MEDIATING ROLE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' RESEARCH SKILLS BETWEEN CAREER CURIOSITY AND WELL BEING

The career-related curiosity of elementary school students before transitioning to high school may substantially affect their emotional and psychological well-being. Research skills developed during this period can fulfill curiosity and enhance overall well-being. This study investigated how research skills mediate the relationship between career-related curiosity and the emotional-psychological well-being of elementary school students. This study was conducted using a quantitative correlational research design to examine the relationships between career curiosity, research skills, and emotional psychological well-being among elementary school students. The sample consisted of 286 students aged 9 to 14 from a district in Istanbul, Türkiye. Data were gathered using the Personal Information Form, the Stirling Children’s Emotional-Psychological Well-being Scale, and the Career Development Scale for Children. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were used to inform structural equation modeling, which was used to evaluate the proposed mediation model. The results indicated that career-related curiosity (independent variable) directly influenced emotional-psychological well-being (dependent variable), with an indirect effect fully mediated by research skills (mediator variable). However, when research skills were included in the model, this direct effect became statistically no significant, demonstrating a full mediation effect. In other words, research skills entirely mediated the relationship between career-related curiosity and emotional psychological well-being. The study's findings are analyzed in the context of current literature, with suggestions for educational practices and implications for school counselling and career guidance.