Advisers

Maria Regina V. Baluyut

Discipline

Social sciences

Abstract

This study examined the association between institutional culture and career decision-making among 170 alumni of Bestlink College of the Philippines. Guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory, it considered how shared institutional values, beliefs, practices, and perceptions relate to alumni career choices. A descriptive-correlational quantitative design was used. A validated structured survey questionnaire served as the primary data-collection instrument, and purposive sampling was used to select alumni who graduated during school year 2023–2024. Institutional-culture dimensions—including shared values and beliefs, behavioral patterns, assumptions and ideologies, collective cognitions, and socially constructed reality—were associated with alumni career choices. Respondents also reported confidence in their abilities, consideration of possible outcomes, and alignment between personal goals and career aspirations. The Results section did not provide the corresponding descriptive or inferential statistics. Regression analysis indicated that institutional culture explained a moderate proportion of variation in career decision-making. The source reported a value of .176 for an R-based statistic, but the statistic's subscript or exponent was missing and requires author verification. This result does not establish causation. The findings suggest that institutional culture is one factor associated with alumni career decisions, alongside personal agency, labor-market conditions, and socioeconomic context. Programs may reinforce institutional values, self-efficacy, goal clarification, and independent career-planning skills.

Keywords

career decision-making, institutional culture, social cognitive career theory