Motivational Resources of Agency in Adolescents' Career Development in Postsecondary Transition: More than Being Self-Efficacious.

A sense of agency is crucial for self-directed career development, particularly during the postsecondary transition, a period shaping career trajectories. This study examined autonomy and self-efficacy as pillars of agency, using longitudinal data from a sample of 637 French-Canadian adolescents (54% girls, = 16) before and after the transition. Participants reported on career decision-making autonomy (intrinsic, identified, introjected, and external motivations) and self-efficacy, along with career exploration and commitment. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups of youth, including youth with high autonomous motivations and self-efficacy, displaying a fully agentic profile, and others with lop-sided agency, marked by strong controlled motivations. Relative weigh analysis indicated self-efficacy as the strongest predictor, with intrinsic motivation making a unique albeit weaker contribution to exploration. These findings highlight the importance of fostering both autonomy and competence, while also revealing the detrimental implication of reward- and punishment-driven motivation on career identity integration.