The Effect of Employment Prospects, Parental Socioeconomic Status, and Career Motivation on Students’ Higher Education Intentions

Authors

  • Imelda Intan Ariezona Universitas Negeri Surabaya
  • Amirul Arif Universitas Negeri Surabaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17977/um065.v7.i2.2027.13

Keywords:

Career motivation, Employment prospects, Higher education intentions, Indonesian Embassy School in Riyadh, Parental socioeconomic status

Abstract

Higher education intentions play a crucial role in preparing students to navigate the digital transformation and the demands of 21st-century industry. This quantitative explanatory study was employed to examine the effects of employment prospects, parental socioeconomic status, and career motivation on the higher education intentions of students at the Indonesian Embassy School in Riyadh. A saturated sampling technique was applied, involving all 53 regular and distance learning senior high school students enrolled during the second semester of the 2025/2026 academic year. Primary data were collected through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered via Google Forms. The data were analyzed using inferential statistical techniques with SPSS version 23. The findings indicate that employment prospects, parental socioeconomic status, and career motivation simultaneously exert a significant effect on students' higher education intentions. Partially, employment prospects emerged as the most influential predictor, followed by career motivation, in fostering students' intentions to pursue higher education, whereas parental socioeconomic status did not have a significant effect on such intentions. These findings imply that scholarship programs should be sustained, while schools should strengthen career guidance services and implement systematic career interest mapping. Parents are encouraged to focus on providing psychological support regarding their children's future educational and career plans without allowing financial concerns to become the primary consideration. Future research is recommended to investigate additional variables beyond those examined in the present study using larger and more diverse samples, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in this area.

References

Abduh, M., Purwanta, E., & Hermanto, H. (2023). In what ways students’ socio-economic status affecting academic performance? International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 12(1), 34–43. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i1.23260

Agupusi, P. (2019). The effect of parents’ education appreciation on intergenerational inequality. International Journal of Educational Development, 66, 214–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2018.09.003

Armeilia, D., Simanjuntak, M., & Amanah, S. (2019). Determination of student decision factors in choosing study programs in the Faculty of Public Health at Andalas University, Indonesia. Russian Journal of Agricultural and Socio-Economic Sciences, 91(7), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.18551/rjoas.2019-07.06

Ayuni, V. Q., & Wahjudi, E. (2021). Pengaruh lingkungan sekolah dan self efficacy terhadap minat melanjutkan pendidikan ke perguruan tinggi dengan status sosial ekonomi orang tua sebagai variabel moderasi. EQUILIBRIUM: Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi dan Pembelajarannya, 9(2), 110–122. https://doi.org/10.25273/equilibrium.v9i2.10008

Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis with special reference to education. National Bureau of Economic Research.

Blossfeld, P., Katrňák, T., & Chomková Manea, B. (2024). Parental educational homogamy and children’s tertiary education in Europe. Comparative Population Studies, 49, 243–272. https://doi.org/10.12765/CPoS-2024-10

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 15–29). Greenwood Press.

Che, S., Liu, D., & Liu, Q. (2025). What are student motivations for and expectations of transnational higher education (TNHE): A scoping review. SAGE Open, 15(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251378888

Cruz, N. I., Hou, M., Ichikawa, A., & Glass, C. R. (2023). International schools as transnational spaces for global learning and identity development. Journal of Research in International Education, 22(2), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409231189365

Hamouche, S., Bani-Melhem, S., Demir, A., & Kammogne, C. L. (2026). Crisis-induced career shock and entrepreneurial intention among employees: What is the role of layoff, job insecurity and perceived employability during COVID-19? The Bottom Line, 39(1), 43–76. https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-08-2023-0248

Jin, H., Ma, X., & Jiao, S. (2022). Cultural capital and its impact on academic achievement: Sustainable development of Chinese high school students. Sustainability, 14(22), 14976. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214976

Khairinal, K., Syuhadah, S., & Aminah, S. (2022). Pengaruh kondisi sosial ekonomi orang tua, potensi diri, dan dukungan teman sebaya terhadap keputusan siswa memilih Universitas Jambi. Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan dan Ilmu Sosial, 3(2), 754–762. https://doi.org/10.38035/jmpis.v3i2.1137

Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79–122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027

OECD. (2025). Education at a glance 2025: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en

Öncü, S. (2025). Exploring motivational and contextual factors influencing medical career choice: A theory-informed study. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1722595. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1722595

Oryza, S. B., & Listiadi, A. (2021). Pengaruh motivasi belajar dan status sosial ekonomi orangtua terhadap minat melanjutkan ke perguruan tinggi dengan prestasi belajar sebagai variabel mediasi. JPEKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi, Manajemen dan Keuangan, 5(1), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.26740/jpeka.v5n1.p23-36

Philipp, J. (2023). Gendered university major choice: The role of intergenerational transmission. Journal of Population Economics, 36(2), 1049–1097. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-022-00900-6

Putri, N. E., Mardi, & Pratama, A. (2022). Student interest in continuing their studies to higher education. ROMEO: Review of Multidisciplinary Education, Culture and Pedagogy, 1(4), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.55047/romeo.v1i4.251

Qiu, Y., & Ye, P. (2023). The influence of family socio-economic status on learning engagement of college students majoring in preschool education: The mediating role of parental autonomy support and the moderating effect of psychological capital. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1081608. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1081608

Riyanto, Y., & Oktariyanda, T. A. (2023). Metodologi penelitian kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Unesa University Press.

Robinson, J. (2023). Likert scale. In F. Maggino (Ed.), Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being research (pp. 3917–3918). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17299-1_1654

Rosida, N., & Rochmawati, R. (2023). Pengaruh motivasi karir, dorongan finansial, persepsi mengenai biaya pendidikan terhadap minat mahasiswa mengikuti pendidikan profesi guru. Jurnal Pendidikan Akuntansi (JPAK), 11(3), 318–326. https://doi.org/10.26740/jpak.v11n3.p318-326

Shin, S., Rachmatullah, A., Roshayanti, F., Ha, M., & Lee, J. K. (2018). Career motivation of secondary students in STEM: A cross-cultural study between Korea and Indonesia. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 18(2), 203–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-017-9355-0

Slater, P., & Hasson, F. (2025). Data measurement, instruments and sampling. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 32(3), 680–685. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13142

Solihat, S., Nurfitri, T., & Nawarini, A. T. (2020). Pengaruh potensi diri, lingkungan sekolah dan tingkat pendidikan orang tua terhadap minat siswa melanjutkan studi ke perguruan tinggi di MAN 1 Banyumas. Soedirman Economics Education Journal, 2(2), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.32424/seej.v2i2.3001

Subarkah, A., & Nurkhin, A. (2018). Pengaruh status sosial ekonomi orang tua, efikasi diri, dan bimbingan karier terhadap minat melanjutkan ke perguruan tinggi pada siswa SMA Negeri 1 Kejobong. Economic Education Analysis Journal, 7(2), 400–414. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/eeaj/article/view/28247

Suharto, R. D., Ramli, M., Atmoko, A., Muslihati, M., & Laksana, E. P. (2025). Mengatasi kecemasan karier siswa kelas XII dengan konseling kognitif perilaku. Jurnal Pembelajaran, Bimbingan, dan Pengelolaan Pendidikan, 5(3), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.17977/um065.v5.i3.2025.2

Tsai, Y. C., Trang, L. T., & Kobori, K. (2017). Factors influencing international students to study at universities in Taiwan. International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, 5(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol5.iss1.46

Wang, J., & Wu, Y. (2023). Income inequality, cultural capital, and high school students’ academic achievement in OECD countries: A moderated mediation analysis. The British Journal of Sociology, 74(2), 148–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12997

Widodo, W., Tohir, T., & Mulasiwi, C. M. (2023). The influence of motivation, self-potential, and socio-economic conditions on the interest in continuing to higher education. Economic Education Analysis Journal, 12(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.15294/eeaj.v12i2.66031

Xie, C., & Ma, Y. (2019). The mediating role of cultural capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and student achievement in 14 economies. British Educational Research Journal, 45(4), 838–855. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3528

Downloads

Published

01-09-2026

How to Cite

Ariezona, I. I., & Arif, A. (2026). The Effect of Employment Prospects, Parental Socioeconomic Status, and Career Motivation on Students’ Higher Education Intentions. Jurnal Pembelajaran, Bimbingan, Dan Pengelolaan Pendidikan, 7(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.17977/um065.v7.i2.2027.13

Issue

Section

Articles