The findings are particularly relevant as many Indonesian students face uncertainty when deciding whether to pursue higher education or enter the workforce. By demonstrating a clear link between self-belief and career decision-making, the study offers practical insights for schools, counselors, and education policymakers.
Career Choices in a Competitive Era
Career decision-making has become increasingly complex for today’s adolescents. Rapid technological change, evolving labor market demands, and intense competition require students to plan their futures more carefully than ever. For senior high school students, especially those in Grade 11, career-related decisions carry long-term consequences for academic success, job satisfaction, and overall well-being.
Despite the importance of these decisions, many students struggle to identify career paths that align with their interests and abilities. Limited access to career information, social pressure from family or peers, and low confidence often lead to hesitation or poor decision-making. This challenge is reflected nationally in the persistent number of young people classified as Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET).
Against this backdrop, psychological factors such as self-efficacy have gained attention as key drivers of career readiness.
Understanding Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to organize and carry out actions required to achieve specific goals. In educational settings, self-efficacy influences how students approach challenges, persist in difficult situations, and make important life decisions.
Students with strong self-efficacy tend to explore career options more actively, assess their strengths realistically, and commit to decisions with greater confidence. Conversely, low self-efficacy is often associated with doubt, indecision, and reliance on external opinions.
The study by Clarisa Aprilia and colleagues builds on this psychological framework to examine how self-efficacy relates specifically to career decision-making among Indonesian high school students.
How the Study Was Conducted
The research involved 70 eleventh-grade students from SMA Negeri 1 Muaro Jambi. Participants were selected based on recommendations from school counselors and their willingness to take part in career-related assessments.
Data were collected using structured questionnaires that measured:
The analysis focused on identifying patterns and relationships between these two variables using statistical correlation methods. Data collection was conducted in a controlled school setting to ensure clarity and reliability.
Key Findings
The results revealed a positive and statistically significant relationship between self-efficacy and career decision-making.
Key findings include:
- Students’ self-efficacy levels were generally moderate
- Career decision-making abilities were also at a moderate level
- The correlation between self-efficacy and career decision-making reached r = 0.417, with a significance level of p = 0.001
These results indicate that students who believe more strongly in their abilities are better equipped to make career choices that match their interests, skills, and personal potential.
Why Self-Efficacy Matters
The researchers from Jambi University emphasize that self-efficacy supports every stage of the career decision-making process. Students with higher self-efficacy are more confident in understanding themselves, seeking career information, and connecting personal strengths with future opportunities.
Ethically paraphrased from the authors’ interpretation, students who trust their abilities are more likely to engage in active career exploration and commit to decisions based on realistic self-assessment. In contrast, low self-efficacy can lead to prolonged indecision and fear of making the wrong choice.
The moderate strength of the correlation also suggests that career decision-making is influenced by multiple factors. External elements such as parental expectations, school counseling services, peer influence, and socio-economic conditions play complementary roles.
Implications for Schools and Policy
The findings carry important implications for secondary education. Strengthening students’ self-efficacy should be a central goal of school-based guidance and counseling programs.
Schools are encouraged to:
- Implement continuous career guidance programs
- Help students identify interests, strengths, and limitations early
- Provide structured career exploration activities
- Train decision-making and problem-solving skills
By fostering self-efficacy alongside access to accurate career information, schools can better prepare students to navigate future academic and professional pathways.
For education policymakers, the study underscores the importance of integrating psychological development into career education strategies, rather than focusing solely on academic achievement.
Author Profiles
Clarisa Aprilia, S.Psi.
Psychology researcher specializing in adolescent development and career psychology
Affiliation: Jambi University
Rion Nofrianda, M.Psi.
Lecturer and researcher in guidance and counseling psychology
Affiliation: Jambi University
Marlita Andhika Rahman, M.Psi.
Academic and researcher in educational and career psychology
Affiliation: Jambi University
Source
Article Title: Self-Efficacy and Career Decision-Making Among Eleventh-Grade High School Students
Journal: Indonesian Journal of Education and Psychological Science (IJEPS)
Year: 2026
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