Title
Do Career Interest and Major Alignment Matter?
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-16-2018
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Psychological Science
Faculty Sponsor
R. Eric Landrum
Abstract
Career exploration is a critical task during the development of young adults which is important in leading towards satisfying postgraduate lives (Lee, Porfeli, & Hirschi, 2016; Skorikov, & Vondracek, 2007). Psychology graduates enter sales as the primary occupation followed by a category of “other” (Stamm, Lin, & Christidis, 2017). The purpose of our research is to identify the alignment of students’ knowledge of career and increase students’ knowledge of the steps needed to enter their intended career. Alignment is defined as an understanding of the intended career and the accurate knowledge about entering the intended career; for instance, an understanding of expectations and outcomes would be considered a high alignment whereas unmet expectations would be considered low alignment (Landrum, 2018). In Study 1, we will create a questionnaire that identifies students’ alignment with their intended career and their current major (psychology). In Study 2, we will use the questionnaire before and after various interventions to identify effective ways of increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of the alignment between their major and future career. Both studies will be conducted using undergraduate university students as participants.
Recommended Citation
Abellera, Cierra, "Do Career Interest and Major Alignment Matter?" (2018). 2018 Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Conference. 73.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/under_conf_2018/73
Comments
Do Career Interest and College Major Alignment Matter?
Career exploration is a critical task during the development of young adults which is important in leading towards satisfying postgraduate lives (Lee, Porfeli, & Hirschi, 2016; Skorikov, & Vondracek, 2007). Psychology graduates enter sales as the primary occupation followed by a category of “other” (Stamm, Lin, & Christidis, 2017). The purpose of our research is to identify the alignment of students’ knowledge of career and increase students’ knowledge of the steps needed to enter their intended career. Alignment is defined as an understanding of the intended career and the accurate knowledge about entering the intended career; for instance, an understanding of expectations and outcomes would be considered a high alignment whereas unmet expectations would be considered low alignment (Landrum, 2018). In Study 1, we will create a questionnaire that identifies students’ alignment with their intended career and their current major (psychology). In Study 2, we will use the questionnaire before and after various interventions to identify effective ways of increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of the alignment between their major and future career. Both studies will be conducted using undergraduate university students as participants.