Influencing Factors upon Employment Preparation Behavior in Dental Hygiene Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze employment preparation behavior, career decision making self efficacy, and career identity by the subjects' general characteristics, and determine the relationship among them. The survey was conducted to 243 dental hygiene students in college located in South Korea, analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. There was significant difference of employment preparation behaviors between male and female. Career decision making self efficacy was higher with increasing age and their credit, but showed the opposite trend in expected salary. Career identity was related to credit and the satisfaction in major, students dissatisfied with major recorded higher sense of career identity. The result of multiple linear regression showed the career decision making self efficacy affect the employment preparation behavior, the explanatory power was about 20%. It will be necessary encourage the students social advance in many different fields, research to improve the relationship between career decision making self efficacy and satisfaction in major of dental hygiene students.

Differences in Career Decision Self-Efficacy according to the Motives for Major Selection among Dental Hygiene Students

“…The dental hygiene students' mean scores in career decision-making self-efficacy areas ranged from 3.44 to 3.75 (Table 3). In a 2014 study by Bea et al 19) , dental hygiene undergraduates scored 3.5 to 3.8 points in each area of career decision-making self-efficacy, which was lower than that of other health students. Because the higher the career decision-making self-efficacy, the higher the satisfaction with the major and its impact on active career preparation behaviors 22,23) , it is vital to have a high career decision-making self-efficacy.…”

“…Another previous study 17,18) reported that learning immersion, academic satisfaction, grades, and finding employment in the desired career field are related to career decision-making self-efficacy. Furthermore, Bea et al 19) reported that career decision-making self-efficacy has a positive impact on career preparation behavior. However, there are insufficient recent studies that report career decision-making self-efficacy according to university entrance motivation among dental hygiene students, and it is challenging to find studies that examine each area of career decision-making self-efficacy according to entrance motivation.…”