Keywords
Novice teachers
Career adaptability
Self-efficacy
Mediating role
Submitted : 2025-07-01
Accepted : 2025-07-16
Published : 2025-07-31
Abstract
This study examines how organizational support influences the career adaptability of novice university teachers in Guangdong, China, and the mediating role of teacher self-efficacy. Drawing on social cognitive theory and organizational support theory, we hypothesized that organizational support would positively predict career adaptability through self-efficacy. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 326 novice teachers (with 1–3 years of teaching experience) from 12 universities in Guangdong. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, hierarchical regression, and bootstrap. Results showed that: (1) organizational support was positively associated with both self-efficacy (r = 0.62, P < 0.001) and career adaptability (r = 0.58, P < 0.001); (2) self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between organizational support and career adaptability (indirect effect = 0.24, 95% CI [0.18, 0.31]), with a partial reduction in the direct effect from β = 0.35 to β = 0.17 (P < 0.05); (3) female teachers reported higher self-efficacy than males (P < 0.05), and teachers with 2 years of experience showed significantly higher adaptability than those with 1 year (P < 0.05). The findings highlight the critical role of self-efficacy in translating organizational support into adaptability, providing empirical evidence for universities to design targeted support strategies.
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