Change in the career goals and attitudes of undergraduates: A longitudinal panel study of the University of Michigan Class of 1983.

Abstract

The main objective of this longitudinal research study was to determine the extent and nature of freshman to senior change in students' career goals and attitudes. The three lines of inquiry included: (1) change in students, (2) the impact of change on occupational fields, and (3) the influence of gender and parents on change. The subjects of the two-wave panel survey were a random sample of 500 undergraduates from The University of Michigan Class of 1983. Data were drawn from the students' responses to the same survey instrument at two time points (winter term of freshman year, 1980, N = 290, and winter term of senior year, 1983, N = 207). The matching of freshmen and senior questionnaires resulted in a final panel of 186 students (49% males and 51% females). Findings of the study indicated that less change than expected occurred in students' career goals and attitudes during the undergraduate years. A greater proportion of women than men (1) changed in all areas of educational and occupational goals except plans for additional education, (2) changed to occupational fields that are similar to their initial primary choices, (3) moved into gender-neutral fields, and (4) left gender-appropriate fields. There were, however, no statistically significant gender differences in the extent or nature of change in students' career goals or attitudes. Counterintuitively, change in students' occupational goals involved more turnover and occupational segregation for gender-neutral fields than for female-dominant fields. As expected, stability, rather than change, in students' occupational goals was related to parental influence. Students were less likely to change their occupational preference when their freshman preference was similar to their parents' preference for them than when it was dissimilar. This relationship was stronger for males than for females and stronger for secondary than for primary choice. Major implications of the study include: (1) parents, educators, and the public need to systematically encourage the entry of more women into male-dominant occupations and the open examination of career goals and attitudes by both male and female undergraduates; (2) higher education should systematically encourage students to explore their career related attitudes in light of the larger challenges facing our global community; and (3) a third wave of panel data gathered a few years following graduation could address the role of the undergraduate years in change of career goals and attitudes overtime.