The Origin of Major Choice, Academic Commitment, and Career‐Decision Readiness Among Taiwanese College Students

The present study aimed to examine if and how career-decision readiness relates to the origin of college major choice among Taiwanese college students. A total of 375 junior and senior college students (147 women, 228 men) responded to measures of college major choice, academic commitment, career self-efficacy, and career-decision readiness. Results indicated that students' academic commitment to a college major tend to increase when they choose their majors based on personal and career preferences. In sequence, high levels of academic commitment lead to high levels of career self-efficacy, and increased self-efficacy augments the extent of career-decision readiness that students manifest near the end of their college education. These findings have practical implications insofar as many Asian students choose a college major because of parents and other authority figures, and these findings demonstrate that a full understanding of career-decision readiness may require incorporating the origin of college major choice and its academic effects into future research.Keywords: Asian students, academic commitment, career self-efficacy, career-decision readiness, college major choiceFactors that shape the choice of college major generally belong to one of four broad categories: personal, career, others', and institutional preferences (Lee & Lee, 2006). Personal preference refers to selecting a major based on personal factors, such as self-interest, aptitude, and perceived competence. In this view, students make a decision based on their individual perception of fit and interest in a major, perceived knowledge base regarding the major, and the belief that they can be successful in completing the major (Beggs, Bantham, & Taylor, 2008; Downey, McGaughey, & Roach, 2009). In terms of career preference, college major choice has a connection with job availability, average salary, career flexibility, and career security; on the other hand, others' preferences in relation to major choice bears on the influence of other people, such as families, peers, and teachers. In Asian cultures, for example, family influence is a salient factor for high school graduates in determining their college major. Asians also give high priority to social mobility and professional prestige, along with income and job security (Kim & Hong, 2007; Leong, 1986; P.-W. W. Ma & Yeh, 2005; Tang, 2002). Institutional preferences concern students' decisions based on departmental reputation, faculty reputation, college name recognition, and schools' marketing efforts. For example, Lee and Lee (2006) analysed students who majored in accounting and found that perceived quality of instruction and departmental reputation are important factors for major selection.Apart from the origin of major choice, scholars have also long studied the issue of career indecision. In light of the literature, career indecision has been widespread among college students (Gordon, 2007; P.-W. W. Ma & Yeh, 2005), which may be worrisome because career indecision frequently engenders various academic and psychological problems, such as anxiety (Gordon, 2007), identity crisis (McCowan & Alston, 1998), low self-esteem (Bandura, 1993), and school attrition (Willcoxson & Wynder, 2010). According to Gordon (2007) and Osipow (1987), career-decision readiness mainly results from cognitive and emotional ability to make progress and from consistency between self-information and selected career choice. Similarly, Eccles (1987) noticed that career indecision is contingent on aspiration for achievement, the urge to fulfill personal needs, and the time commitment involved. For Kuykendall (2008), career indecision is significantly linked with haphazard personal interests that defy being narrowed down. Career indecision has also been viewed as a functional state of positive uncertainty (Gelatt, 1991) and open-minded career exploration (Krumboltz, 2009). In line with these studies, the present study aimed to examine whether or not Asian students' career-decision readiness is linked with the origin of their college major choice. …