Understanding large-scale patterns in student course enrollment is a problem of great interest to university administrators and educational researchers. Yet important decisions are often made without a good quantitative framework of the process underlying student choices. We propose a probabilistic approach to modelling course enrollment…

The present study aims to analyse the effect of motivational variables and previous academic achievement on students' future choice of chemistry once this subject becomes optional in the educational system. Toward this goal, the translation and adaptation of the Science Motivation Questionnaire II (SMQII) has been undertaken in our investigation…

Cyber-schooling offers potentially greater benefits for rural than urban students, by providing a broader range of courses, ending long commutes, and offering more developed special education services than typically found in rural public schools. We survey students (n=269, 53.7% response rate) and parents (232, 48.7%) at a cyber-charter school…

Mobility of mainland Chinese students across national borders has become common worldwide; however, the underlying reasons that motivate these students to pursue postgraduation abroad and why these factors are influential are not sufficiently studied. By analyzing the results of a case study performed at three British universities, we examine the…

A sample of 182 young adults about to choose their college major were randomly assigned to 2 guidance methods aimed at facilitating choosing among promising career alternatives: Table-for-Choice and Circles-for-Choice. Table-for-Choice was perceived as more effective, but individuals' confidence in their choice was higher in the Circles-for-Choice…

Examines the motivational factors that contribute to course selection in a sample of students enrolled in an intensive three-week academic experience for gifted adolescents. Researchers evaluated the selections of 947 students and found that course participation fell along traditional gender-stereotyped lines. The complex motivations behind…

Presents study results comparing psychology graduates with graduates in other areas. Includes comparisons of high school interests, grades, and achievement measures. Concludes that psychology graduates exhibited vocational interests in artistic, general cultural, scientific, and service areas. Reports that psychology majors had similar interests…

A study compared the high school, postsecondary education, and work experience records of graduates from four high school programs of study. Graduates of Academic/College Preparatory (ACP), General (GEN), Home School Business Program (HSBP), and Area Vocational-Technical School (AVTS) from 1982, 1985, and 1988 were surveyed during the 1989-90…

A Pittsburgh School District study compared vocational, academic, and general students for the years 1983, 1986, and 1989. It collected information on secondary experience, postsecondary options, postsecondary education/training dropout and completion rates, employment history, geographic mobility, and income history. A specific question related…

Subject choice by students in year 12 in Australian secondary schools was examined by using data on the 1995 cohort participating in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth project. The seven broad categories of English, mathematics, humanities and social sciences, economics and business, biological and physical sciences, and the arts…

Data primarily from Australia's Youth in Transition Survey were analyzed to explain differences in the schooling decisions of individuals born in 1961 versus 1970. The main measured factors affecting individuals' schooling decisions were as follows: ability; school type; and family background. Participation in school was positively associated with…