Factors influencing concentration choice among undergraduates. 1984.

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Bailey, Susan McGee. Factors influencing concentration choice among undergraduates.

Factors influencing concentration choice among undergraduates. 1984.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26623254

This four-year longitudinal study was undertaken to explore the reasons why women undergraduates who enter college intending to major in science abandon their plans before a major is actually declared. Conversely, the factors that seem to facilitate the choice of a science major for women college students were examined as well. In the summer of 1978 and 1979, 150 women and 150 men from the incoming classes of a large prestigious university were selected for participation in the study. Participants from the class of 1982 were selected on the basis of a score of 700 or above on the math SAT. The class of 1983 participants were selected on the basis of the fact that they expressed a tentative intention to major in science or mathematics on their applications for college. For the purposes of this study, science and mathematics were defined to include physical sciences, biological sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and premedical studies. In the summer prior to matriculation and once each year during college, these students completed questionnaires requesting information on their personal backgrounds, college experiences, choice of a concentration, and plans for a career. During their freshman year, participants from the class of 1983 also responded to four Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) pictorial cues. In addition, a subsample of 20 women and 20 men participated in yearly interviews designed to explore aspects of concentration choice, career plans, and academic experience in greater depth. The TAT responses and the interview transcripts are held at the Murray Center.

1 v. + microfiche.

Harvard University, Murray Research Center