This research investigates the intricate dynamics between career adaptability and professional identity within the demographic of university students specializing in early childhood education and care, herein referred to as “Pre-child Caregivers.” Grounded in Savickas’s career adaptability theory, this inquiry seeks to delineate the principal factors and mechanisms that significantly impact the career trajectories of these individuals. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the extent to which career curiosity affects career confidence and whether this association is mediated by career control and career concern, two pivotal elements within the adaptability framework. Furthermore, the study evaluates how professional identity serves as a moderating variable in this linkage, alongside the influence of temporal distance, interpreted through the aspects of immediate and distant goals, on the professional identity inclinations of students.
The research utilized a quantitative cross-sectional survey methodology, gathering data from 1,158 valid responses from individuals enrolled in early childhood education and care programs throughout Taiwan between 2019 and 2022. A moderated mediation framework was developed to investigate the intricate interactions among the studied variables. The research employed SPSS, AMOS, and PROCESS applications to execute structural equation modeling (SEM) and evaluate moderation and mediation. The results indicate that career curiosity serves as a significant predictor of both career control and career concern. These mediating constructs, in turn, exert a positive influence on career confidence, thereby affirming a sequential pathway from curiosity to confidence facilitated by internal self-regulatory mechanisms. The findings substantiate Savickas’s assertion that career curiosity acts as a pivotal driver in the formation of career-related behaviors and attitudes. Significantly, professional identity serves as a key moderator in this relationship. Students possessing a robust professional identity as educators– those who aspire to acquire teaching credentials and attain certification as preschool educators– exhibited elevated levels of career confidence in comparison to their counterparts who align more closely with the broader early childhood care sector (e.g., child care personnel or assistants). Even in instances of diminished career curiosity, individuals who self-identify as prospective teachers manifest heightened levels of career concern and confidence. In contrast, students who associate more with the early childhood care identity reveal diminished levels of career control and confidence, even amidst heightened curiosity, indicating that identity orientation is instrumental in mediating the transforming intrinsic motivational resources into tangible career planning behaviors. Additionally, participants with a teacher professional identity demonstrated significantly higher scores on both proximal and distal goal measures compared to those with a child care identity. This suggests that a well-established future goal orientation is closely linked to the formation of a teacher-oriented professional identity, reinforcing the predictive power of temporal distance in shaping career identity.
The investigation further explores the influence of temporal distance in distinguishing between various professional identities. Proximal goals (including course-based knowledge, internship participation, certification success) and distal goals (including career dreams, professional contentment) were applied as variables in a discriminant analysis to determine their usefulness in grouping students into separate professional identity categories. Findings reveal that temporal distance serves as a significant predictor, with proximal goal orientation emerging as the most potent discriminating variable. Students possessing well-defined short-term objectives exhibited a greater propensity to adopt a teacher professional identity, whereas those with less clearly articulated goals were more inclined to identify with a general child care identity. This implies that the conceptualization of time and considerations for future planning are intricately linked to the manner in which students cultivate their professional self-concepts. This investigation presents a range of contributions. Firstly, it empirically substantiates a theoretical framework that links essential dimensions of career adaptability with professional identity, thereby affirming the mediating and moderating functions of certain psychological resources. Secondly, it supplies empirical evidence underscoring the significance of temporal perspective in the development of professional identity. Lastly, it provides a contextualized elucidation of how prospective educators within the early childhood domain construct and navigate their career trajectories throughout their training.
In response to these findings, a set of viable conclusions are proposed. Institutions of learning are encouraged to introduce systematic career advisory services that address the distinct needs of students in early childhood education and care programs. Such services may encompass individualized career planning, future-oriented workshops, and skill-mapping strategies designed to assist students in delineating both their immediate and long-term objectives. Facilitating a sense of career exploration through varied educational experiences and reflective thinking may empower students to approach career challenges with increased confidence and resilience. Furthermore, educators are encouraged to incorporate career adaptability training into the curriculum to bolster students’ sense of agency and concern for their future, particularly regarding professional roles within the early childhood sector. Moreover, facilitating access to career exploration initiatives, such as observational visits to early childhood education centers, internship placements, and mentorship collaborations with alumni, can significantly expand students’ comprehension of potential career trajectories. These initiatives may also augment their recognition of the benefits associated with obtaining formal teaching qualifications. For current practitioners in child care, avenues for pursuing advanced credentials (e.g., acquiring educational credits or enrolling in pedagogical training programs) may create opportunities for career progression, transition into new professional roles, and sustained employment stability.
In summary, this investigation underscores the interconnected dimensions of career adaptability, professional identity, and temporal perspective in influencing the career trajectories of pre-service early childhood educators. By assisting students in cultivating robust professional identities, promoting future-oriented goal establishment, and enhancing internal adaptability resources, educational institutions can assume a crucial role in fostering a stable and proficient early childhood workforce for forthcoming generations. Building upon this conclusion, the research further suggests that short- and long-term career goal clarity plays a critical role in stabilizing professional identity across diverse student profiles. Enabling students to identify immediate academic targets and distant vocational aspirations not only reinforces self-efficacy but also facilitates sustained engagement within the profession. At the same time, enhancing students’ exposure to the structural realities and evolving demands of the child care and education sector may strengthen alignment between career intentions and workforce needs. Additionally, future research is encouraged to broaden sampling to include credit-based program enrollees and explore longitudinal differences in temporal distance perception across academic stages. Investigating the combined effects of institutional culture, familial expectations, and peer influence may also yield valuable insights into how professional identity is shaped over time. The theoretical integration of Savickas’s adaptability model with complementary frameworks, such as Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), could further expand the explanatory power of future models and better illuminate the psychological underpinnings of vocational decision-making. These extensions would offer a nuanced understanding of how professional identity evolves and inform policy strategies aimed at nurturing a sustainable and committed early childhood workforce.
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