maryam hashim hamad

Academic buoyancy is crucial for students' performance and capability in university environments. This study aimed to determine the relationship between career aspirations and academic buoyancy, considering the mediating role of academic satisfaction among students at Wasit University in Iraq.

The research method was correlational, and the statistical population included all students enrolled at Wasit University, Iraq, during the spring and summer of 2024. From the mentioned population, 250 students were selected through convenience sampling and responded to three questionnaires: Career Aspirations (Danziger et al., 2008), Academic Buoyancy (Hosseinchari & Dehghanizadeh, 2012), and Academic Satisfaction (Ahmadi, 2009). The research data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling (SEM) through SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 25 software.

The results indicated that career aspirations have a significant relationship with both academic buoyancy and academic satisfaction (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). Structural equation modeling results demonstrated that academic satisfaction is a full mediating variable in the relationship between career aspirations and academic buoyancy.

Based on the findings of the present study, policymakers in Iraq's higher education system should focus on the role of career aspirations and academic satisfaction in empowering students for greater academic buoyancy.

Academic self-efficacy is a crucial variable for the academic success of students. This study aimed to determine the relationship between career aspirations and academic self-efficacy, considering the moderating roles of educational justice and career decision-making self-efficacy among students in Wasit City, Iraq. The research employed a correlational design, and the statistical population consisted of students enrolled in universities in Wasit City, Iraq, during the spring and summer of 1403 (summer of 2024). From this population, 250 students were selected through convenience sampling and subsequently responded to three questionnaires: the Career Aspirations Questionnaire (Danziger et al., 2008), the Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Midgley et al., 2000), the Educational Justice Questionnaire (Golparvar, 2010), and the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Betz et al., 1996). The research data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression analysis through SPSS version 26. The results indicated that among the eight components of career aspirations, educational justice only moderated the relationship between security and stability with academic self-efficacy, and career decision-making self-efficacy only moderated the relationship between technical and functional competence with academic self-efficacy (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01). Based on the findings of the present study, the roles of career aspirations, educational justice, and career decision-making self-efficacy should be considered in academic environments to enhance students' academic success.