Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience

Bahadır Şahin Kamas; Tolga Seki

doi:10.17275/per.26.62.13.5

Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience

Abstract

This study examined the mediating roles of self-efficacy and psychological resilience in the effect of hope on career anxiety among vocational high school students. The study was conducted using a quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The study group consisted of 440 students enrolled in various vocational high schools. Data were collected using the Dispositional Hope Scale, the Self-Efficacy for Children Scale, the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, and the Career Anxiety Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, regression-based serial multiple mediation analysis, and bootstrap resampling. Correlation findings indicated that hope was significantly and positively associated with self-efficacy and psychological resilience and significantly and negatively associated with career anxiety. The mediation analysis revealed that hope had a significant total effect on career anxiety. However, when self-efficacy and psychological resilience were included in the model, hope’s direct effect on career anxiety was found to be non-significant. In contrast, hope’s total indirect effect on career anxiety remained significant. The findings indicated that the effect of hope on career anxiety was significantly mediated through self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and a serial indirect pathway involving both constructs. In conclusion, hope does not function as a standalone predictor that directly reduces career anxiety; rather, it operates as a higher-order psychological resource that exerts its influence through self-efficacy and psychological resilience. These findings suggest that hope, self-efficacy, and psychological resilience should be addressed together in school-based interventions aimed at reducing career anxiety among vocational high school students.

Keywords

Career anxiety, hope, self-efficacy, psychological resilience, vocational high school students

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Education Policy, Specialist Studies in Education (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Bahadır Şahin Kamas ^*
0009-0004-4300-8464
Türkiye

Tolga Seki
0000-0001-5594-0786
Türkiye

Publication Date

August 30, 2026

Submission Date

February 20, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 15, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 13 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.62.13.5

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA37CL92HA

APA

Kamas, B. Ş., & Seki, T. (2026). Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience. Participatory Educational Research, 13(5), 22-34. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.62.13.5

AMA

1.Kamas BŞ, Seki T. Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience. PER. 2026;13(5):22-34. doi:10.17275/per.26.62.13.5

Chicago

Kamas, Bahadır Şahin, and Tolga Seki. 2026. “Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience”. Participatory Educational Research 13 (5): 22-34. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.62.13.5.

EndNote

Kamas BŞ, Seki T (August 1, 2026) Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience. Participatory Educational Research 13 5 22–34.

IEEE

[1]B. Ş. Kamas and T. Seki, “Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience”, PER, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 22–34, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.17275/per.26.62.13.5.

ISNAD

Kamas, Bahadır Şahin - Seki, Tolga. “Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience”. Participatory Educational Research 13/5 (August 1, 2026): 22-34. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.26.62.13.5.

JAMA

1.Kamas BŞ, Seki T. Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience. PER. 2026;13:22–34.

MLA

Kamas, Bahadır Şahin, and Tolga Seki. “Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience”. Participatory Educational Research, vol. 13, no. 5, Aug. 2026, pp. 22-34, doi:10.17275/per.26.62.13.5.

Vancouver

1.Bahadır Şahin Kamas, Tolga Seki. Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience. PER. 2026 Aug. 1;13(5):22-34. doi:10.17275/per.26.62.13.5

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Career Anxiety in the Context of Vocational Education: The Serial Mediation Effects of Hope, Self-Efficacy, and Psychological Resilience

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