Effects of parental expectations and cultural-values orientation on career decision-making difficulties of Chinese University students

doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.08.004

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Volume 78, Issue 1, February 2011, Pages 11-20

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2010.08.004 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study examined the effects of cultural-values conflict and parental expectations on the career decision-making difficulties of university students in three cities in China (Beijing, Wuhan, and Hong Kong, N = 1342). The Multidimensional Scales of Individual Traditionality and Modernity (Yang, Yu, & Ye, 1989) were used as a measure of cultural-values conflict and cultural orientation. The Living-Up-to Parental Expectation Inventory (Wang & Heppner, 2002) was used to measure parental expectations. The Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (Gati & Saka, 2001) was used as a dependent measure. It was found that levels of cultural-value conflict were associated with higher levels of career decision-making difficulties for students in the Chinese Mainland cities but not for students in Hong Kong. Perceived parental expectations and perceived self-performance in the expected areas were found to be predictive of career decision-making difficulties. Cultural-value orientation, especially endorsement of Chinese traditional values, was found to moderate the relationship between parental expectation and career decision-making difficulties. Theoretical, research and practical implications of findings were discussed.

Section snippets

Relational considerations and parental expectations

An important theoretical position of this study is that career choice and development should be examined in the context of the close relationships that characterize Chinese communities. Many vocational researchers have underscored the importance of conceptualizing studies that examine the interface between work and relationships (e.g., Blustein, 2001, Keller and Whiston, 2008, Richardson, 1993, Whiston and Keller, 2004). In a seminal article on work and relationships, Blustein (2001) asserted

Cultural-values conflict and cultural orientation

A second conceptual theme examined in this study is Chinese cultural-values conflict and cultural orientation. Economic globalization and rapid advancement in information technology have accelerated the speed of social and cultural transformation in Chinese communities in Asia. Whereas the traditional cultural pillars of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism still maintain a strong foothold in these communities, individuals are also exposed to Western cultural values in their everyday lives.

Career decision-making difficulties of Chinese university students

A third broad conceptual theme underlying this study was career decision-making difficulties among Chinese university students. The rapid social, economic, and educational reforms undertaken in China in the past two decades have transformed the Chinese labor and employment market, resulting in structural changes in career opportunities available to university graduates (Zhang, Hu, & Pope, 2002). There are two contextual themes worth noting. First, for a long period of time since the beginning

Research hypotheses

Three research hypotheses were examined in this study. First, Chinese individuals have been increasingly exposed to Western cultural values, and along with the co-existence of traditional Chinese cultural values in their belief system, they are likely to experience varying degree of cultural-values conflict when they approach important life decisions (Leung and Chen, 2009, Yang, 1996, Yang, 2003), including career-related decisions. Accordingly, we hypothesize that those Chinese university

Participants

Participants of this study (N = 1342) were university students in Hong Kong (275 male and 369 female), Beijing (119 male and 152 female), and Wuhan (252 male and 175 female). Participants were recruited from several major comprehensive universities in the three cities. Hong Kong adopted a three-year university education system, 58.2% of participants were first-year students, 19.3% were second year second-year students, and 17.4% were third-year students. The Chinese Mainland adopted a four-year

Regional and gender differences in career decision-making difficulties

The means and standard deviations of the three CDDQ cluster scores (Readiness, Lack of Information, and Inconsistent Information) by Chinese cities are presented in Table 2. We performed a multiple analysis of variance procedure (MANOVA) to examine if there were gender and regional (Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong) differences on the CDDQ scores. The main effect for gender was not significant, but the main effect for region was significant (Wilks lambda = 0.98, F (3, 1336) = 9.70, p < .001, Partial

Discussion

Yang, 1996, Yang, 2003 and other scholars (e.g., Hwang, 2009, Leung and Chen, 2009) observed that Chinese individuals today have to accommodate Chinese traditional cultural values and Western modern values simultaneously within their systems. The co-existence of these cultural values allows the individual to respond to demands and opportunities surfacing in different facets of their life structure, including but not limited to work, education, relationship, and leisure activities (Chen, 2009).

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by a research grant from the Hong Kong Research Grants Committee (Grant# CUHK4623/05H) to the first author as Principal Investigator, and the second and third author as Co-Investigators.

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Effects of parental expectations and cultural-values orientation on career decision-making difficulties of Chinese University students

Abstract

Section snippets

Relational considerations and parental expectations

Cultural-values conflict and cultural orientation

Career decision-making difficulties of Chinese university students

Research hypotheses

Participants

Regional and gender differences in career decision-making difficulties

Discussion

Acknowledgment

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Journal of Vocational Behavior

International handbook of career guidance

The interface of work and relationships: Critical knowledge for 21st century psychology

The Counseling Psychologist

A counseling model of self-relation coordination for Chinese clients with interpersonal conflicts

The Counseling Psychologist

High school students' career-related decision-making difficulties

Journal of Counseling and Development

A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making

Journal of Counseling Psychology

Counseling in China: Fast moving, but what is the destination?

The development of indigenous counseling in contemporary Confucian communities

The Counseling Psychologist

The role of parental influences on young adolescents' career development

Journal of Career Assessment

Counseling Chinese people: Perspectives of filial piety

Asian Journal of Counselling

Collectivistic conflict of Chinese in counseling: Conceptualization and therapeutic directions

The Counseling Psychologist

Career counseling in Hong Kong: Meeting the social challenges

The Career Development Quarterly

Counseling psychology in Chinese communities in Asia: Indigenous, multicultural, and cross-cultural considerations

The Counseling psychologist