Motivation to Pursue a Master's Degree, Approaches to Learning and Perceived Employability

ABSTRACT

Perceived employability is a key learning outcome for higher education students who wish to advance their careers after graduation. Most studies of perceived employability have focused on undergraduate students; little attention has been paid to master's students. Given the increasing number of master's students and their diverse employment needs, this study examined the relationships among motivation, approaches to learning, and perceived employability. Following a cross‐sectional design, data were collected from 786 master's students across various programmes and institutions in Hong Kong and analysed using structural equation modelling. By measuring perceived employability as the outcome variable, the results revealed that master's students with higher intrinsic motivation were more likely to adopt a deep approach to learning, while those with higher extrinsic motivation were more likely to adopt a surface approach. The results indicated that approaches to learning fully mediated the association between intrinsic motivation and perceived employability. On the other hand, approaches to learning partially mediated the relationship between extrinsic motivation and perceived employability. These results shed light on the unique learning goals of master's students currently preparing for employment and their strategic learning approaches. The implications for enhancing meaningful learning experiences and employability among master's students are discussed.