The impact of proactive personality and self-esteem on career decision making self-efficacy of university students in Botswana: A mediation analysis

The university period is where students make career related decisions and preparations to transition from the school to professional settings, however, studies show that some students face some degree of career indecisiveness and decision making difficulties. Therefore, this study examined the impact of individual proactive personality and self-esteem on the career decision making self-efficacy (CDMSE) of students. Data was collected from a sample of 120 participants from 5 different universities across Botswana. The Rosenberg self-esteem scale, Career decision self-efficacy Short form (CDSE-SF) and the Proactive Personality (PP) scales were administered to assess the variables under study. The data collected was analyzed using the Pearson’s correlation, regression analysis and Hayes’ mediation model. The results indicate that proactive personality had a significant positive impact on the career decision making self-efficacy levels of students. Secondly, self-esteem had a significant positive correlation and impact with the career decision making self-efficacy of student. Moreover, mediation analysis indicate that proactive personality significantly mediated the relationship between self-esteem and career decision making self-efficacy of university students. Further analysis reveal a significant positive correlation of student’s age with their self-esteem levels but no gender disparities were found. In conclusion, students with higher levels of proactive personality and self-esteem are more likely to have higher levels of career decision making self-efficacy. Further results, implications and limitations are discussed.