Extracurricular Program Participation and Job Preparation Behavior: The Mediating Role of Career Planning

This study examined the relationship between extracurricular program participation and job preparation behavior among university students, focusing on the mediating effect of career planning and the moderating effect of major aptitude fit. Data were drawn from the 10th wave of the Korean Education Longitudinal Study 2013 (KELS 2013). A total of 3,339 students were included in the descriptive and correlation analyses, and 3,337 were included in the PROCESS analyses. PROCESS Macro Models 4 and 14 were applied, controlling for gender, GPA, region, and major field. The results showed that extracurricular program participation was positively related to career planning and job preparation behavior, and career planning was positively related to job preparation behavior. The indirect effect of extracurricular program participation on job preparation behavior through career planning was significant. However, the moderating effect of major aptitude fit and the moderated mediation effect were not significant. An auxiliary analysis using two programs directly related to career and employment showed a consistent pattern. These findings suggest that university extracurricular programs should help students connect participation experiences to career goals, concrete plans, and job preparation behavior.