Global Certainty Beliefs and College Major: How Strong Are Socialization Effects?

The quality of teaching and teacher plays a significant role in enhancing students’ cognitive and motivational development. The purpose of this study was to identify longitudinal trajectories of student perceptions of mathematics teachers’ professional competence, and to examine how these trajectories were related to students’ engagement and achievement in mathematics and their choice of college major. The data used for analysis were obtained from the Seoul Education Longitudinal Study, a study of 2714 secondary students who were followed up for five successive years. Results showed four heterogeneous trajectories of students’ perceptions of teacher competence, and these trajectories were associated with students’ engagement and achievement in mathematics. In addition, those who consistently perceived their mathematics teachers to be highly competent and whose perceptions of their teachers’ competence became more positive over time were more likely than other students to choose math-intensive majors. These findings imply longitudinal links between mathematics teachers’ professional competence as perceived by their students and students’ choice of college major as well as their engagement and achievement in mathematics.

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Determinants of College Major Choice: Identification Using an Information Experiment

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.1896516 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Matthew Wiswall ◽

Basit Zafar

Keyword(s):

College Major ◽

Major Choice ◽

College Major Choice

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Double Disadvantage or Blessing in Disguise? Understanding the Relationship Between College Major and Employment Sector

Sociology of Education ◽

10.1177/003804070507800302 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 207-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Josipa Roksa

Keyword(s):

Labor Market ◽

Nonprofit Organizations ◽

Organizational Context ◽

College Graduates ◽

Labor Market Outcomes ◽

College Major ◽

Market Outcomes ◽

College Majors ◽

College Degrees ◽

Employment Sector

Although college graduates earn substantial labor market rewards, not all college degrees are rewarded equally. Graduates who majored in female-dominated fields earn substantially lower incomes than do graduates who majored in male-dominated fields. Income differentials that are associated with different types of college majors are extensively noted but poorly understood. This article advances the previous literature by examining how college major affects the labor market outcomes of college graduates through its relationship with employment sector. The results show that graduates of female-dominated fields are disproportionately employed in public and nonprofit organizations, which offer lower monetary rewards but facilitate access to professional and managerial positions. Notably, college major and employment sector interact in ways that reduce income penalties and enhance the occupational location of graduates of female-dominated fields who work in public and nonprofit settings. These findings highlight the importance of considering organizational context in the study of labor market outcomes, particularly when examining the gendered character of educational credentials and occupations.

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Decision-making styles in a real-life decision: Choosing a college major

Personality and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.paid.2006.03.003 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 629-639 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Kathleen M. Galotti ◽

Elizabeth Ciner ◽

Hope E. Altenbaumer ◽

Heather J. Geerts ◽

Allison Rupp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

College Major ◽

Real Life ◽

Decision Making Styles ◽

Life Decision

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Flexibility and satisfaction with college major.

Journal of Counseling Psychology ◽

10.1037/h0031509 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 487-489 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michael F. Sherrick ◽

Charles A. Davenport ◽

Thomas L. Colina

Keyword(s):

College Major

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