Development of Interest and Domain Identification in First-Year Science Majors’ Objectives or Purposes

• In Event: Motivational Factors Involved in College and Career Choices

Abstract

Students entering college with a pre-selected major have chosen their major in response to academic and social experiences prior to college. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine how first year college students perceive their development of domain identification with and interest in their prospective science major during their initial year of college. Four themes emerged from the coding and analysis of interviews with eight first year science students: Self-Definition in Flux, Feeling Competent, Expressing Interest through Enjoyment, and Keeping Things Relevant. This study provides researchers and practitioners with a more nuanced view of the development of interest and identification in science majors and highlights connections students make in their lived experience between concepts often examined separately.

Author

• Chloe Ruff, Gettysburg College