Exploring the Impact of Geographical Context on Higher Education Students’ Self-Efficacy in Occupational Decision-Making: A Causal-Comparative Study in Ghana

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to explore the impact of geographical context on higher education students’ self-efficacy in occupational decision-making in Ghana. Understanding the rural, urban, and peri-urban factors influencing HESs’ self-efficacy in occupational decision-making in Ghana will be invaluable for higher education institutions, career-oriented programs, families, policymakers, stakeholders, leaders, Ghana’s Ministry of Education, and Ghanaians in the nation’s socioeconomic development. The study involved a convenience sample of 150 HESs in Ghana’s Ahafo and Ashanti Regions. This study utilized the social constructivism learning theory and the social cognitive career theory, which emphasized factors impacting HESs’ career decision-making. Employing the CDMSE–SF, the researcher utilized a survey to collect data via Mind Gardens Publishing’s online survey management system. An ANOVA was utilized to analyze the data using SPSS. The Welch test indicated a statistically significant difference (p < .05 or p = .012) in occupational decision-making in Ghana between HESs from urban areas’ self-efficacy scores (3.4 ± 0.1) and those from rural areas (3.8 ± 0.39). The Games-Howell test helped to determine that HESs from urban, peri-urban, and rural areas’ self-efficacy in occupational decision-making in Ghana increased from 3.4 ± 0.1 to 3.65 ± .2.62 to 3.88 ± .039, respectively, and the effect size was medium (2part = .065). In the future, conducting a meta-analysis or phenomenological study about HESs’ self-efficacy in occupation decision-making in Ghana involving learners in different programs, colleges, and universities in different regions of Ghana can provide wide-ranging and inclusive results.