Abstract Career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) is a critical psychological resource that supports students’ confidence in gathering career information, evaluating alternatives, and committing to career choices amid increasingly uncertain education-to-work transitions. However, the extent to which academic achievement functions as a performance-based mechanism linking personal life values and work values to CDSE remains insufficiently examined, particularly in collectivist higher education contexts. Grounded in social cognitive career theory, this study investigated whether academic achievement (cumulative grade point average CGPA) mediates the relationships between personal life values, work values, and CDSE among undergraduate students in Sabah, Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 887 students, and mediation analyses were conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS macro (Version 4.2), controlling for gender, age, and socioeconomic background. Results indicated that both personal life values and work values had significant positive direct effects on CDSE. Academic achievement also significantly predicted CDSE. However, neither personal life values nor work values significantly predicted CGPA, and the indirect effects through academic achievement were not significant, indicating no mediation. Gender significantly predicted academic achievement, with female students outperforming male students; however, it did not directly predict CDSE. These findings suggest that, in this Malaysian context, value orientations shape career decision confidence independently of academic performance, and that CGPA may not function as the primary mastery pathway through which values translate into CDSE. Implications emphasise the importance of value-centred and experiential career development interventions beyond an achievement-focused approach.
Chua et al. (Tue,) studied this question.