Associate Professor Louisiana State University Louisiana State University
Abstract: International students in postsecondary education face numerous difficulties as they integrate academically, socially, and culturally into new cross-cultural environment. The compounded challenges negatively affect international students’ academic achievement, social integration, and career development. Guided by social cognitive career theory, the current study aims to examine the effect of international students’ personal factors (i.e., positive psychological capital, cultural intelligence) on their career decision self-efficacy in a higher education context. We also aim to examine the moderating effect of international students’ contextual factor (i.e., cultural adjustment) on the relationships. Data were collected from international students at a large public university in the U.S. Structural equation modeling and moderating analysis were employed to analyze 341 cases. The results indicated that international students’ psychological capital was positively related to their career decision self-efficacy. In addition, international students’ cultural adjustment moderated the effects of psychological capital on their career decision self-efficacy. Discussion, implications, and recommendations for future research are provided.
