This study examined how career outcome expectations as a cognitive-person variable mediates the influence of contextual variables such as sex and parental career-related behaviors on career decision certainty among college freshmen in the STEM programs. Separate analyses for mothers and fathers perceived career-related behaviors were done. Both sex and parental career-related behaviors for fathers (R= .2966, R2 = .087, Adjusted R2 = .074, F(4,280)=6.752, p<.003), and only parental career-related behaviors for mothers (R= .3548, R2 = .1259, Adjusted R2 = .1134, F(4,280)=10.087, p<.001) significantly predicted career outcome expectations. Career outcome expectations significantly influenced career decision certainty (R= .2194, R2 = .048, Adjusted R2 = .0447, F(1,283)=14.316, p<.0001). Career outcome expectation was seen to partially mediate the influence of contextual variables on career decision certainty among adolescents. For data on mother’s career related behaviors, sex and mother’s interference were seen to significantly negatively influence career decision certainty as mediated by career outcome expectations. For data on father’s career related behaviors, sex, father’s support and father’s interference significantly influenced career decision certainty as mediated by career outcome expectations.
ISSN 1655-1702 (Print)
Philippine E-Journals
