FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENT SATISFACTION AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTION IN EXPERIENTIAL AND CAREER GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES IN GENERAL SCHOOLS

Although experiential and career guidance activities are compulsory educational components within the 2018 General Education Curriculum, there remains a dearth of research on the mechanisms forming students’ behavioral intentions in general schools, particularly in mountainous and multi-ethnic regions. This study bridges this gap by examining the mechanisms through which pedagogical and technological environment factors impact student satisfaction (SAT) and behavioral intention (INT) in experiential and career guidance activities. Through a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional design, data was collected from 917 general school students in mountainous communes (Son La and Thanh Hoa provinces) and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Empirical results indicate that Contextual Authenticity (CA), Autonomy Support (CO), Psychological Safety (PS), and Technological Support (TE) act as positive antecedents that foster Self-Efficacy (SE) and Perceived Value (PV). Specifically, PS exerts the strongest impact on PV (β = 0.294), while CO is the primary driver of SE (β = 0.263). Notably, PV serves as a crucial mediating variable, exerting a strong and direct influence on both SAT (β = 0.520) and INT (β = 0.543). The study affirms that cultivating a safe, non-coercive learning environment is key to help students deeply appreciate the practical value of the educational context, thereby optimizing long-term engagement.