The effects of career adaptability on intended academic persistence: The mediating role of academic satisfaction

In the current study, we investigated the linkage between career adaptability, academic satisfaction, and intended academic persistence. The psychometric properties of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) in a sample of undergraduate students from Trinidad and Tobago were also examined. The results provided further support for the incremental validity of the CAAS. We also found that career adaptability was significantly and positively related to intended academic persistence and academic satisfaction. Similarly, career adaptability predicted academic satisfaction which in turn predicted sub-dimensions of intended academic persistence. Furthermore, academic satisfaction was found to significantly mediate the relations between career adaptability and intended academic persistence. These results suggest that for undergraduate students, feeling adaptable in one's career links to an enhanced commitment to remain in their chosen academic field, in part due to feeling more satisfied with their chosen academic domain. Implications and future research directions are discussed. •Examined the relations between adaptability, satisfaction, and intended academic persistence•The results supported the incremental validity of the CAAS.•Academic satisfaction mediated the relations between career adaptability and intended academic persistence.•Career adaptability was positively associated with intended academic persistence.