AI-EMPOWERED CAREER PLANNING IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION: THE IMPACT OF AI-BASED CAREER READINESS ON GRADUATES' EMPLOYABILITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1163020Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Behavioural Beliefs Of AI, Career Planning, Graduate Perceived Employability, Higher EducationAbstract
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on university graduates’ career preparation and employability in higher education has increased in recent times. However, research on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Chinese higher education context, particularly in the resource-constrained province of Gansu, remains notably scarce. Hence, this study aims to address this gap and test the relationship between behavioural beliefs – career planning – perceived employability based on the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework and social cognitive career theory (SCCT). This study was conducted over a period spanning October 2024 to September 2025, and data was collected from 770 senior students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a finance and economics university in Gansu Province and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicate that graduates’ behavioural beliefs about the usefulness of AI significantly influence their employability, with career planning playing a crucial mediating role. Although AI applications do not directly impact employment, they indirectly influence university graduates’ confidence in finding a job and their competitiveness in the market. This study extends SCCT’s applicability within technological contexts and enriches SOR theory’s explanatory power regarding multi-level mechanisms between environmental stimuli and responses. Meanwhile, it offers fresh perspectives and insights for reforming career planning in higher education regarding AI integration in China.
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