Thirty-seven university support staff made hypothetical decisions about enrolling in microcomputer training based on six variables. Younger employees were more likely to take such training and indicated higher valence than did older workers. Cost was significant for 84% of the subjects. (SK)

Survey responses from 1,508 secondary students revealed their perceptions of family-and-consumer-sciences education. Many did not think it should be required, but thought the content was interesting and would help them in family life. (SK)

Hypothesizes that students are conscious of their decision making regarding academics, and thus, are able to report factors affecting their academic motivation. Finds that they reported more factors than have been considered in previous theoretical analyses of academic motivation, with students perceiving interactions between motivational factors…

A survey of adult education graduate students identified how they chose their university and program of study. Questions prospective students should consider were formulated in these areas: goals, location, cost, admission criteria, part-time/full-time study, faculty quality and commitment, philosophy, curriculum, degrees, program design,…

Provides results from a National Assessment of Educational Progress special study of the science achievement of 12th graders taking advanced science courses in biology, chemistry, or physics. An estimated 23% of all 12th graders were taking advanced science courses in the 1995-1996 school year. Describes the course-taking patterns of these…

Focuses on four consecutive quarters of the Introduction to Public Relations class at a university, which offers a public relations major for undergraduates and graduates. Sets out to assay the choices that students make, and analyze possible correlations between their decisions and factors such as choice of major, motivation and student…

Family and consumer sciences students (n=153) displayed a high level of interest in entrepreneurship courses, were considering entrepreneurial futures, and were planning coursework to prepare for their careers. Interest in entrepreneurship was significantly more likely if their parents, especially mothers, owned businesses. (SK)

In this article, the authors examine the key factors that influence student choice of a business major and how business schools can help students make that choice more realistically. Investigating students at a regional university, the authors found that whereas those with better quantitative skills tended to major in accounting or finance, those…

This study examines the effects of amount of choice given students in selecting courses to complete a marketing minor, referred to as a marketing option. It examines how differing levels of choice can affect perceptions of, and feelings about, a marketing option. The course choice process is also explored. The impact of choice on students' desire…

Undergraduate programs in the United States range from locally funded, two-year community colleges, to state and federally funded universities, as well as private, tuition-based institutions. Assumingly most programs attempt to facilitate a relevant and balanced curriculum that prepares students for the general and perhaps specific obstacles that…

A student's choice of a field of study is a personal decision that combines individual tastes, inclinations, preferences, and prospects related to the working life with a number of financial and academic constraints. Therefore, the analysis of the effects of degree field on job satisfaction should also address the unobserved heterogeneity among…

The proportion of high school students completing a challenging core curriculum rose significantly between 1990 and 2005--from 31 percent to 51 percent--and students are doing better in their classes than their predecessors did. However, that good news is tempered by other findings in two federal reports. The performance of high school seniors on…

Using qualitative methods, the researchers explored student perceptions of the social and emotional advantages and disadvantages of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) program participation, differences between the AP and IB programs in those perceptions, and whether or not students report experiencing a "forced-choice…

Our nation's bleak economic situation has forced state governments to cut educational funding. While funds are decreasing, accountability for student achievement remains high. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) forces each state to create and implement an accountability system of rewards and sanctions based on standardized test scores. In…

Prior work has proposed different theoretical mechanisms to explain students' course-taking patterns in schools. On the one hand, there are oversocialized accounts that claim that rules, social background factors, and supply-side factors shape observed career patterns. On the other hand, there are undersocialized accounts that claim that the…