Analysis of the Structural Relationships among Variables Affecting University Students’ Career Preparation Behavior

This study analyzed the structural relationships between academic engagement, resilience, university life adaptation, and career preparation behavior among university students. Based on data collected from 195 students at a university in Chungcheong Province, the structural model was tested using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 21.0 to calculate path coefficients between variables. The results are as follows: First, there was a positive correlation among university students' academic enthusiasm, resilience, university life adaptation, and career preparation behaviors. In other words, the relationship between career preparation behaviors and the selected variables was sufficiently established, confirming the validity of the hypothesized path model. Second, while the structural model demonstrated statistically acceptable fit, direct paths from academic engagement to career preparation behavior and from resilience to career preparation behavior were not significant. To address this, a revised model was tested by removing non-significant paths, confirming a suitable final model for the four factors. Third, an analysis of direct and indirect effects revealed that academic engagement directly impacts university life adaptation and has a stronger influence on career preparation behavior when mediated by resilience. Additionally, university life adaptation positively affects career preparation behavior, confirming resilience as a mediating factor between academic engagement and career preparation behavior. This suggests that enhancing learners' resilience not only facilitates successful adaptation to university life but also promotes career preparation behaviors. Therefore, universities should consider policy approaches such as programs for freshmen or learning support initiatives.