Abstract
Although both theoretical and empirical studies have revealed the impact of career learning experiences on career decision-making, most studies have ignored the interwind relationships between different career learning experiences. Thus, the present study employed a person-centered approach to explore the different latent profiles of the career learning experiences that arise among Chinese college students and to examine how these profiles are related to career decision-making difficulties. A sample of 1737 college students (72.7% females) completed the Chinese version of the Career Exploration and Decision Learning Experiences (CEDLE-C) and Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ). Four career learning experience profiles were identified: the multi-source profile (5%, 79) characterized by high levels of personal mastery experience (PME), verbal persuasion (VP), vicarious learning (VL), and positive emotion (PE) and very low level of negative emotion (NE), the high-mid-source profile (42%, 723) characterized by these experiences slightly above mean levels, the mid-source profile (45%, 789) characterized by mean levels of these experiences, and the unconfident profile (8%, 146) characterized by very low levels of PME, VP, VL, PE, and high level of NE. These four profiles differed in career decision-making difficulties. Students in the unconfident profile experienced the most career decision-making difficulties. The implications of these findings for further research and practices are discussed.