The Influence of Career Outcome Expectations and Career Interests on Career Readiness among Secondary School Students in Johor, Malaysia

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the influence of career outcome expectations and career interest (RIASEC) on career readiness among Form Four secondary school students (N = 462) in Johor, Malaysia. A set of questionnaires was utilised as the research instrument, and data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0. Reliability analysis confirmed acceptable internal consistency. Descriptive results indicated that most students demonstrated a moderate level of career readiness (68%). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the combination of career outcome expectations and career interest accounted for 29.9% (R² = 0.299) of the variance in students’ career readiness. Career outcome expectations emerged as the strongest predictor (β = .446, p < .05), while Investigative (β = .126, p < .05) and Conventional (β = .109, p < .05) career interests also had significant positive effects. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening school-based career guidance and targeted interventions, while noting that the convenience sampling and cross-sectional design limit the generalizability of the results.