The Role of Socioeconomic Status in the Relationship Between Career Aspirations and Engagement in Career Exploration

Abstract

Career exploration captures the gathering of information relevant to career progress. Career explorations in adolescents are crucial to examine, as they are essential actions required to realise one’s career aspirations. Career aspirations are important to study, as they are forerunners to future career choices and attainment. However, little is known about how socio-economic status influences the relationship between career aspirations and career exploration. This study aimed to investigate the moderating role of socio-economic status in the relationship between career aspirations and career exploration. We collected data from 589 students from two state high schools in Semarang, Indonesia, M age = 15.93 years, SD age = .53, 52.6% female. We used the Career Aspirations Scale (α = .70), Career Exploration Scale (α = .82), and demographic questions. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that as career aspirations increased, career exploration increased for high and low socio-economic status groups, but increased more noticeably for the high socio-economic status group. Our results highlight the important role of socio-economic status in the way career aspirations lead to engagement in exploration of self and the world of work. Recommendations for students, policy maker, and practitioners are discussed.