Vocational Attitude, Career Maturity, and Self- Motivation Among Generation Z and Generation Alpha Students

DOI

https://www.doi.org/10.59256/ijrtmr.20260603017

Published In

Volume 6, Issue 3 (2026)

Published Online

May-June 2026

Pages

146-161

Article Type

Original Article

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Interrelationship among vocational attitude, career maturity, and self-motivation among Generation Z and Generation Alpha students within the Presidency Administrative Division of West Bengal. The study adopted a descriptive survey method and employed a quantitative research approach. A total of 289 students from secondary and college-level educational institutions participated in the study through purposive sampling. Data were collected using three standardised instruments, namely the Vocational Attitude Scale (VAS), Career Maturity Scale (CMS), and Self-Motivation Scale (SMS). Reliability analysis revealed satisfactory internal consistency for all scales, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .837 to .847. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rank-order correlation, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Multiple Regression Analysis, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between self-motivation and career maturity (ρ = .231, p < .001), whereas vocational attitude demonstrated no significant association with the other variables. Generation Alpha students exhibited significantly higher self-motivation than Generation Z students. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed satisfactory factorial validity of all three instruments, while SEM demonstrated acceptable model fit indices (CFI = .95, TLI = .94, RMSEA = .062, SRMR = .046), supporting the structural relationships among the constructs. Nevertheless, regression analysis revealed that self-motivation and career maturity jointly explained only a limited proportion of variance in vocational attitude. The study concludes that vocational development among contemporary learners is multidimensional and influenced by complex psychological, educational, and socio-environmental factors. The findings contribute to the fields of educational psychology, vocational guidance, and youth career development by emphasising the importance of strengthening motivational orientation, career readiness, and vocational awareness among emerging generations.