Differing Pathways to Decision-Making: Untangling the Relationships Among Metacognitive Reflection, Emotional Regulation, and Career Decision-Making Patterns

This research examines the complex connections between metacognition, reflection, and emotional regulation and how they affect different kinds of career decisions. By integrating these cognitive, emotional, and reflective dimensions, we employed structural equation modeling to investigate their mediation effects on career decisions, an area previously under-researched. Our findings from undergraduate populations reveal that metacognition mediates the relationship between reflection and vigilant decision-making, while emotional regulation plays both a mediating and direct role in influencing career decisions. Specifically, our results substantiate the assertion that emotionally regulated decisions wield greater influence on career decisions than those primarily based on cognitive factors. This comprehensive model of decision-making offers valuable insights for educators and counselors to better support individuals in making more informed and sustainable career choices.