Choosing a college major: Factors that might influence the way students make decisions.

Abstract

This current study investigated Janis and Mann's (1977) Conflict Model of Decision Making. Specifically, Janis and Mann's model was tested to examine decision-making styles (coping patterns) and students who either have already decided or who have yet to decide on their college major. Furthermore, the current study is aimed to expand Janis and Mann's model by testing the relationship between coping patterns and other personal variables. The personal variables included in the study were self-esteem, career decision making, self-efficacy, goal instability, personal growth initiative, and vocational interests. Undergraduate students (N = 230) from introductory psychology courses participated in the study. The results showed that the coping patterns from Janis and Mann's (1977) model were not related to any of the personal variables. Therefore, the current study did not find the personal variables played a role in students' decision-making coping patterns when choosing majors. In addition, vocational interests were not related to coping patterns, which meant that, when using Janis and Mann's (1977) model, Holland's vocational interests could not be categorize into rational and irrational types.