College Major Choice Research Articles

Empirical challenges in assessing the “leaky STEM pipeline”: how the research design affects the measurement of women’s underrepresentation in STEM

BackgroundDespite a well-documented underrepresentation of women in STEM majors and occupations, empirical evidence on whether there really is a “leaky STEM pipeline” is mixed due to a lack of methodological consistency. Studies vary by (1) the definition of STEM, (2) the decision to measure choices alone or to also include aspirations, and (3) the use of longitudinal or cross-sectional data.ResultsIn order to analyze how variations in the research design affect the measurement of women’s underrepresentation in the field of STEM, we critically reviewed relevant literature on the “leaky pipeline” and identified three central features in the designs of existing empirical studies. We illustrate how the variation of these affects the results by applying them to the German context. Our results support the “leakage” perspective for Germany only during the transition to the labor market. Changes in STEM aspirations between grades 9 and 12 do not follow a clear pattern. Indeed, a comparison of grade 12 aspirations to actual college major choices even shows an increasing share of women in STEM.ConclusionGermany does not exhibit a significant “leaky STEM pipeline”. Due to more men choosing STEM, gender gaps widen in higher education, while the pipeline remains stable. Therefore, we challenge the “leaky pipeline” metaphor, advocating a life-course perspective to better understand STEM trajectories. We call for refined measurement standards, emphasizing official STEM definitions, long-term observations from aspirations to career entry, and the use of longitudinal data.

Assessing the Link Between Admission Criteria and College Major Choice in a Saudi Health Science University

This paper explores the relationship between admission criteria and college major selection among 1,595 undergraduate students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAUHS) in Saudi Arabia. The study examines how the admission criteria—high school GPA, General Aptitude Test (GAT), Scholastic Achievement Admission Test (SAAT), and corrected percentage—differ across various health science colleges, including the College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Dentistry, and College of Applied Medical Sciences. The results reveal significant differences in admission criteria across the different colleges, and these criteria were shown to be related to the college major that students ultimately chose. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of a well-designed and comprehensive student admission process in higher education and calls for further research in this area.

The Returns to College Major Choice: Average and Distributional Effects, Career Trajectories, and Earnings Variability

Abstract A growing literature examining labor market returns to college major is motivated by large returns to skill. Prior research focuses on mean effects rather than earnings growth and variability. Using administrative data from Texas, we find that mean differences mask important features of the returns to college majors. First, earnings growth varies across fields. Second, there is considerable effect heterogeneity across workers. Third, major choice affects earnings variability within workers over time. We use our results to simulate a lifecyle utility model and compare mid-career utility and mean earnings returns across fields while highlighting the important role of risk preferences.

'Choosing this major because I am a girl?'-Gender Differences of Major Preference

The essay here is going to give a systematic summary of the potential reasons affecting the choice of college majors of the students, especially the formation of the disparity in scientific majors and humanistic majors. Moreover, the consequence of the disparity is also discussed here. Utilizing ecological theories and cognitivism, the reasons are divided into external factors such as social and family environment, gender stereotype and policies, and internal factors such as self-perception, future development and sense of qualification. A systematic review helps to emit outdated and false information and find out solutions for the problem. Also, revealing the dilemma of males and females, the society would give more freedom for them to choose their major out of their own willingness. In addition, as gender equity and education equity are always a heat topic in contemporary society, efforts should be put to fix the problem and contribute to the civilization of human.

The Old and New Course Selection Methods in Chinese High School: Analysis from Gender Perspectives

After the Ministry of Education and the State Council in China enacted the regulations about the educational revolution in 2014, the new way of course selection in Chinese high schools gradually spread. At the same time, due to the obvious shortcomings of the old course selection method, it is progressively replaced by the new one. Based on the educational revolution, problems such as gender stereotypes still existed and they can influence students choice on course selection. This article compares two ways of course selection and analyses factors that can influence students course choices. In the two different ways of course selection, except for students interests, gender stereotypes from teachers and parents are the main factor affecting students. Meanwhile, these gender stereotypes will always exist in the choice of college majors and future jobs. In the new way of course selection, there is a certain degree of improvement. Therefore, based on the new and better way of course selection, schools and parents should avoid gender stereotypes, guide students to choose suitable courses and meet the personalized development of students.

College major choice and beliefs about relative performance: An experimental intervention to understand gender gaps in STEM

Beliefs about relative academic performance may shape college major choice and explain gender gaps in STEM, but little causal evidence exists. To test whether these beliefs are malleable and salient enough to change behavior, I run a randomized experiment with 5,700 undergraduates across seven introductory STEM courses. Providing relative performance information shrinks gender gaps in biased beliefs substantially. However, students’ course-taking and major choice are largely unchanged. If anything, initially overconfident men and women were discouraged by the intervention. Increasing female STEM participation may require more intensive or targeted intervention.

Pathways of Peer Influence on Major Choice

Abstract Peers influence students’ academic decisions and outcomes. For example, several studies with strong claims to causality demonstrate that peers affect the choice of and persistence in majors. One remaining issue, however, has stymied efforts to translate this evidence into actionable interventions: the literature has not grappled adequately with the fact that in natural settings, students typically select most of their peers. The bulk of causal evidence for peer influence comes from exogenously assigned peers (e.g., roommates) because peer effects are easier to identify in such cases. However, students do not form their most important ties for the convenience of scientific inference. In order to link theory and practice, we need to understand which peers are influential. We employ longitudinal, multiplex network data on students’ choices of and persistence in their majors from 1260 students across 14 universities to identify likely causal pathways of peer influence via self-selected peers. We introduce time-reversed analysis as a novel tool for addressing some selection concerns in network influence studies. We find that peers with whom a student reports merely spending time, rather than—e.g., close friends, study partners, esteemed peers—consistently and potently influence their college major choice.

Preparing for the STEM Pathways? Dual Enrollment and College Major Choice in STEM

ABSTRACT Guided by the STEM pathway model, our study hypothesizes that dual enrollment can serve as an effective strategy to improve and equalize college students’ access to STEM programs. We analyzed a nationally representative dataset to disaggregate the influence of dual enrollment course-taking (i.e. participation, dual credits in Math/Science, number of dual credits) on students’ STEM major selection, with a focus on traditionally underrepresented students in STEM. We found that taking dual enrollment courses in general is positively associated with the probability of majoring in STEM, especially at the baccalaureate level. However, taking dual enrollment courses in Math/Science is not associated with the probability of majoring in STEM when compared with students with no dual enrollment courses in Math/Science. The relationship between dual enrollment course-taking and STEM outcomes varies across different student background groups: It is consistently positive for students of higher household income to major in STEM but not statistically significant for low-income students. We discussed practical implications and future research with a focus on the role dual enrollment plays in advancing postsecondary STEM access.

고교생의 졸업 후 진로계획 및 대학전공 설정과 학업성취도 간의 관계분석

In this study, we investigated the relationship between high school students’ post-graduation career plans, college major choices and academic achievement. Drawing upon data from the first and second years of the Korean Education and Employment Panel II, we explored the relationship between students' post-graduation career plans, their choice of college major during the second year of high school, and their academic achievement in the third grade utilizing multiple regression approaches.
 The findings revealed a positive correlation between college aspiration during the second year of high school and higher academic achievement in the third year of high school. Students who set specific goals for college admission demonstrated a better academic performance compared to those who did not. Conversely, no statistically significant relationship is observed between college major choices during the second year of high school and their academic achievement in the third 3rd year of high school.
 Based on these results, it is confirmed that the aspiration to pursue college among high school students is positively related to academic achievement, serving as a motivating factor for individuals. Therefore, the findings of this study underscores the significance of goal-setting during the high school years, thereby the importance of career education and counseling. The findings of this research also have policy implications, highlighting the need to prioritize goal-setting among high school students and provide adequate support for students’ career development.

Sistem Klasifikasi Karakteristik Kepribadian untuk Menentukan Jurusan Perguruan Tinggi Menggunakan Metode MOORA dan Teori MBTI (Studi Kasus : SMA Negeri 7 Lhokseumawe)

Most high school students who want to pursue their study at a tertiary institution have difficulty making a decision. These students are confused and find it tough to make selections about their college majors. As a result, many new students drop out or switch majors after being accepted to their respective universities. In this study, a web-based decision support system was developed to determine college major choices utilizing MOORA Method and MBTI Theory. The purpose of this research is to ensure that students do not make the wrong decision when deciding on majors in higher institutions. The selection of majors is based on the abilities, interests, and personality of each student. The outcomes of these calculations are the final findings of this system's classification, namely recommendations for higher education majors based on the interests and talents of students in SMA Negeri 7 Lhokseumawe. MOORA calculation successfully produces major recommendations based on the grades inputted by students. Based on the findings of the system psychology test, MBTI theory was able to provide important recommendations based on students' interests.

When Sarah Meets Lawrence: The Effects of Coeducation on Women's College Major Choices.

We leverage variation in the adoption of coeducation by U.S. women's colleges to study how exposure to a mixed-gender collegiate environment affects women's human capital investments. Our event-study analyses of newly collected historical data find a 3.0-3.5 percentage-point (30-33%) decline in the share of women majoring in STEM. While coeducation caused a large influx of male peers and modest increase in male faculty, we find no evidence that it altered the composition of the female student body or other gender-neutral inputs. Extrapolation of our main estimate suggests that coeducational environments explain 36% of the current gender gap in STEM.

Determinants of First College Major Choice among Yarmouk University Students and Estimating their Scaling Values Using Three Scaling Methods

The study aimed at determining the determinants of first college major choice for Yarmouk University students, and estimating their scaling values using three different scaling methods, and determining the extent of agreement among these methods. To achieve the purpose of the study, (165) male and female students from the university colleges volunteered to determine the determinants primarily, and two equivalent samples with regard to gender and college type were used to collect the scaling data. The first consisted of (120) male and female students studying a major which is their first choice, the second consisted of (120) male and female students studying a major differs from their first choice. The scaling values on importance scale were estimated using the Law of Comparative Judgments, Direct Estimation and the Law of Catogerical Judgments. The results showed that the most important major choice determinants are: opportunities to obtain work, secondary school exam scores mean, personal desire, and admission opportunities. Also, it was found that there was a consistency among scaling methods in ranking the determinants on the importance scale.

The system of academic task values: The development of cross-domain comparisons of values and college major choice.

This study synthesizes theories of achievement motivation to better understand the development of academic task values in high school students and their relation to college major selection. We utilize longitudinal structural equation modeling to understand how grades relate to task values, how task values across domains relate to one another over time, and how the system of task values relates to college major choice. In our sample of 1,279 high students from Michigan, we find evidence that task value for math negatively relates to task value for English and vice versa. We also find that task value for math and physical science positively relates to the math-intensiveness of selected college majors, whereas English and biology task value negatively relates to math-intensiveness of majors. Gender differences in college major selection are mediated by differences in task values. Our findings have implications for theories of achievement motivation and motivational interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Career Identities and Gender-STEM Stereotypes: When and Why Implicit Gender-STEM Associations Emerge and How They Affect Women’s College Major Choice

Career Identities and Gender-STEM Stereotypes: When and Why Implicit Gender-STEM Associations Emerge and How They Affect Women’s College Major Choice

Rich Grad, Poor Grad: Family Background and College Major Choice

Rich Grad, Poor Grad: Family Background and College Major Choice

Grants vs. Loans: The Role of Financial Aid in College Major Choice

Grants vs. Loans: The Role of Financial Aid in College Major Choice

Empowering Students: Evaluating the Impact of Career Education Programs on College Major Choices

The selection of a college major represents a pivotal decision in the lives of students, shaping their academic and professional futures. Amid the ever-expanding array of academic disciplines and the challenges of navigating career aspirations, career education programs emerge as essential tools in empowering students to make informed choices. This research endeavors to assess the effectiveness of career education programs in aiding students with their major decisions and illuminates the significance of their impact. Through a comprehensive examination that included surveys, interviews, and data analysis, the study offers insights into the transformative potential of career education programs. The findings underscore the positive influence of these programs on students' major choices and career aspirations. Students who engage with career education programs consistently make choices that align with their passions and goals. The study also highlights the pivotal role of these programs in nurturing self-confidence among students in making major decisions, instilling in them the belief that they possess the ability to shape their own academic and professional destinies. Moreover, the research acknowledges demographic variations in the effectiveness of these programs. Differences in program impact among various student groups, such as gender and socioeconomic status, underscore the importance of inclusive and targeted approaches to program design and implementation. The implications of these findings are profound, extending across the educational landscape. They emphasize the significance of equitable access to career education programs, call for resource allocation decisions that support the investment in these programs, and advocate for policy measures that recognize the pivotal role of career education in student success.

Influencing Factors on the Choice of Accounting Versus Other College Business School Majors

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a variety of factors encountered by college students influence choice of accounting versus other college majors for undergraduate business students. We examine factors that include introduction to financial accounting, opinions of family members and friends of the family, the mentoring of high school teachers on career choice, and the information obtained from business people and recruiters. In addition, there is some evidence that the timing of the first major course taken by students in the sequence of business school courses may have an impact on choosing accounting versus other business majors. These findings will provide guidance for department chairs how to staff introductory courses, and professors who have the requisite work experience to emphasize future employment options and benefits of keeping families of students informed on the profession who have interested students.

Tracing the origins of the STEM gender gap: The contribution of childhood spatial skills.

Despite some gains, women continue to be underrepresented in many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Using a national longitudinal dataset of 690 participants born in 1991, we tested whether spatial skills, measured in middle childhood, would help explain this gender gap. We modeled the relation between 4th-grade spatial skills and STEM majors while simultaneously accounting for competing cognitive and motivational mechanisms. Strong spatial skills in 4th grade directly increased the likelihood of choosing STEM college majors, above and beyond math achievement and motivation, verbal achievement and motivation, and family background. Additionally, 4th-grade spatial skills indirectly predicted STEM major choice via math achievement and motivation in the intervening years. Further, our findings suggest that gender differences in 4th-grade spatial skills contribute to women's underrepresentation in STEM majors. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Using a national longitudinal dataset, we found 4th-grade spatial skills directly predicted STEM college major choice after accounting for multiple cognitive and motivational mechanisms. Strong spatial skills in 4th grade also elevated STEM major choice via enhanced math achievement and motivation in the intervening years. Gender differences in 4th-grade spatial skills contributed to women's underrepresentation in STEM college majors.

Motivations for Chinese Students Choosing a college Major

This study aimed at exploring the main determinants of college major choice in China, and how factors stemming from the rational choice framework contribute to the final decision. Based on China’s Gaokao policy, this paper evaluated the fitness of rational choice theory for Chinese students choosing college majors and analyzed the decision mechanisms adopting primary and secondary effects, Coleman’s model, and the thin and thick models. Specifically, the choice of a college major is a result generated by the balance of risks, costs, and benefits, influenced by preferences and values, and shaped by certain macro-level conditions. Certain social influences have been emphasized in Chinese society.