The Relevance of Psychosocial Characteristics for Pursuing Doctoral Studies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Big Decisions: Choosing Postsecondary Destinations

Abstract

There is little research on university graduates pursuing doctoral studies that focus on psychological factors beyond ethnic, social, or gender-related disparities. To gain broader insights into the psychological processes, we examine the relevance of self-assessed abilities, motivational orientations, and the subjective benefit of a doctoral degree based on a psychological expectancy-value model (Eccles et al., 1983). Analyses of longitudinal data of a representative sample from Germany (N = 2214) demonstrated the predictive power of a high estimated benefit of a doctoral degree, better academic achievement, and social background. The self-concept effect was not statistically significant once we control for gender and SES. University level achievement mediated effects of a pronounced intrinsic motivation and competitive orientation.

Authors

• Susanne Radmann, German Institute for International Educational Research

• Michael Becker, German Institute for International Educational Research

• Marko Neumann, German Institute for International Educational Research

• Kai Maaz, Max Planck Institute for Human Development