Background

One part of James Daniel Lee’s argument in Which Kids Can “Become” Scientists? Effects of Gender, Self-Concepts, and Perceptions of Scientists is that girls are less likely to pursue science careers because they feel their self-concept(s) are not in line with the expectation of what a scientist is like. This suggests that, at least in part, students tend to pursue careers which they feel are congruent with their self-concept. However, this view does not account for whether college students consider their education a means to pursue their passions and express a part of their “true” self, or as a path to obtaining a lucrative career. Further, research on academic self-concept almost exclusively focuses on achievement as its main indicator or correlate.

I argue that achievement is only one aspect of academic self-concept and research on this topic must account for academic gratification. That said, I seek to (1) examine whether students college major is more influenced by careerist goals or self-concepts, (2) explore how others’ perceptions (reflected appraisals) affect their self-concept and overall satisfaction with their major, (3) reveal if students who choose their major based on self-concept are more or less satisfied with their major, and (4) investigate students’ attitudes about their perceptions of their future success as it relates to the conclusions above.

Research Questions

• What is the role of self-concept in students’ choice of college major?
• Are students more likely to choose a major based on self-concept or career outcomes?
• Are students who choose a major based on self-concept more or less satisfied than those who choose a major on career outcomes?

Methods

• Survey undergraduate students on academic self and careerism
  • Focus on the parts of academic self literature ignores

Limitations