ERIC Number: ED635106
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 129
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3796-8916-2
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
College Students' Experience of Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Related to Major Declaration and Career Decision-Making
Long, Amanda M.
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Georgia
Major declaration is a significant task for a college student, and the major selected typically indicates a student's intentions for pursuing a related career. However, few research studies have examined the impact of the timing of a student's major declaration in relation to their hopes for their future career. The purpose of this study was to examine if a relationship exists between when a student declares a major and that student's experience of self-efficacy or anxiety in relation to career decision-making. This study was conducted at a large, public, comprehensive institution in the Southeast, and participants received a survey comprised of demographic questions, two subscales from established instruments, and a question regarding the semester in which they declared their final major. The subscales used were the career choice anxiety subscale of the Career Factors Inventory (Chartrand et al., 1990) and the self-appraisal subscale of the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale -- Short Form (Betz et al., 1996). Data collection resulted in two samples for analysis: one including students with prior institutional experience (i.e., participants who completed coursework through dual enrollment or attended another institution prior to the research site) and one without (i.e., participants were all first-time students at the research site). The data were then analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results indicated there was no relationship between the timing of a student's major declaration and their scores on the self-appraisal subscale. However, results were mixed between the two samples regarding a relationship between the timing of major declaration and scores on the career choice anxiety subscale, where only the sample with prior institutional experience demonstrated a relationship. The relationship suggested that as major declarations are delayed, scores on the career choice anxiety subscale increase. A final analysis was performed to determine if a relationship exists between the scores on both subscales. Results indicated a significant relationship for both samples, indicating that as scores increase on one subscale, they decrease on the other. The results point to several implications for practice that emphasize the importance of early career exploration and the need to address anxiety associated with career decision-making. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: College Students, Self Efficacy, Majors (Students), Anxiety, Decision Making, Career Choice, Self Concept Measures, Vocational Maturity, Correlation, Career Exploration
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Career Decision Making Self Efficacy Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A