College Major Choice Research Articles

Students' choice of college major and their perceived fairness of the procedure: evidence from Turkey

This study investigated the relative influence of factors and persons in college major choice and procedural justice perceptions of 449 undergraduate students enrolled in 1 private and 2 public universities in Turkey. Results showed that students found themselves to be the most influential person in their choice of college major, followed by parents/other family members. With regard to the factors, interest in the subject, guaranteed employment, expected earnings in the field, the university entrance exam score, and a prestigious career were ranked, respectively. Striking differences were found among majors. Findings also suggested that, whereas male and female students' choices were influenced by very similar factors and persons, female students declared more procedural justice.

Risk and career choice: Evidence from Turkey

In this paper, we examine the college major choice decision in a risk and return framework using university entrance exam data from Turkey. Specifically we focus on the choice between majors with low income risk such as education and health and others with riskier income streams. We use a unique dataset that allows us to control for the choice set of students and parental attitudes towards risk. Our results show that father's income, self-employment status and social security status are important factors influencing an individual in choosing a riskier career such as business over a less risky one such as education or health.

Exploring Filipino adolescents' perceptions of the legitimacy of parental authority over academic behaviors

Filipino adolescents' perceptions regarding the legitimacy of parental control over academic behaviors was investigated. It was assumed that the adolescents would differentiate between the issues inherent in various types or domains of academic behaviors. The results revealed three domains of academic behaviors: learning processes, college major choices, and subject choices. Perceived legitimacy of parental control was negatively associated with individual-oriented achievement motivations for all three domains, but social-oriented achievement motivations were positively associated only with legitimacy perceptions of parental control on subject choices. Multiple regression analysis indicated that school achievement was negatively associated with perceived legitimacy of parental control over learning processes, but positively associated with legitimacy perceptions of control over subject choice. The results extend current theorizing about legitimacy of parental control to the realm of academic behaviors. Implications for learning interventions and parenting advocacies are discussed.

Modeling College Major Choices Using Elicited Measures of Expectations and Counterfactuals

The choice of a college major plays a critical role in determining the future earnings of college graduates. Students make their college major decisions in part due to the future earnings streams associated with the different majors. We survey students about what their expected earnings would be both in the major they have chosen and in counterfactual majors. We also elicit students' subjective assessments of their abilities in chosen and counterfactual majors. We estimate a model of college major choice that incorporates these subjective expectations and assessments. We show that both expected earnings and students' abilities in the different majors are important determinants of student's choice of a college major. We also show that students' forecast errors with respect to expected earnings in different majors is potentially important, with our estimates suggesting that 7.5% of students would switch majors if they made no forecast errors.

Reversing the landslide in computer-related degree programs

Reversing the landslide in computer-related degree programs

Race and Gender Differences in College Major Choice

College major choice varies substantially by gender, race, and ethnicity among college graduates. This study investigates whether these differences are present at the start of the college career and whether they can be explained by variation in academic preparation. It estimates a multinomial logit to evaluate whether students of similar academic backgrounds make similar college major choices at the start of their college career. The results demonstrate that significant differences by gender, race, and ethnicity persist in initial college major choice even after controlling for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score of the student and the high school class rank of the student. Gender differences in major choice are much larger than racial and ethnic disparities. Furthermore, women are significantly more likely to switch away from an initial major in engineering than are white men.

Differences in College Major Choice by Citizenship Status

Studies about college majors largely ignore non-citizen or immigrant populations. Using the administrative data from two public universities in Texas, the author examine students’ major choices by citizen status. In the context of legislation providing in-state tuition access for undocumented students (H.B. 1403, effective 2001), the author tests the effects of the policy on students’ choices of major. Foreign-born populations have a higher propensity to select majors in Science, Engineering and Math (SEM) and a lower propensity to enroll in social sciences than citizens. Domestic students exhibit variable propensities to opt for SEMs, depending on their race. There is evidence of behavioral changes pre— to post—H.B. 1403, with foreign-born populations shifting away from high-return majors.

The Influence of Personality on Students’ Career Decisiveness – A Comparison between Chinese and German Economics and Management Students

Within the last decade, the relation between personality and career decisiveness has received increased attention. This study examines the country-specific influence of the Big Five personality traits on career decisiveness and its determinants, namely career related adaptability, career-related optimism, and career-related knowledge, among 406 Chinese and German economics and management students. The results show that personality traits affect career decisiveness and its determinants and that the effects partly differ across countries. The findings, their implications, and further research directions are discussed and suggestions for career counseling are made. Key words: career decisiveness, country comparison, personality traits 1. Introduction Research in the area of career psychology has attempted to understand the reasons behind career (in)decisiveness for the past decades (Newman et al. 1999). The link between personality and students' career planning has been seen one the factors influencing career decision making. Goldschmid (1967) already demonstrated that personality influences the choice of college majors. Jarlstrom (2000) showed that personality is related to the career expectations of students. In addition, Reed et al. (2004) demonstrated that personality factors influence the career choices of students. Bacanli (2006) pointed out that personality characteristics may be seen predictors for a student's career indecisiveness. These relationships cause a need for diverse career counseling for students with different personalities. As Rottinghaus et al. (2005) point out, examining career decisiveness might help career councilors to identify personal concerns, which interfere with career decision making. This is turn, makes counseling process more efficient Rottinghaus et al. (2005) developed the career futures inventory (CFI), which measures the career identity status or career plan. It measures positive career planning attitudes through career-related adaptability, optimism, and knowledge. These three factors appear to be an essential basis for successful career planning which leads to career decisiveness. So far, the literature has not examined the influence of students' nationality on career decisiveness even though recent studies (e.g., Church 2000; Hofstede/McCrae 2004) have shown that there is a link between national culture and personality traits. That is, personality and culture might be related concepts, and therefore, a certain type of personality might display itself in different forms in different nations. As firms become more and more international and hire students in various countries, it becomes of crucial importance for the human resource management of international organizations to be able to anticipate the career planning of students in the countries of operations. The objective of our study is to examine the influence of career-related adaptability, optimism, and knowledge on career decisiveness. In addition, we will investigate the influence of personality traits on students' career decisiveness and its antecedents. Furthermore, we will examine if the various relations are similar in two countries, China and Germany. Differences in career planning process would imply a differing need well diverse process of career counseling in the two countries. 2. The relation between personality and career planning Career planning is the fundamental first step in the course of career development, the process of general and vocational decision making. This, however, implies that individuals are aware of their interests, skills, and values. Furthermore the individuals are assumed to have an idea about the world of labor (Parsons 1909). As career planning is of diverse nature, Gutteridge (1986: 52) defines it as a deliberate process of (1) becoming aware of self, opportunities, constraints, choice and consequences; (2) identifying career-related goals, and (3) programming work, education and related developmental experiences to provide the direction, timing and sequence of steps to attain a specific career goal. …

Modeling College Major Choices Using Elicited Measures of Expectations and Counterfactuals

Modeling College Major Choices Using Elicited Measures of Expectations and Counterfactuals

Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement, and College Major Choices—Gender, Race/Ethnic, and Nativity Patterns

College major choice is a much-neglected yet highly significant topic in sociological research. This article focuses on family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental involvement to examine potential family influences on patterned college major choice by gender, race/ethnicity, and nativity. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988–1994 (NELS: 88–94), this study confirms old gender patterns and finds new racial/ethnic patterns in college major choice. Lower SES children are found to favor more lucrative college majors. Family SES is found to have differential effects on men and women and for racial/ethnic minorities and whites. Parental involvement in children's domain-specific education exerts significant effects on children's college major choice. These together suggest important theoretical and policy implications.

Pre-College Influences and College Major Choice: Gender, Race/Ethnicity and Nativity Patterning

This paper gives a comprehensive examination on patterns of the initial college major choice for gender, racial/ethnic and nativity groups. I focus on the influence of three aspects of pre-college experiences: achievement, attitude and course taking in both math and English. I find math matters more than English in determining college major choice. Math attitude remains as the most important factor in contributing to gender differences in college major choice. Racial minorities share the tendency in choosing more lucrative college majors than whites. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2009 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]

College Major Choice and the Gender Gap

Males and females are markedly different in their choice of college major. Two main reasons have been suggested for the gender gap: differences in innate abilities and differences in preferences. This paper addresses the question of how college majors are chosen, focusing on the underlying gender gap. Since observed choices may be consistent with many combinations of expectations and preferences, I use a unique data set of Northwestern University sophomores that contains the students' subjective expectations about choice-specific outcomes. I estimate a choice model where selection of college major is made under uncertainty (about personal tastes, individual abilities, and realizations of outcomes associated with the choice of major). Enjoying coursework, finding fulfillment in potential jobs, and gaining the approval of parents are the most important determinants in the choice of college major. Males and females have similar preferences while in college, but their preferences diverge in terms of the workplace: Nonpecuniary outcomes at college are most important in the decisions of females, while pecuniary outcomes realized at the workplace explain a substantial part of the choice for males. I decompose the gender gap into differences in beliefs and preferences. Gender differences in beliefs about academic ability explain a small and insignificant part of the gap, a finding that allows me to rule out low self-confidence as a possible explanation for females' underrepresentation in the sciences. Conversely, most of the gender gap is the result of differences in beliefs about enjoying coursework and differences in preferences.

On reconstructing school segregation: The efficacy and equity of single-sex schooling

A change to Title IX has spurred new single-sex public schooling in the US. Until recently, nearly all gender-segregated schools were private, and comprehensive data for public school comparisons are not yet available. To investigate the effects of single-sex education, I focus on within private sector comparisons, and additionally address selection bias using an index comparing expectations to outcomes and quantile regressions. Compared to graduates from private coed schools, girls’ school alumnae are no more likely to pursue college degrees, and both genders are less likely to meet their own educational expectations. However, single-sex schooling may support gender equity, as single-sex schools yield the least segregated college major choices. On the other hand, higher mean starting salaries among single-sex school graduates do not persistent in regression results. Much of the benefit from single-sex schooling accrues to students already likely to succeed, but selection bias does not explain all gains. There are some benefits for African-American men and low income students.

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING MAJOR SELECTION

Despite the increased use of innovative computerrelated technologies, undergraduate students seem less interested in the technology-related majors, resulting in declining Information Systems (IS) program enrollments. With these existing challenges, IS educators and administrators must understand the factors affecting college major choice. Through extensive literature reviews, we collected important influencing factors and utilized these factors in our survey. This study provides insight into the identification of critical factors that may revitalize declining IS enrollments. The survey conducted as part of this research addresses condition, background, outcome, and interest factors relating to major choice. After the analysis of our survey data, the response differences between high school and college students and between male and female students are reported.

Evidence of Concurrent Validity of SII Scores for Asian American College Students

The validity of scores on the Strong Interest Inventory (SII) for Asian American college students has not been thoroughly investigated. This study examined the evidence of validity of the SII Occupational Scale scores for predicting college major choices of Asian American women and men and White women and men. The sample included 186 female and 133 male college students. Forty-six percent of the sample was Asian American and 54% was White. Acculturation also was tested for its moderating effect on predictive accuracy of the SII scores for Asian American participants. In aggregate the results support the use of the SII with Asian American college students.

State Graduation Requirements, High School Course Taking, and Choosing a Technical College Major

Abstract I examine the changing patterns of enrollment of females and males in mathematics and science courses in high school between roughly the classes of 1982 and 1992. Course taking has increased in both subjects and, notably, the gender gap has closed. I also examine the impact of state graduation requirements on course taking patterns for males and females. Higher graduation requirements in mathematics and science are associated with increased course taking and the magnitude is similar for both females and males. Finally, I investigate the relationship between high school math and science course taking and college major choice for the latter cohort. Ability and taste are likely to affect both high school course selection and college major and students planning on choosing a technical major are more likely to choose to take additional math and science courses in high school. To address this issue of selection bias, I first include direct measures of ability and taste and then use variation in state graduation requirements to instrument for increased course taking. I find that the number of high school mathematics courses taken has a positive effect on the probability that a student chooses a technical major in college and that this result appears robust to correction for selection bias.

COLLEGE MAJOR CHOICE: An Analysis of Person–Environment Fit

Although recent research suggests that congruence between students and their academic environment is critical for successful student outcomes, little research has been done on student college major choice. Using Holland’s theory of careers, we analyze college major choice using a multinomial logit model. We use the CIRP Freshman Survey and institutional data for three cohorts of first-year students at a selective liberal arts college to study the factors that affect college major choice, both at entry and at graduation.

Epistemological beliefs, school achievement, and college major: A large-scale longitudinal study on the impact of certainty beliefs

Epistemological beliefs are subjective theories on the structure and acquisition of knowledge. Using data collected in the final year of high school (Time 1) and early in the college career (Time 2) as part of a large-scale longitudinal study, we examined the relationship of beliefs in the certainty of knowledge with school achievement and choice of college majors in Germany. In line with our hypothesis, students high on certainty beliefs showed lower school achievement at Time 1, even when controlling for indicators of intelligence and family background. Certainty beliefs also predicted the choice of future fields of study at college (self-selection hypothesis) and were shaped by enrolment in specific fields of study at college (socialization hypothesis).

Reconstructing School Segregation: On the Efficacy and Equity of Single-Sex Schooling

A change to Title IX has spurred new single-sex public schooling in the US. Until recently, nearly all gender-segregated schools were private, and I therefore address potential selection bias in the effects on educational and labor market outcomes using within private sector comparisons, an index comparing expectations to outcomes, quantile regressions, and other techniques. Descriptive statistics suggest significant benefits, but more consideration of selection bias reveals less consistency. Girls' school alumnae are more likely than their coed peers to receive scholarships, but they are not more likely to pursue college degrees, and both genders are less likely to meet their own educational expectations. Moreover, single-sex schooling is not universally superior in supporting gender equity, as coeducational public schools yield the least segregated college major choices. On the other hand, I find 15-20% higher starting salaries among single-sex school graduates, but only persistently for men of median ability. Much of the benefit from single-sex schooling accrues to students already likely to succeed, but favorable selection is an insufficient explanation for all gains. Most notably, there are clear returns for both African-Americans and low income students.

Risk and Career Choice

Abstract Choosing a type of education is one of the largest financial decisions we make. Educational investment differs from other types of investment in that it is indivisible and non-tradable. These differences lead agents to demand a premium to enter careers with more idiosyncratic risk. Since the required premium will be smaller for wealthier agents, they will tend to enter careers with more idiosyncratic risk. After developing a model of career choice, we use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to estimate the risk associated with different careers. We find education, health care, and engineering careers to have relatively safe streams of labor income; business, sales, and entertainment careers are more risky. By choosing a college major, many students make a costly human capital investment that allows them to enter a specific career. To examine the link between wealth and college major choice implied by the model, we use data on choice of college major from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS). Controlling for observable measures of ability and background, we find evidence that wealthier students tend to choose riskier careers, particularly business.