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Background
Self-perception of employability (SPE) refers to individuals’ perceptions and beliefs about their likelihood of success in the graduate labour market. Self-perception is an expression of self-awareness, self-belief and opportunity awareness, which are essential components of employability (Dacre Pool and Sewell, 2007; Pitan, 2016b; Pitan and Atiku, 2017; Turner, 2014). It has been observed that strengthening student self-confidence and self-belief can be more meaningful for enhanced employability than individual skills and competencies (Turner, 2014). The consensus among employability scholars is that if students become more self-aware, more informed about opportunities in the labour market and well-motivated, they will make better decisions about their career and in life more generally following graduation (Qenani et al., 2014). In addition, high levels of SPE have been associated with one’s happiness and positive evaluation of one’s work situation (Bakari and Hunjra, 2018), a strong sense of security as well as superior mental health, well-being and life satisfaction (Jackson and Wilton, 2017; Clarke, 2017).
For improved understanding of employability, an exploration of these self-concepts and their determinants is required (Qenani et al., 2014). Studies on models of employability (Bakari and Hunjra, 2018; Clarke, 2017; Dacre Pool and Sewell, 2007; Jackson and Wilton, 2017; Pitan, 2016a) have suggested several factors that serve as determinants of SPE. According to these authors, determinants of SPE include individual knowledge, skills and competencies, work experience, career development learning, personal development planning, personality traits, social capital and individual attributes, university ranking, labour market conditions and trends in the market.
The above factors boost self-confidence and self-belief, both of which serve to assist undergraduates to navigate competitive and congested labour markets effectively (Jackson and Wilton, 2017). However, it was confirmed that employability is bi-dimensional by nature, comprising both internal (subjective and individual factors) and external dimensions (organisational and labour market factors) (Monteiro et al., 2016). Consequently, considering the internal dimensions and the subjective structures of employability, Dacre Pool and Qualter (2013) and Moreau and Leathwood (2006) explained that in determining SPE and subsequently, student employability, there are certain demographic factors of considerable influence, which should not be overlooked. Such factors include gender, subject of study, type of university attended, age and/or social class. This study is conducted within the framework of existing employability models,...