This single-arm study consists of a structured mock interview workshop grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), targeting three psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The intervention is delivered over two weeks, totaling 6 class-hours (45 minutes per class-hour), divided into four stages: (1) Activating Autonomy in Career Decision-Making: interactive lecture on interview skills, resume preparation, and simulated job postings; (2) Demonstrating Competence in Career Decision-Making: live mock interview with structured questions and immediate feedback from interviewers; (3) Fostering Peer Support in Career Decision-Making: small-group role-playing (6 students per group) with peer discussion and experience sharing; (4) Reflective Rehearsal: recorded video self-introduction submitted for independent evaluation. All participants receive the same intervention.

This behavioral intervention is a structured mock interview workshop grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), designed to enhance nursing students' career decision-making self-efficacy by supporting three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The intervention is delivered over two consecutive weeks, totaling 6 class-hours (45 minutes per class-hour). The workshop consists of four stages:

Stage 1 (45 min) - Activating Autonomy in Career Decision-Making: Interactive lecture covering interview attire, resume writing, and pre-interview preparation; simulated job postings are distributed.

Stage 2 (90 min) - Demonstrating Competence in Career Decision-Making: Live mock interviews where students respond to structured questions from two interviewers; performance is evaluated using the Mock Interview Evaluation Scale.

Stage 3 (90 min) - Fostering Peer Support in Career Decision-Making: Small-group role-playing (6 students per group) where students rotate roles

Career decision-making self-efficacy is assessed using the Chinese version of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale (Peng & Long, 2001). This 39-item scale measures confidence in completing career-related tasks across five subscales: Self-Appraisal (6 items), Occupational Information Gathering (9 items), Goal Selection (9 items), Planning (8 items), and Problem-Solving (7 items). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("no confidence at all") to 5 ("complete confidence"). Total scores range from 39 to 195, with higher scores indicating greater career decision-making self-efficacy. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency in this study (Cronbach's α = 0.912).

Job search self-efficacy is assessed using the 3-item Job Search Self-Efficacy Scale (Trougakos et al., 2007; Chinese version by Zhang, 2018). Items evaluate confidence in looking for job vacancies, identifying appropriate positions, and preparing a resume. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly agree"). Total scores range from 3 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater job search self-efficacy. The scale showed good internal consistency in this study (Cronbach's α = 0.83).