Abstract:

In this research it is aimed to present a visual comparison of career orientations of college students using ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) classification system. Research sample consisted of seven experts and 529 college students from 10 different majors of ISCED broad domains. Data was collected with a survey developed by researcher and Personal Globe Inventory – Short Form (Tracey, 2010). Expert opinions were used to locate 26 ISCED narrow educational fields in the light of vocational interest and competence scores. Multi Dimensional Scaling was used with data obtained from Personal Globe Inventory – Short Form to determine college majors’ positions. Most of the college majors were mapped in theoretically congruent positions, yet some discrepancies were found, especially in Conventional and Realistic types. When competence belief placements on dimensions were inspected there found some significant differences in comparison with their interest locations. These differences between interests and competence beliefs highlight the importance of a holistic evaluation when choosing a college major instead of stressing just one important factor. It might be interpreted that interests and abilities are still not the major determinants when deciding a college major and current environmental models scarcely match with the theoretical explanations.

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