Achievement, Agency, Gender, and Socioeconomic Background as Predictors of Postschool Choices: A Multicontext Study

作者：Parker Philip D^*; Schoon Ingrid; Tsai Yi Miau; Nagy Gabriel; Trautwein Ulrich; Eccles Jacquelynne S

来源：Developmental Psychology, 2012, 48(6): 1629-1642.

DOI：10.1037/a0029167

• university entry
• university majors
• academic achievement
• academic self-concept
• background variables

In this article, the authors develop and test a differential effects model of university entry versus major selection using a set of common predictors, including background factors (gender and socioeconomic status), academic achievement, and academic self-concept. The research used data from 2 large longitudinal databases from Germany (N = 5,048) and England (N = 15,995) to explore the generalizability of the hypothesized model in 2 cultural contexts. For both countries, the results suggested that (a) socioeconomic status was a key predictor of university entry, whereas gender was a key predictor of major selection; (b) achievement and self-concept in both math and English were positive predictors of university entry; and (c) math achievement and self-concept predicted math-intensive major choice and lower likelihood of entering verbal-intensive majors (and vice versa). Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

• 出版日期2012-11