Examining the Role of Ethnic Identity and Meaning in Life on Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

In emerging adulthood, establishing a sense of self and life meaning is a key developmental task for career development. This study examined the role of ethnic identity and meaning in life in career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) among African American, Asian American, and White incoming, first-year, college students ( n = 2,470). Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we found that ethnic identity and meaning in life predicted between 14% and 26% of the variance in CDSE for African American, Asian American, and White students. Mediation analyses for each ethnic group revealed that the presence of life meaning mediated the relations between ethnic identity and CDSE. Ethnic identity appears to be associated with positive career development, in part, through the cultivation of life meaning for ethnically diverse college students. Implications for research and career counseling with ethnically diverse college students are discussed.