Factors determining the career continuation intentions of vocational education and training students: a theory of planned behavior approach

Emrullah Deniz

Education and Training2026https://doi.org/10.1108/et-08-2024-0388article
AJG 1
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

Purpose Encouraging vocational education and training (VET) graduates to actively pursue their careers is imperative to foster the employment of well-trained and skilled personnel to provide companies with a competitive advantage in the long term. This study aims to investigate the factors shaping the career intentions (CI) of VET students based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991). When compared to previous studies conducted with university cohorts and adult populations, the current study uniquely examines the CI determinants of senior students from VET programs. Design/methodology/approach Under the guidance of TPB, this study conducted an empirical investigation involving a survey of 513 VET students. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the factors that influence students' CI. At the same time, the moderating role of perceived behavioral control (PBC) in the relationships between career attitudes (CA)-CI and subjective norms (SN)-CI was tested. Findings The findings obtained from the study showed that CI are influenced by CA, SN and PBC. Among these, the strongest predictor was PBC. In the suggested model, SN and PBC emerged as significant predictors of CA. Findings from the moderator test revealed that the relationships between CA-CI and SN-CI were not significantly influenced by PBC. Originality/value The novelty of the current research lies in its examination of the antecedents of CI, its use with vocational education students and its focus on the TPB. The current research contributes to the awareness of policymakers, administrators and teachers about the factors that underpin CI among VET students.

Open paper page →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/et-08-2024-0388

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{emrullah2026,
  title        = {{Factors determining the career continuation intentions of vocational education and training students: a theory of planned behavior approach}},
  author       = {Emrullah Deniz},
  journal      = {Education and Training},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/et-08-2024-0388},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Factors determining the career continuation intentions of vocational education and training students: a theory of planned behavior approach

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.


Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.