The Role of Adaptability and Growth Mindset in Predicting the Job Readiness of Vocational School Students to Face the Dynamics of the World of Work

Abstract

The work readiness of vocational school students is very important to face the demands of the increasingly dynamic world of work. To support this readiness, students need strong career adaptability and a Growth Mindset. This quantitative study uses an explanatory-predictive design to analyze how career adaptability and Growth Mindset affect vocational students' work readiness. The research involved 187 grade XI students of SMK Negeri 11 Malang selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data collected via Likert-scale questionnaires were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results show that Growth Mindset has a positive and significant effect on job readiness, whereas career adaptability exhibits a positive but statistically non-significant influence. Together, career adaptability and Growth Mindset significantly affect work readiness ( ), with a coefficient of determination ( ) explaining 26.4% of the variance in student readiness, driven primarily by Growth Mindset. Ultimately, Growth Mindset is the main psychological predictor of vocational school students' job readiness, while career adaptability requires strengthening a growth mindset to have a significant impact.