Career Decision Self-Efficacy among Malaysian TVET Students: A Gender-Based Analysis across Five Career-Decision Dimensions

Abstract

Career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) refers to an individual’s confidence in performing the tasks required to make and implement career-related decisions. It is particularly important in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), where students must translate occupationally focused learning into informed choices about employment and further education. This study examined the CDSE profiles of Malaysian TVET students and investigated gender differences across five dimensions: self-appraisal, occupational information, goal selection, planning, and problem-solving. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 116 students (59 male and 57 female) at a TVET institution in Kuching, Sarawak. Data were collected using a 25-item questionnaire adapted from the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form and rated on a six-point response scale. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, and Cohen’s d effect sizes were used to analyse the data. Goal selection recorded the highest mean for both male (M = 4.84, SD = 0.78) and female students (M = 4.76, SD = 0.94), whereas self-appraisal recorded the lowest means (male: M = 4.38, SD = 1.05; female: M = 4.17, SD = 1.14). None of the five gender comparisons was statistically significant (p = .300–.621), and all standardised mean differences were small (Cohen’s d = 0.09–0.19). The findings indicate broadly similar CDSE profiles rather than gender-differentiated patterns of career confidence. Career-development initiatives should therefore address students’ shared developmental needs, particularly self-appraisal, while remaining responsive to individual differences. Given the single-institution sample and the absence of an equivalence-testing design, the findings should not be interpreted as evidence that gender differences are absent across the wider Malaysian TVET student population.