Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1965. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis advisor: Latrica Best / This research project examines the sociological factors that contribute to how Boston College undergraduate students choose their majors. Based on previous research, parental influence has typically been a major factor when students choose their majors. Using rational choice theory, I expand on previous research by examining how parental influence and other sociological factors, such as perceptions of the job market and high school education socialization, impact the selection of college majors. In order to conduct this study, I interviewed twenty three Boston College undergraduate students (freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors). All participants were from four Boston College undergraduate schools: Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, Carroll School of Management, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and Connell School of Nursing. Results show that parental influence is the primary factor in the selection of majors by students. However, within parental influence, the influence that parents have is not so much about whether students are enjoying their subject and finding passion, but the influence of the job market has been still a huge factor in the way students feel about their education. As we live in a more volatile economy and live in a competitive world where individuals strive to be the best, this study provides important insight into how college students choose their majors and how external factors outside of the college environment affect students’ decisions regarding careers. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

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<p>This dissertation is comprised of three essays in the economics of education. In the first essay, I examine how college students' major choice and major switching behavior responds to major-specific labor market shocks. The second essay explores the incidence and persistence of overeducation for workers in the United States. The final essay examines the role that students' cognitive and non-cognitive skills play in their transition from secondary to postsecondary education, and how the effect of these skills are moderated by race, gender, and socioeconomic status.</p> / Dissertation

This study examines the fit between students’ interests and their academic choices at different stages of their college careers. Using image theory (Beach, 1990) as an integrated theory of person-vocation fit, this investigation focuses on the stability of academic fit during college and the relationship between fit with academic choice and fit with occupational choice. Participants, 257 students in their final year at Rice University, responded to questions about their interests as well as factors that may influence their career choices, such as parental support, work centrality, career efficacy, and employment potential. Results showed that students tend to improve their fit with their academic major during their first four semesters. And, students tend to maintain or improve their fit when they select their first occupation after college. Of the factors considered to influence career choices, work centrality, or the importance one places on work, moderated the relationship between academic and occupational fit.

Postsecondary curricula are often the first opportunity where students can and are compelled to make choices regarding their adult professional life and the first opportunity students have to engage in serious and focused exploration of the various career options that might be available to them. While the general impact of a postsecondary education on career experience, including job satisfaction and success, is well documented, the factors influencing postsecondary students' career choice and how those factors impact college outcomes, including motivation towards, satisfaction with, and achievement in their chosen major field, appear to be more obscure and uneven. Self-determination theory (SDT) is a well-established motivational construct in the educational psychology field and the goal of this study is to explore the role that SDT may play in the relationship between determinants influencing a student's choice of major and their satisfaction and achievement outcomes. Using self-reported survey data from students across five disciplines at a large public four-year university, a cluster analysis was performed to determine if students could be grouped meaningfully based on their self-determination and the determinants that influenced their choice of major. Meaningfulness was assessed based primarily on the differences across the clusters on the satisfaction and achievement measures. Students were found to be too similar across the clusters on the achievement measure for meaningful interpretation on that outcome, but there did appear to be an important relationship between the influence of future outcomes and personal experiences in choosing a major and the students' satisfaction with their major. Multiple regression analysis was also employed to assess the degree to which achievement could be predicted by students' satisfaction, self-determined motivation, and determinants influencing choice of major. Self-determined autonomy was an important mediator and moderator of the effects that the determinants influencing choice of major had on satisfaction and achievement. Future directions in the research program, as well as the practical implications of the results, are discussed. / text

The demand for poultry science graduates to fill available positions in the poultry industry continues to increase. At the same time, there are not enough graduates to fill the positions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of the poultry curriculum in the 4-H program and student recruitment through the 4-H program into the Poultry Science Department. The targeted populations were 4-H leaders who implement the poultry curriculum and university students who were currently studying poultry. Career development theories suggest that previous experiences during adolescence can be a major influence in future vocation choice. A mixed methods formative evaluation design was used to gather data from 4-H leaders and university students. Data were collected through Likert-type surveys from 79 of the 158 4-H leaders across the state who indicated that they implement the poultry curriculum. A purposeful sampling technique was used to select 13 university students who are majoring in poultry science for structured interviews. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the interview data were coded for emergent themes. Key findings from the survey indicated that 48% of the 4-H leaders considered their poultry curriculum training and implementation inadequate. The majority of university students chose to major in poultry science in response to prior experience. Positive social change for an increase of graduates in poultry science may be achieved through the professional development project career awareness training for 4-H leaders and the supportive follow-up training through the network of the professional learning community to improve student recruitment.

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