Correlation Analysis of College Students’ Willingness to Accept Career Guidance and Employment Motivation Under Constructivism

1. Introduction

The prevailing issue of the difficulty in college students’ employment has elicited widespread concern and heated debate across society. The question of how to facilitate the smooth and orderly employment of college graduates is of paramount importance, as it is intricately linked to not only the personal growth and development of these students but also the future prospects of their families and the nation as a whole [1-3]. Furthermore, projections indicate that the number of college graduates in China in 2023 is anticipated to surge to 11.58 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 820,000. This surge underscores the escalating severity and complexity of the college employment landscape [4,5].

The issue of employment is intricately linked to national economic well-being, public livelihoods, social stability, personal dignity, and the advancement of educational institutions [6]. The state accords paramount importance to the employment challenge, with college student employment constituting a pivotal segment of societal employment. Enhancing the employment rate and quality of college graduates holds immense significance for national development, societal stability, talent nurturing within institutions, and individual student fulfillment [7,8]. Given the precarious employment landscape and national policy directives, the significance of employment guidance endeavors in universities and colleges has grown increasingly prominent [9]. The traditional approach to employment guidance, solely centered on pre-employment job-seeking skills training, falls short of addressing the contemporary demands for comprehensive, holistic, specialized, and information-driven employment guidance throughout the entire process [10].

The university stage represents a pivotal juncture in the shaping of an individual’s professional values. The employment intentions harbored by students during this period serve as a tangible expression of their life values within the context of the job market. Conversely, the employment choices made by fresh graduates subsequently mirror and substantiate those initial intentions.

The employment intention held by school students constitutes a tangible manifestation of their life values as they navigate the employment landscape. In contrast, the employment choices made by fresh graduates mirror the culmination of the interplay between their initial employment intentions, their personal employment values, and the prevailing realities of the job market.

The employment choices made by fresh graduates embody the outcome of the intricate interplay among their employment intentions, personal employment values, and the prevailing realities. Furthermore, enhancing employment guidance stands as a pivotal safeguard for enhancing both the employment rate and the quality of employment within the realm of colleges and universities.

The reinforcement of employment guidance efforts serves as a vital assurance for enhancing both the employment rate and the quality of employment within the academic realm of colleges and universities. Moreover, the pivotal aspect in fostering employment lies in comprehending and dissecting the evolving characteristics and the influential factors that shape the employment intentions and choices of university students.

The pivotal step in enhancing the precision and efficacy of employment guidance lies in thoroughly understanding and analyzing the evolving characteristics of college students’ employment intentions and choices, along with their underlying influencing factors [11]. A study in Literature [12] explored the efficacy of extracurricular practical teaching for chemistry majors in facilitating their professional practice engagement. It revealed that the supplementary teaching by professional practice teachers was constrained in its effectiveness, and the extracurricular practical teaching program largely allowed for unguided student autonomy, with minimal systematic training imparted by instructors.Literature [13], upon summarizing the career challenges faced by undergraduate students, observed that male students received a disproportionately higher level of career guidance from professors compared to their female counterparts. Furthermore, both student and professor gender were significant predictors of the extent of career guidance provided.Literature [14] underscores the necessity of comprehensive college career counseling and academic advising services, emphasizing their role in fostering students’ abilities to devise sound academic and vocational plans.Lastly, Literature [15] delves into the current employment landscape for visually impaired students, highlighting their tendency towards over-optimism and the multifaceted barriers they confront, including limitations in work experience, differential treatment by employers, and communication difficulties. This study provides valuable insights that can inform the development of targeted employment policies for this underserved student population.

The issue of challenging employment prospects for college graduates is increasingly prominent, warranting urgent attention and concerted efforts from universities, society, and the state. As the primary incubators of talent, the employment status of university students serves as a direct barometer of their educational mode and quality standards.Literature [16], leveraging resume submission experiments, affirms that internship experiences can bolster the competitiveness of college students, thereby underscoring the significance of university-based social internships.Literature [17] conducts a comprehensive analysis of the constituent elements of sports career competitiveness among physical education majors, encompassing professional skills, knowledge, and personal attributes. This analysis offers vital theoretical frameworks and perspectives for athletes’ career path planning.Literature [18] investigates whether the teaching and training programs offered by colleges and universities achieve their intended outcomes, specifically, whether graduates are adequately prepared for their respective professions. The study reveals significant disciplinary variations and posits that a synergy of profound professional knowledge and exemplary personal traits can empower graduates to realize their professional aspirations and self-worth.Literature [19] outlines an employability enhancement strategy grounded in a blended learning environment. Through empirical evaluation, it validates that this strategy fosters the enhancement of students’ vocational competencies, provides valuable career development resources, and propels the elevation of students’ vocational competitiveness.

As a senior editor for SCI publications, I would suggest revising the text to enhance its clarity, conciseness, and adherence to standard academic writing conventions. Here’s the revised version with explanations:Guided by constructivism theory, this study designs a questionnaire aimed at assessing college students’ willingness to engage in employment guidance and their employment motivation, while also considering the prevailing employment landscape for graduates and the state of employment guidance practices in higher education institutions. The questionnaire primarily focuses on three dimensions: students’ receptiveness to acquiring employment knowledge, honing employment skills, and their inherent motivation towards employment.To ensure the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was employed. Subsequently, the validity of the questionnaire items was rigorously verified through the KMO measure and Bartlett’s test of sphericity, laying a solid foundation for subsequent analyses.Furthermore, the study utilized the correlation coefficient method to explore the interplay between college students’ willingness to receive career guidance and their motivation to secure employment. Specifically, we conducted a survey targeting Shanghai-based colleges and universities, examining the baseline situation regarding students’ eagerness for guidance in employment knowledge and skills. Subsequently, we calculated the correlation coefficient between exposure to employment guidance and students’ employment motivation, thereby shedding light on the relationship between these two variables.

2. A Study of College Students’ Willingness to Receive Career Guidance and their Motivation for Employment

A. Questionnaire design

This paper compiles and critically analyzes relevant literature, integrating the talent training landscape in colleges and universities, characteristics of university students, and advancements in college career guidance. Drawing upon constructivist theory, it designs a questionnaire aimed at assessing college students’ willingness to engage in employment guidance and their employment motivations. Upon completion of the initial questionnaire draft, 60 questionnaires were administered as pilot tests. Based on the outcomes and feedback from respondents, redundant questions were eliminated, and the phrasing of certain questions was refined to produce the final questionnaire version. The detailed contents of the finalized questionnaire are presented in Table 1. The questionnaire comprises four primary sections. The first section gathers basic demographic information from college students, such as gender, academic year, major field, and additional pertinent details. The second section delves into students’ willingness to receive employment guidance, categorizing it into two dimensions: eagerness for employment knowledge guidance and eagerness for employment skills guidance.There are four items of willingness to receive employment knowledge guidance, namely “knowledge of labor market information and occupational classification” (X11), “knowledge of employment policies and laws and regulations” (X12), “basic knowledge of career planning” (X13) and “knowledge of one’s own professional employment” (X14). In terms of willingness to accept employment skills guidance, it mainly includes six survey items: “collecting and screening employment information” (X21), “identifying false employment information” (X22), “making job resumes” (X23), “choosing a suitable job” (X24), “social interpersonal communication” (X25) and “specific methods to protect one’s legitimate rights and interests” (X26). The third part is the survey and analysis of college students’ employment motivation (Y1). In this study, the questionnaire was measured using a five-point Likert scoring method.

B. Questionnaire reliability test

1) Reliability test

A reliability test assesses the reliability of a designed questionnaire. Reliability captures the extent to which measured values are influenced by measurement error. Consequently, a smaller error indicates a higher degree of rationality in the design of questionnaire indicators, suggesting that the questionnaire effectively captures respondents’ genuine thoughts and feelings, thereby enhancing the accuracy and authenticity of evaluation results. Reliability tests are broadly categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic tests. This paper employs the intrinsic reliability test to ascertain the rationality of the constructed evaluation index system and to refine any unreasonable indices. Intrinsic reliability test assesses the internal consistency of the scale; higher consistency translates to more authentic measurement data and more precise evaluation outcomes. Typically, the Cronbach-\(\alpha\) coefficient is utilized for assessing internal reliability.

The use of the Cronbach-alpha coefficient as a standard method to assess the reliability of a scale is widely accepted. This coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, with values approaching 1 indicating superior reliability. To elaborate, a Cronbach-\(\alpha\) score of 0.9 or higher signifies excellent reliability, whereas scores between 0.8 and 0.9 indicate good reliability, and those between 0.7 and 0.8, while acceptable, may necessitate adjustments to specific scale items. Conversely, a Cronbach-\(\alpha\) below 0.7 implies that substantial revisions to the scale’s components are required. The mathematical formula utilized for calculating this coefficient is provided below: \[\label{GrindEQ__1_} \alpha =\frac{K}{K-1} \left[1-\frac{\sum _{i=1}^{K}\delta _{{\rm i}} {}^{2} }{\delta _{r} {}^{2} } \right] ,\tag{1}\] where K is the total number of questions in the questionnaire, \(\delta _{{\rm i}}\) denotes the within-question variance of the score of the ith questionnaire question item, and \(\delta _{r}\) denotes the variance of the total score of the questionnaire question items.

SPSS software was used to analyze the reliability of the data in the questionnaire on the scale of college students’ willingness to receive career guidance and motivation to find the overall reliability of the questionnaire, and the value of the reliability coefficient was 0.952, which is greater than 0.9, thus indicating that the data of the study is of excellent quality of reliability, and the degree of reliability is high.

2) Validity tests

Validity pertains to the extent to which a questionnaire effectively captures the intended variables under scrutiny. Broadly, validity can be categorized into content, surface, and construct validity. Content validity assesses the comprehensiveness of questionnaire items and identifies any potential omissions. Surface validity, alternatively referred to as apparent validity, involves soliciting an expert’s evaluation of whether the questionnaire accurately measures the targeted variable.Within the realm of construct validity, two primary types are distinguished: convergence validity and discriminative validity. Convergence validity measures the degree of correlation (ideally exceeding 0.5) between questionnaire items and their underlying common factor, indicating the closeness of their relationship and, thus, the higher level of convergence. Conversely, discriminative validity emphasizes the specificity of an item in measuring a particular variable.Factor analysis serves as a method to roughly assess both convergence and discriminative validity. However, before employing factor analysis to test validity, it is crucial to ensure that its prerequisites are met. Specifically, a strong correlation among items is necessary, which can be verified through two key indicators: the KMO value and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity.

The KMO value, which falls within the range of 0 to 1, serves as a metric for comparing simple correlation and partial correlation coefficients among items. The suitability of data for factor analysis is determined by specific thresholds: a KMO value exceeding 0.9 indicates high suitability, 0.8 to 0.9 suggests moderate suitability, 0.7 to 0.8 implies limited suitability, while a value below 0.5 indicates unsuitability.Additionally, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity assesses the significance of correlation coefficients among items. If the significance level (sig) is less than 0.05, it signifies that the data are suitable for factor analysis.The outcomes of the validity test are presented in Table 2, revealing a KMO value of 0.794, falling within the range of 0.7 to 0.8, and a significant Sig value of 0.000 (which is less than 0.005), indicating satisfactory validity and the appropriateness of the data for exploratory factor analysis.The results of the exploratory factor analysis, as detailed in Table 3, showcase factor loading coefficients exceeding the standard threshold of 0.5, demonstrating that the questionnaire items effectively represent the underlying factor information.Collectively, the findings from the reliability and validity tests affirm the soundness of the questionnaire designed to assess college students’ willingness to receive employment guidance and their employment motivation. This validates the questionnaire’s applicability for subsequent surveys and analyses.

To validate the questionnaire’s rationality and objectivity, we conducted an examination of the data’s reliability and validity, thereby ensuring the reliability of subsequent data analysis. Furthermore, the favorable outcomes of both the reliability and validity tests serve as indicators of the appropriate selection of the study participants.

3. Correlation Analysis Methods based on Correlation Coefficients

The present study delves into the correlation analysis of college students’ willingness to accept employment guidance and their employment motivation, focusing on excavating and interpreting the interplay between pertinent indicators pertaining to both concepts. Our aim is to unveil the mutual influence and underlying patterns of change that exist between these two factors. Recognizing the prevalent trend among existing research, which tends to approach the relationship between these variables from a primarily social science perspective and often overlooks quantitative assessments, this paper introduces a novel correlation analysis approach grounded in correlation coefficient calculations. This methodology enables us to quantitatively assess the strength of the relationship between college students’ readiness to engage with employment guidance and their inherent motivations towards employment.

The current investigation explores the correlation analysis of college students’ willingness to accept employment guidance and their employment motivation, with a primary emphasis on uncovering and elucidating the intricate interactions among relevant indicators associated with both aspects. Our objective is to reveal the reciprocal influence and fundamental patterns of variation existing between these two factors. Acknowledging the prevalent practice in existing literature, which frequently adopts a primarily social science lens to examine the relationship between these variables while often neglecting quantitative evaluations, this study presents a novel approach to correlation analysis that is anchored in the utilization of correlation coefficient calculations. This methodological framework allows for a quantitative measurement of the degree of association between college students’ disposition to engage with employment guidance and their intrinsic motivations towards securing employment.

This paper adopts the correlation coefficient to measure the correlation between the two, which intuitively responds to the degree of closeness between college students’ willingness to receive career guidance and their motivation for employment, with the following formula: \[\label{GrindEQ__2_} {\rm r}_{xy} =\frac{s_{xy} }{s_{x} s_{y} } ,\tag{2}\] where, \(s_{xy}\) denotes the covariance of sample x and sample y, \(s_{x}\) denotes the standard deviation of sample x, and \(s_{y}\) denotes the standard deviation of sampley.

4. Analysis of the Correlation between College Students’ Willingness to Receive Career Guidance and Employment Motivation

A. Analysis of the basic situation of the survey sample

The research object of this paper is derived from 31 provinces (cities and autonomous regions) of China, which covers the comprehensive, technical, normal, accounting, political laws and medical classes, etc., to ensure the universality of the results, The current investigation explores the correlation analysis of college students’ willingness to accept employment guidance and their employment motivation, with a primary emphasis on uncovering and elucidating the intricate interactions among relevant indicators associated with both aspects. Our objective is to reveal the reciprocal influence and fundamental patterns of variation existing between these two factors. Acknowledging the prevalent practice in existing literature, which frequently adopts a primarily social science lens to examine the relationship between these variables while often neglecting quantitative evaluations, this study presents a novel approach to correlation analysis that is anchored in the utilization of correlation coefficient calculations. This methodological framework allows for a quantitative measurement of the degree of association between college students’ disposition to engage with employment guidance and their intrinsic motivations towards securing employment.

B. Analysis of college students’ willingness to receive career guidance

1) Analysis of willingness to receive guidance on employment knowledge

The willingness of college students to embrace employment knowledge guidance comprises four items, labeled as X11 through X14. Figure 1 presents the outcomes of an investigation and analysis regarding this willingness, where the normal curve visually demonstrates the clustering of scores across different items, while the median line highlights the average score for each item. Specifically, the average willingness among students to participate in university-provided courses related to employment knowledge guidance stands at 3.32 points. Notably, the average scores for X11, pertaining to “knowledge related to labor market information and occupational classification” (3.23 points), and X12, concerning “knowledge of employment policies, laws, and regulations” (2.54 points), fall below the overall average willingness to receive such guidance, suggesting that college students’ receptiveness to these two aspects of employment knowledge guidance is suboptimal.

The majority of college students perceive that the two aforementioned types of employment knowledge guidance hold limited significance in their job search endeavors, hence the relatively low scores assigned to their willingness to accept them. Notably, with respect to the X13 question regarding “Basic Knowledge of Career Planning,” students exhibited a robust willingness to receive guidance, evinced by an average score of 4.00 points, indicative of a high level of enthusiasm. It is noteworthy that the primary source of employment knowledge acquired by students upon graduation stems from the career guidance courses offered by their institutions. The acquisition and assimilation of career planning-related employment knowledge guidance empower students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the prevailing employment landscape and trends.In contrast, the X14 survey on “knowledge of employment in one’s own major” revealed a moderate willingness among students to accept this information, with an average score of 3.50 points. While this score is lower than that for basic career planning knowledge, it still surpasses the overall average willingness to accept employment knowledge guidance. This suggests that while students value the general guidance provided by their institutions, they also recognize the importance of understanding the employment prospects within their respective majors. In summary, the employment knowledge imparted by universities serves as a foundational resource for students, offering a valuable reference point as they navigate the employment landscape.

2) Survey and analysis of willingness to accept job skills instruction

In this section, the results of the questionnaire on college students’ willingness to receive employment skills guidance are analyzed, and the willingness to accept employment skills guidance is composed of six items, and the item numbers are represented by X21-X26, and the results of the survey on the willingness to accept employment skills guidance are shown in Figure 2. The average score of the survey on the willingness to accept employment skills guidance was 3.04 points, which was slightly lower than the average score of the willingness to accept employment knowledge guidance (3.32 points), indicating that the students’ willingness to accept the employment skills guidance courses offered by their universities was low. In the X24-X26 items, the average scores of students’ willingness to accept are lower than the overall average scores of acceptance willingness to accept employment skills guidance, indicating that students’ willingness to accept employment skills guidance in three aspects: “choosing a suitable job”, “social interpersonal communication” and “safeguarding one’s legitimate rights and interests” is not high. Among them, the average score of the X25 “Social Interpersonal Communication” question is only 2.23 points, which may be due to the fact that the courses and guidance on social interpersonal communication in the employment skills guidance of the surveyed students do not meet the expectations of students, so the willingness to accept them is also low. Most of the employment skills guidance received by college students is concentrated in three aspects: X21 “collecting and screening employment information” (3.70 points), X22 “identifying false employment information” (3.76 points) and X23 “making job resumes” (3.53 points). By the time they graduate, most students will be able to master how to make career plans in advance, make resumes that meet the requirements, and obtain employment information from all kinds of complex information according to their own needs and professional characteristics.

C. Correlation analysis results

1) Correlation between employment motivation and willingness to receive knowledge guidance

To examine the relationship between the willingness to receive employment knowledge guidance and the employment motivation of college students, Figure 3 presents the detailed outcomes of the correlation analysis. Specifically, subfigures (a) through (d) display the correlation analysis results pertaining to four distinct aspects: labor market information and occupational classification, employment policies and regulations, career planning for one’s profession, and the aforementioned employment motivation. These analyses offer insights into how these factors interrelate.By scrutinizing the degree of concentration and dispersion within the graphical data points, one can visually grasp the strength of the correlation between the two variables in question. Furthermore, the regression line’s positive or negative slope directly signifies the presence of a positive or negative correlation, respectively, between these two factors.Notably, a high degree of correlation, with a coefficient of 0.846, is evident between college students’ receptivity to guidance on labor market information and vocational classification employment knowledge, and their employment motivation. This finding underscores the significance of such guidance in influencing students’ motivations towards employment.

The correlation coefficients between employment policies, laws and regulations, as well as career planning employment knowledge guidance, and employment motivation are likewise exceptionally high, surpassing 0.9. Additionally, the correlation coefficients concerning the acceptance of personal professional knowledge guidance and employment motivation exhibit a moderate level of association, with an r-value of 0.659, which was initially mistakenly stated as ’moderate (r=0.9) and moderate’—a repetition and inconsistency that has been corrected.Crucially, the correlation analysis between college students’ willingness to receive employment knowledge guidance and their employment motivation has attained statistical significance (P\(\mathrm{<}\)0.05), thereby confirming the existence of a notable relationship between these two variables. This high correlation arises from the fact that students who receive employment knowledge guidance tend to approach the employment process with greater detail and comprehensiveness, ultimately enhancing their employment motivation.The primary sources of employment knowledge for graduates are the dedicated guidance courses, employment-related activities, and lectures organized by academic institutions. These often incorporate multimedia techniques such as direct textbook explanations, audiovisual aids, and imagery to enrich the presentation of knowledge, ensuring its accessibility and comprehensiveness. When facing the employment landscape, the foundational knowledge imparted through such guidance serves as a valuable reference, contributing significantly to the elevation of students’ employment motivation.

2) Analysis of the correlation between job skills instruction and employment motivation

This section delves into the correlation between college students’ willingness to accept guidance in six key areas of employment skills and their employment motivation. The outcomes of this correlation coefficient analysis are visually presented in Figure 4, where panels (a) through (f) individually showcase the correlation analysis results pertaining to specific skills: searching and screening employment information, discerning false employment information, crafting job resumes, selecting suitable job opportunities, social interpersonal communication, safeguarding legitimate rights and interests, and finally, their correlation with employment motivation.Upon comprehensive analysis, a positive correlation emerges, indicating that there is a direct link between college students’ readiness to embrace employment skills guidance and their subsequent employment motivation, as evidenced by correlation coefficients exceeding zero (r \(\mathrm{>}\) 0).

Among the six aspects examined regarding willingness to accept employment skills guidance, the strongest correlation with employment motivation was observed for X21, “searching and screening employment information,” yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.9973 (P = 0.005, indicating statistical significance). Comparatively, the correlation between acceptance intention and employment motivation was moderately strong for X23, “making resumes” (r = 0.6035), and X26, “specific methods to protect one’s legitimate rights and interests” (r = 0.6469). Consequently, it is evident that college students’ willingness to accept employment skills guidance positively influences their employment motivation, particularly through the development of skills in resume crafting and employment information screening, which contribute favorably to enhancing their overall employment motivation.

5. Conclusion

This paper delves into the realm of college students’ receptiveness towards career guidance and their employment motivation by means of a meticulously designed questionnaire. It not only examines the current state of students’ willingness to engage with career guidance but also undertakes a thorough analysis of the correlation that exists between these two variables.

1. The university’s courses related to employment knowledge guidance received an average willingness rating of 3.32 points among college students. Notably, the X11 survey, focusing on “Labor Market Information and Occupational Classification Related Knowledge,” garnered an average score of 3.23 points, with students exhibiting a relatively strong willingness to accept guidance in this area, as evidenced by an average score of 4.00 points, indicating a high level of receptiveness. In contrast, the average willingness to accept employment skills guidance, at 3.04 points, was slightly lower than that of employment knowledge guidance, suggesting a lesser appetite among students for the skills-oriented courses offered by their institutions. Among the various employment skills guidance topics, X22, “Identifying False Employment Information,” emerged as the most popular, with an average score of 3.76 points.

2. The analysis reveals a strong correlation between college students’ acceptance of employment knowledge guidance pertaining to labor market information and occupational classification, and their employment motivation, as evidenced by a correlation coefficient of 0.846. Furthermore, the correlation analysis between students’ willingness to accept employment knowledge guidance and their employment motivation consistently yields statistically significant results (P\(\mathrm{<}\)0.05). Notably, X21 “Searching and screening employment information” demonstrates the strongest correlation with employment motivation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9973, and this correlation is significant (P=0.005\(\mathrm{<}\)0.05).

   In summary, a positive correlation exists between college students’ willingness to receive career guidance and their employment motivation. Specifically, as the willingness of college students to receive career guidance intensifies, so does their employment motivation.

Funding

—The 2021 Key Scientific Research Project of Guangzhou University of Business, Project No.: 2021XJZD08.

—The 2022 Private Higher Education Research Project of Guangdong Province, Project No.: GMG2022026.