Author(s)

Chunze Song ^1,2, Xinpeng Xu ³, Hairong Ling ⁴

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Culture and Communication, Guangdong University of Business and Technology, Zhaoqing, 526020, China
² School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, 11800, Malaysia
³ School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
⁴ School of Marxism, Communication University of China, Nanjing, Nanjing, 211172, China

Corresponding Author

Hairong Ling

ABSTRACT

The school-to-work transition (STWT) reorganizes social roles and support relationships. This study examined whether the source structure of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) requires contextual refinement for employed Chinese university graduates. Literature review, focus groups, expert review, and pilot testing produced a 16-item measure of family, peer, colleague, and school support. Data from 798 graduates were randomly split for item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (n = 399) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 399). The Kaiser criterion, parallel analysis, and Velicer's MAP test supported four factors. With WLSMV estimation, both the correlated four-factor model (CFI = .972, TLI = .965, RMSEA = .084, SRMR = .036) and second-order model (CFI = .974, TLI = .969, RMSEA = .079, SRMR = .037) showed acceptable fit. The four subscales demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity. School support explained an additional 5.0% of variance in career satisfaction after demographics and the other support sources were controlled; this contribution remained 3.9% with expanded covariates. The findings support a limited contextual extension of the MSPSS: its source-based measurement logic remains applicable during STWT, although specific sources may be reorganized as graduates' relational environments change.

KEYWORDS

Perceived social support; MSPSS; School support; Career satisfaction; School-to-work transition

CITE THIS PAPER

Chunze Song, Xinpeng Xu, Hairong Ling. A Contextual Extension of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for the School-to-Work Transition: Psychometric Evidence From Employed Chinese University Graduates. Applied & Educational Psychology (2026). Vol. 7, No. 2, 90-98. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2026.070212.

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