Preparing Chinese students for international education

AI guidance, major choice, and career decision self-efficacy

Abstract

The growing international mobility of Chinese students has increased the importance of effective academic guidance in preparing students for overseas education. Although artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to support academic and career decision-making, its relationship with students’ international education readiness remains underexplored. This study examines the associations among AI-supported academic guidance, major choice quality, career decision self-efficacy, and international education readiness among Chinese high school students. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design, data were collected from 150 students through structured questionnaires and analyzed using correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. The findings revealed significant positive relationships among AI-supported guidance, major choice quality, career decision self-efficacy, and international education readiness. Mediation analysis further indicated that career decision self-efficacy played an important role in explaining the relationship between AI-supported guidance and students’ readiness for international education. These findings suggest that AI-supported academic guidance may contribute to international education preparation by strengthening students’ confidence in academic and career decision-making. The study highlights the potential value of integrating AI-assisted guidance with student-centered counseling practices to support informed major selection and preparation for international educational opportunities.