Corresponding Author

dian.rachmawati.fe@um.ac.id

Year

2025

Abstract

This study examines the career pathways of economics education students in Indonesia, focusing on their orientation toward job seeking or entrepreneurial creation while exploring the educator’s role through the lens of equity and inclusion. Using a quantitative approach, this research employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in a pilot phase with 120 participants, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with 455 respondents drawn through stratified random sampling from seven major universities offering economics education programs across Indonesia. The instrument’s content validity was confirmed by five expert reviewers, and its construct validity and reliability were tested using SPSS version 26 through factor loading and Cronbach’s Alpha analysis. The findings reveal that job-seeking tendencies are structured around three key components derived from 14 validated items, while entrepreneurial tendencies consist of two principal components based on 11 items. Job-seeking orientations are associated with aspirations for career progression, personal growth, and work–life balance, whereas entrepreneurial orientations are defined by self-confidence, autonomy, creativity, optimism, and applied business knowledge. The results also emphasize the significant influence of educator practices on students’ participation in diverse career trajectories. The lack of equitable access to entrepreneurial mentorship highlights broader issues of inclusion in higher education.This study contributes to the discourse on equitable and inclusive education by proposing evidence-based strategies in culturally responsive teaching, project-based learning, and the integration of entrepreneurial role models to foster both employability and entrepreneurial readiness among university students.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship, Job Seeking, Higher Education, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis.

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Job Seeking or Creating An Exploratory and Confirmatory Study in Higher Education

This study examines the career pathways of economics education students in Indonesia, focusing on their orientation toward job seeking or entrepreneurial creation while exploring the educator’s role through the lens of equity and inclusion. Using a quantitative approach, this research employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in a pilot phase with 120 participants, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with 455 respondents drawn through stratified random sampling from seven major universities offering economics education programs across Indonesia. The instrument’s content validity was confirmed by five expert reviewers, and its construct validity and reliability were tested using SPSS version 26 through factor loading and Cronbach’s Alpha analysis. The findings reveal that job-seeking tendencies are structured around three key components derived from 14 validated items, while entrepreneurial tendencies consist of two principal components based on 11 items. Job-seeking orientations are associated with aspirations for career progression, personal growth, and work–life balance, whereas entrepreneurial orientations are defined by self-confidence, autonomy, creativity, optimism, and applied business knowledge. The results also emphasize the significant influence of educator practices on students’ participation in diverse career trajectories. The lack of equitable access to entrepreneurial mentorship highlights broader issues of inclusion in higher education.This study contributes to the discourse on equitable and inclusive education by proposing evidence-based strategies in culturally responsive teaching, project-based learning, and the integration of entrepreneurial role models to foster both employability and entrepreneurial readiness among university students.