Career Aspirations of Arab Minority College Students in Israel: A Longitudinal Study

This study examined the stability and change in career aspirations throughout the college-to-work transition among ethnic minority Arab students in Israel and tested the contributions of contextual and personal factors to career aspirations before and after this transition. At Time 1, 957 Arab students in Israel participated at the end of their senior year; of these, 362 also participated at Time 2, one year after graduation. Results indicated relatively low one-year stability in career aspirations (r = .43) and a decline in career aspirations throughout the college-to-work transition. Career aspirations at the end of college were predicted by exposure to role models (beta = .16), career proactivity (beta = .26), and occupational self-efficacy (beta = .38). One year after graduation, only occupational self-efficacy predicted career aspirations (beta = .17). These findings suggest theoretical and practical implications for the career aspirations of Arab minority college students in Israel.