Open research questions in Career Development and Diversity

What the literature leaves open

• Despite these constraints, the study provides a strong foundation for future research using larger samples, multi- institutional comparisons and longitudinal designs to track motivational shifts over time. Future studies could also incorporate mixed-method approaches to enrich quantitative findings with contextual insights (Sammons & Davis, 2017) and explore intersectional factors such as socioeconomic status or cultural expectations that may shape gendered enrolment decisions (Unterhalter et al., 2020). Such expansions would enhance both the depth and the applicability of motivational research across diverse academic and cultural settings.

  Gendered motivations and demographic factors in programme selection: A comparative analysis · 2026 · DOI

• This series of studies provide initial empirical evidence for measuring the career readiness of undergraduate liberal arts students through a rigorous assessment of 10 core career competencies producing scores that are reliable and predictive of career outcomes for students. Validation, of course, is an ongoing process and there are avenues for building additional evidence for the interpretation and use of scores. For instance, investigating longitudinal measurement invariance to support the use of scores in modeling students’ growth over time. Researchers should next examine whether there are other, equally important core career competencies in addition to the 10 identified and operationalized here. Furthermore, researchers should systematically investigate which curricular and co-curricular experiences are particularly helpful for students as they develop their career readiness in college, which informs how programs can best support their students. In the meantime, however, the use of the CCAS has already aided almost 100,000 undergraduate students to become more aware of the competencies they acquire in their liberal arts education, be more intentional in their engagement with and development of the competencies, and better articulate their competencies to their families, potential employers, and most importantly, to themselves. Similarly, the systematic use of CCAS has aided faculty to be more intentional in how they teach the competencies to their students and how they can design courses that are more attentive to the career readiness of their students.

  Development and Validity Evidence for the Liberal Arts Core Competencies Assessment Scales · 2026 · DOI

• Forthcoming projects could explore whether pre-entry PGT motivations differ across student groups, including variations by gender, discipline, and institutional type (e.g., Russell Group2 vs. post-92 universities3) or even time since previous HE studies. Longitudinal designs following PGT students from pre-arrival through to graduation would offer valuable insights into how initial motivations, such as career advancement, academic interest, or personal development, shape later outcomes including retention and academic achievement. The differing motivations and experiences of UK and international postgraduate students could also be examined in greater depth. A comparative institutional study in the UK is planned for the 2026–2027 academic year to examine how these contextual factors shape PGT study choices and experiences.

  Pre-Arrival Motivation Among Postgraduate Taught Students Entering a United Kingdom University: An Exploration Through Self-Determination Theory · 2026 · DOI

• Mixed findings regarding the relationships between Black and Hispanic students’ task value beliefs and their STEM career aspirations have led researchers to ques- tion the extent to which SEVT constructs reflect STEM career decision-making among historically marginalized groups, or to conclude that individuals from these groups perceive low value for STEM careers (Andersen & Ward, 2013; Gottlieb, 2018).

  What’s on Their Minds? Salient Motivational Benefits and Challenges of STEM Careers Perceived by Black and Hispanic High School Girls and Boys · 2026 · DOI

• Originality/value The current study makes a unique contribution to the literature by providing empirical insights into Bangladesh, where the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields has not been adequately explored.

  Challenges of STEM education and career choices of female graduates: a case study on Bangladesh · 2026 · DOI

• This study is a good start in probing the role that selective STEM schools play in shap- ing students’ identification and perceptions of STEM. The conceptual framework was useful for capturing different aspects that contribute to identity development. Future studies could benefit from more longitudinal interview data using and expanding on these methods and this framework, following students through the process from the STEM school application process to the college application process. Addition- ally, examining the programs that students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, identify as the most influential or dissonant with their STEM iden- tity could serve to inform future STEM programs, targeting program leverage and improvements.

  Identifying as a “STEM Person”: Examining Students’ STEM-Focused High School Experiences · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should explore the long- term outcomes of international female students in STEM, focusing on their career trajectories, contributions to their fields, and the impact of their experiences on their home communities.

  Educating across cultures · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should examine how such gendered dynamics shape motiva- tions, educational experiences, and career outcomes within the brewing sector. Whilst the findings illuminate diverse motivations and pathways, further research is required to assess the long-term outcomes of such programmes, particularly in terms of participants’ capacity to achieve stable employ- ment or sustain entrepreneurial ventures.

  From Hobby to Career: Occupational Choices in Brewing Education · 2026 · DOI

• This study addresses an under-explored intersection between science identity, growth mindset, and career self-efficacy in STEM undergraduate students.

  Science Identity and Growth Mindset as Mechanisms to Support STEM Students’ Career Self-Efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• Given that graduate and advanced training is often needed to attain a variety of STEM careers, future research should examine if the mechanisms we examined will hold up for emerging scientists at later stages of training and education. For example, growth mindset and science identity may have bidirectional relationships with career-self efficacy and this should be examined in future studies. Other measurement methods should be explored in future research. ” Although our data provided preliminary support of the factor structure and construct validity of the adapted measure, replications and further validations in future research are needed.

  Science Identity and Growth Mindset as Mechanisms to Support STEM Students’ Career Self-Efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• interventions based on program stream where there are large variations in gender balance and/or providing flexibility in the level and content of students’ social justice learning.

  Engineering Student Positionality and Alignment with The Culture of Disengagement · 2026 · DOI

• The study concludes that while an internal sense of “calling” and altruism successfully attract individuals to the ECCE profession, these factors are insufficient for long-term retention in the face of systemic undervaluation.

  MOTIVATION AND ANTICIPATED CHALLENGES AMONG ECCE STUDENTS · 2026 · DOI

• 3 ARTICLE IN PRESS ARTICLE IN PRESS ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT PAP_41 PAP_42 PAP_43 PAP_44 more attractive to boys I feel limited by the gender labels that people put on me I feel limited by the expectations that people have of me because of my gender I was taught at home that men should act like men and women should act like women In the past, I have been the subject of jokes or intimidation for behaving like the opposite sex 26 and 16.

  A comparative analysis between Brazil and Spain about perceptions on gender in STEM · 2026 · DOI

• The inclusion of structurally analogous sectors was necessary because direct TVET 606 | evidence was scarce; however, this limits the strength of TVET-specific inference.

  Women’s Collaborative Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

• The review used two databases and restricted inclusion to English-language, open/full-text articles published between 2015 and 2025. These choices enhanced transparency and feasibility but may have excluded relevant work in other languages, databases, and publication formats. The inclusion of structurally analogous sectors was necessary because direct TVET 606 | evidence was scarce; however, this limits the strength of TVET-specific inference. The study also relied on heterogeneous designs and did not calculate pooled effect estimates. Finally, the CCLF is conceptual and should be understood as a testable proposition, not an empirically validated measurement model.

  Women’s Collaborative Leadership in Technical and Vocational Education: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

• Although the choice of PROCESS Model 2 was theoretically justified, al- ternative analytical configurations (e.g., Model 1 or Model 3) were not exam- ined in this study. Exploring these models in future research could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the structural nature of the relation- ships among the variables. Moreover, the moderation effect identified in the present study was statistically marginal, and therefore the findings should be interpreted with appropriate caution. Another important consideration concerns the directionality of the relation- ships examined. Although courage was modeled as a predictor of ambiguity tolerance, it is plausible that the association between these constructs is bidi- rectional or driven by shared underlying factors. To clarify the temporal and causal dynamics between courage and ambiguity tolerance, future studies should employ longitudinal or experimental research designs. Furthermore, the study revealed discrepancies in gender and job preference distributions across the groups. While gender was not a central variable in the theoretical framework, it was included as a covariate in supplementary anal- yses. In the model predicting confidence, gender emerged as a statistically significant predictor, suggesting that gender-based differences may contribute to individuals’ self-perceptions in ambiguous career contexts. However, gen- der did not significantly interact with the main predictors nor did it alter the core moderation effects. These findings underscore the need for future re- search to examine more thoroughly the role of gender in shaping psychologi- cal resources related to uncertainty and career decision-making. The present study is also limited by its sampling and measurement approach. The sample consisted exclusively of university students, which restricts the ge- COURAGE VERSUS TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY 29 neralizability of the findings to young adults in other developmental periods or occupational contexts. Additionally, all variables were assessed using self-report measures, which may introduce common-method variance and potentially inflate observed associations (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Future research should therefore incorporate more diverse samples and multi-method assessment strategies. Finally, cultural context represents an important dimension that warrants more explicit consideration. Although the study was conducted among young adults in Poland—where employment stability and uncertainty avoidance have notable cultural significance—the research did not directly assess cul- tural variables. As such, the findings may not fully generalize to individuals from other cultural backgrounds. Poland’s orientation toward uncertainty avoidance, as conceptualized by Hofstede (2000), may affect attitudes toward career ambiguity and shape responses to developmental orientations.

  Courage vs. Tolerance of Ambiguity in Young Adults’ Career Choices: Life Orientation’s Moderating Effect · 2026 · DOI

•  Web-based and mobile application versions  Integration with real-time career data  Personalized recommendations based on additional parameters  Expanded career database with more options  These improvements can make the system more powerful, scalable, and suitable for real-world applications. REFERENCES R. Kumar and P. K. Singh, “Blockchain and AES-Based Hybrid Secure Online Voting System,” International Journal of Cyber Security and Digital Forensics, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 101–110, 2025. A. Sharma, R. Gupta, and M. Patel, “AI-Driven Secure Cloud E-Voting System with AES Encryption,” Journal of Cloud Computing: Advances, Systems and Applications, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 45–57, 2025. L. Chen and S. Patel, “End-to-End Verifiable E-Voting on Cloud Infrastructure,” IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 2310–2322, 2024. K. Reddy and P. Gupta, “Secure Online Voting Using AES-256 Encryption,” International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 185, no. 12, pp. 22–28, 2023. R. L. Rivest, “Electronic Voting,” Communications of the ACM, vol. 51, no. 11, pp. 46–50, Nov. 2008.

  Career Recommendation System (2026) · 2026 · DOI

• Out-of-school STEM education providers are key actors in addressing gender disparities; however, little is known about how their institutional values and perceived capacities influence program design and delivery.

  Extending STEM identity to the institutional level: how organizational identity and efficacy shape gender-inclusive practice in out-of-school education · 2026 · DOI

• This study extends the ACF to the underexplored population of students and provides empirical insight into how ISM affects students’ long-term mobility trajectories across academic fields.

  International student mobility and future migration aspirations and capabilities – a comparison between postgraduate students in medicine and social sciences and humanities · 2026 · DOI

• Abstract Senior women in STEM leadership roles in Malaysia remain scarce, and those who attain such positions often face complex pressures that may prompt them to consider exiting their careers.

  Contemplating Career Exit among Senior Women in Malaysian STEM · 2026 · DOI

• Despite notable contributions, this study is not without its limitations. First, the sample included only Croatian adolescents, limiting the generalizability of the find- ings to other cultures and schooling systems. Cross-cultural comparisons might help us gain a broader view of how sociocultural factors contribute to change in career decision-making difficulties during adolescence. Second, although this study used a longitudinal design, reliance on self-report measures (e.g., CDDQ-R) could introduce response biases or capture only perceived career decision-making difficul- ties rather than actual difficulties. Future work should explore combining multiple data sources (e.g., teacher or counselor ratings) and potentially objective measures. Third, although gender and subjective SES were included as covariates, other poten- tially influential variables such as parental involvement, academic achievement, or access to career guidance resources were not assessed and may offer a better under- standing of individual differences in career development. Lastly, the decision to exclude the Dysfunctional Beliefs subscale from the final model, while improving fit, limits insight into the role of cognitive distortions in the decision-making pro- cess. Future research could explore alternative methods for assessing dysfunctional beliefs, such as using different instruments, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, or examining specific beliefs separately to better understand their role in career decision-making. Studies should also evaluate tailored career interventions at key developmental stages, particularly for younger adolescents who face greater challenges. Longitudinal research extending into early adulthood would clarify how early difficulties evolve and affect long-term outcomes. A qualitative study would capture adolescents’ subjective experiences. By integrating these approaches, future research can guide the development of effective strategies to support adolescents in making confident and well-informed career decisions. Funding The funding was provided by Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost, IP-2019-04-7537, Iva Sverko.

  Changes in career decision-making difficulties during early and mid-adolescence · 2026 · DOI

• Despite its contributions, this study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the study was conducted within the Vietnamese higher education context. Although Vietnam represents an important emerging economy undergoing rapid digital transformation, the findings may not be fully generalizable to other national, cultural, or institutional settings. Future studies should therefore examine the proposed framework in different countries and regions to assess its cross-cultural applicability and robustness. Published by SCHOLINK INC. 74 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/lecr Language, Education and Culture Research Vol. 6, No. 1, 2026 Second, the study employed a cross-sectional research design, which limits the ability to establish causal relationships and capture changes over time. Career adaptability, AI literacy, and social capital are dynamic constructs that may evolve throughout students’ educational and professional trajectories. Longitudinal studies would provide a deeper understanding of how these variables interact over time and influence long-term career outcomes. Third, while AI literacy was included as a key mediating variable, the study did not directly measure the long-term impact of AI adoption on career development, employability, and workplace adaptation. Given the rapid pace of technological change, future research should explore how sustained engagement with AI technologies influences career trajectories, skill development, and professional identity formation. Fourth, the present study focused primarily on university students. Future research may extend the framework to other populations, including recent graduates, early-career professionals, vocational education students, and employees undergoing digital transformation in the workplace. Such comparisons would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the role of social capital across different career stages. Future research could also examine additional mediating and moderating variables, such as career self- efficacy, digital resilience, learning motivation, entrepreneurial orientation, and institutional support. These factors may further clarify the mechanisms through which social capital contributes to career adaptability and employability in the digital economy. Finally, comparative cross-national studies and longitudinal research designs are particularly recommended. Such approaches would enable researchers to investigate how cultural contexts, educational systems, and technological environments shape the relationships among social capital, AI literacy, career adaptability, and sustainable employability. By addressing these limitations, future studies can further advance understanding of how social and technological resources interact to influence career development in the age of artificial intelligence and contribute to the development of more inclusive and sustainable workforce strategies worldwide.

  The Role of Social Capital in Enhancing Career Adaptability among University Students in the AI Era · 2026 · DOI

• Career Exploration BJW1 BJW2 BJW3 BJW4 BJW5 BJW6 BJW7 FTP1 FTP2 FTP3 FTP4 FTP5 FTP6 FTP7 FTP8 FTP9 I believe that, by and large, I deserve what happens to me. I feel that I am treated fairly in life. I believe that I usually get what I deserve. I feel my efforts are fairly rewarded. I believe that outcomes in my life are generally fair. I believe that justice prevails in my personal life. I feel that life treats me in a fair way. I think about what my future will be like. I consider how my current actions will affect my future. I set goals for my future. I think about long-term career plans. I believe my future depends on what I do now. I often think about where I want to be in the future. I plan ahead for my future career. I am motivated by future goals. I consider future consequences before making decisions. FTP10 I have a clear image of my future career. CE1 CE2 CE3 CE4 CE5 CE6 CE7 CE8 CE9 CE10 CE11 I have been exploring career opportunities. I seek information about different careers. I gather information about job requirements. I reflect on my strengths and interests for career decisions. I actively search for career-related information. I talk to others about career options. I evaluate different career alternatives. I attend career-related activities or events. I try to learn more about occupations that interest me. I explore different career paths before making decisions. I actively think about my future career direction. Table S2. Full item standardized factor loadings, internal consistency, composite reliability, and average variance extracted.

  Belief in a Just World Predicting Career Exploration through Future Time Perspective in Chinese Higher Education Students · 2026 · DOI

• areas involving technology such as large language models, language processing, deep learning, systems. New personnel teaching, training, intelligent agents, and predictive analytics exist within the network, although their density is low, thus reflecting their status as emerging research themes and not primary ones. This shows how despite being heavily focused on traditional topics of education and employment, recent research has begun integrating aspects of artificial intelligence and analytics. Vol. 4, No. 05, May 2026: pp. 673-684 West Science Social and Humanities Studies  680 3.2 Co-Authorship Analysis Figure 4.

  Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Career Personalization · 2026 · DOI

• semantics, systems, intelligent agent, predictive analytics, and decision-making are indicative of the fact that future work in this field will shift towards systems based on artificial intelligent intelligence and machine learning. It can thus be expected that future trends in this area would be more inclined towards developing intelligent systems for career advice and planning.

  Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Career Personalization · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Career Development and Diversity

• The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. · Journal of Counseling Psychology · 1981 · 720 citations
• Inside the Double Bind: A Synthesis of Empirical Research on Undergraduate and Graduate Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics · Harvard Educational Review · 2011 · 685 citations
• Women's underrepresentation in science: Sociocultural and biological considerations. · Psychological Bulletin · 2009 · 630 citations
• Is science me? High school students' identities, participation and aspirations in science, engineering, and medicine · Journal of Research in Science Teaching · 2009 · 512 citations
• The role of identity development, values, and costs in college STEM retention. · Journal of Educational Psychology · 2013 · 483 citations
• What happens before? A field experiment exploring how pay and representation differentially shape bias on the pathway into organizations. · Journal of Applied Psychology · 2015 · 363 citations
• The Gender Gap in STEM Fields: The Impact of the Gender Stereotype of Math and Science on Secondary Students' Career Aspirations · Frontiers in Education · 2019 · 336 citations
• Political Influence Behavior and Career Success · Journal of Management · 1994 · 313 citations
• Contemporary career orientations and career self-management: A review and integration · Journal of Vocational Behavior · 2021 · 253 citations
• Academic Productivity Differences by Gender and Child Age in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine Faculty During the COVID-19 Pandemic · Journal of Women s Health · 2020 · 232 citations

Most recent work

• Racial inequality in engineering education: a taxonomy of challenges faced by female engineering students in the Pacific region · European Journal of Engineering Education · 2026
• Measurement of student STEM identity: A systematic literature review · Educational Research Review · 2026
• Predicting STEM competencies with machine learning: identifying key determinants among 522,802 adolescents · International Journal of STEM Education · 2026
• Exploring STEM identity profiles among undergraduate STEM students and their relationships with gender, discipline, persistence and engagement: a latent profile analysis · International Journal of STEM Education · 2026
• Identifying as a “STEM Person”: Examining Students’ STEM-Focused High School Experiences · Journal for STEM Education Research · 2026
• Barriers and inclusive initiatives: A systematic literature review of women’s employment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workplaces · The Economic and Labour Relations Review · 2026
• International student mobility and future migration aspirations and capabilities – a comparison between postgraduate students in medicine and social sciences and humanities · Comparative Migration Studies · 2026
• Factors Affecting Career and Talent Development Self-Efficacy in Gifted and Talented Students · Gifted Education International · 2026
• Adolescent Self-Control and Career Ambivalence: Longitudinal Mediation via Decision-Making Self-Efficacy · Journal of Career Development · 2026
• Do Community-Based Learning Experiences in STEM Encourage Students From Historically Underrepresented Backgrounds to Pursue STEM? A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review · Journal of Experiential Education · 2026

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