Cumulative family risk, career aspirations, and learning engagement among secondary vocational students: Linear and nonlinear associations and the role of self-efficacy.

This study examined the linear and nonlinear associations of cumulative family risk (CFR) and career aspirations with learning engagement among Chinese secondary vocational students, and the role of self-efficacy in these associations. Cross-sectional survey data were available for 6271 first-year students from 52 schools in seven provinces of mainland China (63.23% boys; mean age = 15.64 years, SD = 0.70). Students completed self-report measures of family risk, career aspirations, self-efficacy, and learning engagement. Two-level linear mixed-effects models accounted for the nesting of students within schools. CFR was negatively associated with learning engagement, with a modest quadratic component indicating some attenuation of the negative association at higher risk levels. Career aspirations were positively associated with engagement, with no statistically significant quadratic term. The interaction between CFR and career aspirations was not statistically significant for learning engagement. In an exploratory analysis of self-efficacy, the negative local CFR slope was steeper at higher career aspirations when evaluated at mean CFR. Indirect associations through self-efficacy were also identified at the specified reference values. The findings suggest that support for vocational students should consider family-related barriers alongside career guidance and opportunities to build confidence in learning.