Email this article Effect of Work-Integrated Learning and Instructor Skills on Vocational Graduates' Work Readiness: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy
), Fitra Jaya(2), Agussalim Agussalim(3), Andi Tenri Ampa(4), Andi Annisa Sulolipu(5)
| 
Country:
(1) Department of Economic Education, Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia
(2) Department of Economic Education, Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia
(3) Department of Economic Education, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
(4) Department of Economic Education, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
(5) Department of Economic Education, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia
Corresponding Author
Graduate work readiness has become a crucial issue given the high unemployment rate among Vocational High School (SMK) graduates, thus requiring a deep understanding of the factors that influence it. This study aims to analyze the effect of work-integrated learning and instructor skills on the work readiness of SMK graduates in West Java Province, with self-efficacy as a mediating variable. The main objective of this research is to explain the role of self-efficacy as a mediator between work-integrated learning experiences and instructor quality on work readiness. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. The sample consisted of 292 public Vocational High School graduates in West Java selected through a multistage cluster random sampling technique to ensure geographical representativeness and diversity of vocational programs. Data were collected using validated, structured questionnaires with Likert-scale responses that measured four main constructs: work-integrated learning, instructor skills, self-efficacy, and work readiness. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares. Work-integrated learning and instructor skills have positive and significant effects on the self-efficacy of Vocational High School graduates. Self-efficacy proves to have a positive and strong influence on work readiness, indicating that self-confidence (self-efficacy) is an important predictor of work readiness. Although work-integrated learning and instructor skills also have direct effects on work readiness, these effects are relatively small compared with the indirect effects mediated by self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is a key factor in reducing the unemployment rate among Vocational High School graduates. The practical implications highlight the importance of graduates' self-confidence, work-integrated learning, and the strengthening of instructors' pedagogical and professional competencies as solutions for improving the work readiness of Vocational High School graduates.
Keywords: integrated learning, instructors skill, work readiness, self-confidence.
Agussalim, Imam, M., Suci, R., & Wahyuni. (2024). Unemployment of vocational high school graduates: the effect of work skills, family socio-economic status, and entrepreneurial attitudes on work readiness. Jurnal Ekonomi Pendidikan dan Kewirusahaan, 12 (2), 187–204. https://doi.org/10.26740/jepk.v12n2.p187-204
Alanazi, T. M. (2022). The impact of work-integrated learning on developing students' self-efficacy and employability skills. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 12(3), 577–592. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-07-2021-0144
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Bennett, D., & Ferns, S. (2023). Work-integrated learning: Understanding the student experience. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(2), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2057451
Burnham, K.P., & Anderson, D.R. (2022). Multimodel inference: Understanding AIC and BIC in model selection. Sociological Methods & Research, 33(2), 261–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124104268644
Byrne, B.M. (2019). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Caballero, C. L., Walker, A., & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2021). The Work Readiness Scale (WRS): Developing a measure to assess work readiness in college graduates. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 2(2), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2011vol2no1art552
Choy, S., & Delahaye, B. (2023). The role of self-efficacy in work-integrated learning: A longitudinal study. Journal of Education and Work, 36(1), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2022.2154321
Creswell, J.W. (2021). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Field, A. (2023). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). London, UK: SAGE Publications.
Gessler, M., & Siemer, C. (2020). Instructional design meets model-based reasoning: Developing professional competence for VET teacher education. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 12(1), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40461-020-00093-6
Hair J.F., Hult, G.T., & Sarsted, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (Third Edition). SAGE Publications Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Hayes, A. F. (2021). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Jackson, D. (2024). The relationship between student employment, employability-building activities, and graduate outcomes. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 48(1), 14–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2253426
Kahar, R., Barnes, R., Delaney, Y., & McKenna, L. (2024). Self-efficacy and work readiness: A systematic review of graduate outcomes. International Journal of Educational Research, 123, Article 102287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102287
Klassen, R. M., & Kim, L. E. (2019). Selecting teachers and prospective teachers: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 26, 32–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2018.12.003
Kolb, D. A. (2019). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Köpsén, S. (2020). Demands-based and employer-driven curricula: Defining knowledge in higher vocational education and training. Studies in Continuing Education, 42(3), 349–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2019.1661238
Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Baumert, J., Richter, D., Voss, T., & Hachfeld, A. (2023). Professional competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 115(2), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000782
Lemmetty, S., & Billet, S. (2023). Employee-driven learning and innovation (EDLI) as a phenomenon of continuous learning at work. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35(9), 162–176. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-12-2022-0175
Liu, Y., Zhang, L., & Huang, J. (2024). Teacher effectiveness and student self-efficacy: A multilevel analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 137, Article 104398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104398
Tomlinson & Jackson, D. (2015). The relationship between student employment, employability-building activities, and graduate outcomes. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 48(1), 14–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2253426
Martínez, A., & González, F. (2024). Teacher influence on career readiness: Direct and indirect effects. Journal of Career Development, 51(1), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453231194567
Morris, T. H., Ramos, S., & Santos, J. (2023). The role of teacher-student relationships in developing career readiness through self-efficacy. Higher Education Quarterly, 77(2), 234–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12412
Okay-Somerville, B., & Scholarios, D. (2021). A Multilevel examination of skills-oriented human resource management and perceived skill utilization during recession: Implications for the well-being of all workers. Human Resource Management, 60(3), 385–404. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22039
Rahmah, N., Ishak, N. M., & Lai, C. S. (2022). Self-efficacy as a predictor of work readiness: A longitudinal study of university students. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 14(2), 687–703. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-03-2021-0089
Ramadhan, M. A., Handoyo, S. S., & Cahyati, W. (2021). Trends of Vocational Education and Training Research in Building Construction Engineering. Jurnal Pendidikan Teknologi Kejuruan, 4(2), 47. https://doi.org/10.24036/jptk.v4i2.20723
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2021). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Savickas, M. L. (2019). Career construction theory and practice. In R. W. Lent & S. D. Brown (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd ed., pp. 165-200). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Sawitri, D. R., & Novitasari, R. (2022). Work readiness scale: Validation and psychometric properties in Indonesian vocational graduates. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 135, Article 103717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103717
Smith, C., Ferns, S., & Russell, L. (2020). The impact of work-integrated learning on students' work-readiness. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(6), 1229–1244. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1742384
Suarta, I. M., Suwintana, I. K., Sudhana, I. F. P., & Hariyanti, N. K. D. (2023). Work-integrated learning and graduate employability: The mediating role of self-efficacy. International Journal of Learning and Development, 13(1), 56–74. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v13i1.20456
Talsma, K., Schüz, B., Schwarzer, R., & Norris, K. (2021). I believe, therefore I achieve (and vice versa): A meta-analytic cross-lagged panel analysis of self-efficacy and academic performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 61, 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102021
Tschannen, M., & Johnson, D. (2021). The role of teacher verbal persuasion and modeling in developing student self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 106, Article 103461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103461
Wahyuningsih, R., Joyoatmojo, S., Wardani, D. K., & Noviani, L. (2025). Work-Integrated Learning to Improve Work Readiness of Vocational Education in School and Madrasah. 6(4), 586–602.
Yorke, M. (2020). The development and initial use of a survey of students' belongingness, engagement, and self-confidence in UK higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 45(1), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1620451
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
View My Stats