Career orientations and value of social capital resources: analysis of doctoral student survey in Japan

Purpose This study examines how doctoral students in Japan perceive the value of various social capital resources for career development, focusing on its association with career orientations, supervisor characteristics and laboratory environments. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes survey results from doctoral students and their supervisors in STEM fields at Japanese national universities. Exploratory factor analyses identified latent structures underlying social capital resources and career orientations. Linear regression models examined how career orientations, supervisor characteristics and laboratory environments were associated with students’ valuation of different resources. Findings Doctoral students with Intellectual Profession orientations particularly value their supervisors. Supervisors’ executive positions in academic societies and collaborative laboratory environments are positively associated with this tendency. Conversely, students with Stable Occupation orientations rely on broader networks. Career orientations are significantly associated with valuation of social capital resources, even after specific academic or non-academic career aspirations are controlled. Research limitations/implications This research is based on small-scale cross-sectional data from national universities. Future research should utilize longitudinal data with larger samples to examine reciprocal effects between social capital resources and career orientations across institutional types. Originality/value This study advances understanding of students’ valuation of social capital resources by moving beyond the academic/non-academic dichotomy to examine its association with career orientations. The matched supervisor–student dataset provides unique insights into how supervisors’ characteristics and laboratory management relate to students’ career development strategies.