptability in Predicting Their Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine whether career adaptability and career adaptability subscales of senior undergraduates could predict subjective well-being.  The research was a descriptive correlational study which was conducted on 310 senior students (173 women, 137 men) in a state-funded university on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and participants participated in this study voluntarily. Participants ranged in age between 20 and 28 years. Career Adaptability Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were used as data collection tools in this study. Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Analysis, Simple Regression Analysis, and finally Multiple Regression Analysis were performed to examine the effect of the total score of career adaptability and subscale scores of careers adaptability of senior undergraduate students on subjective well-being. All analyses were conducted using the SPSS version 20.0. The findings of the research showed that career adaptability predicts the subjective well-being of university senior students. Control as a subscale of career adaptability was found to be the strongest predictive variable for subjective well-being among senior university students. Concern and confidence as subscales of career adaptability were found to be other predictive variables of subjective well-being in this study. However, curiosity as a subscale was not found to be a predictor of subjective well-being. These findings are discussed through career construction theory.