The Impact of Behavioral, Normative, and Control Beliefs on Students' Satisfaction With Their Educational Choice

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: General Counseling Topics (San Diego)

Abstract

Educational choices in secondary education should be carefully made, especially if they have far-reaching consequences for students’ future careers. Student satisfaction can be used to evaluate some educational choices. The current study aimed to predict secondary school students’ satisfaction with their study profile choice (i.e., one out of four combinations of subjects in upper secondary education) from behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, using structural equation modelling (N=183). The proposed model fitted well and explained a large part of the variance of satisfaction. Behavioral, normative, and control beliefs proved to be highly associated. Moreover, normative beliefs, and especially the expectations of friends contribute significantly to student satisfaction. These results suggest that considering friends’ opinions in educational choices increases students’ short-term satisfaction.

Authors

• Monique Dijks, University of Groningen

• Hanke Korpershoek, University of Groningen

• Matthijs Warrens, University of Groningen

• Roel J. Bosker, University of Groningen