A Study about Factors Influencing the selection of University Majors by newly admitted students: Explaining the role of satisfying basic psychological needs and thinking about the future

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistance Prof, Department of Psychology, School of Humanity, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

2 Associate Professer of Educationnel Management, Kashan University

3 Master of Educational Psychology, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research is study about factors influencing the selection of university majors by newly admitted students and to explain the role of satisfaction of basic psychological needs and thinking about the future.
Methods: This research is an applied research that has been implemented with qualitative & quantitative model. In the first stage, a survey method was used to identify the criteria for selecting the field. In this section, 200 students of first and second grade of the University of Kashan during the academic year of 2017-18 who were enrolled in the university entrance exam in 2017 were selected as samples and appointed by the open-ended interview method to determine their selection criteria. And prioritize. In the second stage of the study, a descriptive correlation study was used. In this section, 254 students from all new students in University of Kashan were selected by stratified sampling method. The research tool at this stage included a list of criteria for selecting a field, a basic psychological needs questionnaire and a future targeting questionnaire.
Results: The results showed that in general, the seven main criteria are: talent, characteristics and individual interests; social and economic status; characteristics of the place of study; individual limitations and comfort; attention to the rank and possible acceptance; attention to views and opinions of others and situational factors are among the criteria of the students to choose the field. And two variables of targeting in the future and basic psychological needs have significantly played a role in predicting the attention to talent, characteristics and individual interests for choosing a discipline.
Conclusion: Among the identified criteria, four criteria for attention to talent, characteristics and individual interests, socio-economic status, characteristics of the place of study, attention to the rank and the possibility of admission in the selection of the students significantly played a role. Students who are well-satisfied with their basic psychological needs and who are hopeful about the future and who plan for it in various occupational, social, religious, and academic dimensions are more likely to pursue their majors based on characteristics, interests, and talents. To choose

Keywords


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