From Perseverance of Effort to Perceived Employability in First-Generation College Students: The Mediating Role of Career Adaptability and Career Engagement

Although constraining contextual and extrinsic factors pose significant challenges for first-generation college students, intrinsic and individual strengths also play a crucial role in facilitating positive outcomes in their career development. To better understand the role of these factors, this study aimed to examine the relationships among perseverance of effort, career adaptability, career engagement, and perceived employability, within the framework of Career Construction Theory. Data were collected from 308 senior first-generation college students in Türkiye. Using PROCESS v4.3 for R, we found that perseverance of effort significantly predicted both career adaptability and career engagement. Career adaptability significantly predicted both career engagement and perceived employability, while career engagement also significantly predicted perceived employability. Additionally, career adaptability and career engagement serially mediated the relationship between perseverance of effort and perceived employability. This study revealed that adaptivity, adaptability, and adapting responses were crucial internal factors leading to positive outcomes for first-generation college students. The implications, limitations, and future directions of this research are also discussed.