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Does Personality Matter?: Applying Holland’s Typology to Analyze Students’ Self-Selection into Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics Majors
- The Journal of Higher Education
- The Ohio State University Press
- Volume 86, Number 5, September/October 2015
- pp. 725-750
- 10.1353/jhe.2015.0024
- Article
- Additional Information
This study utilized John Holland’s personality typology and the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to examine the factors that may affect students’ self-selection into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Results indicated that gender, race/ethnicity, high school achievement, and personality type were statistically significant factors in increasing or decreasing a student’s odds of enrolling in a STEM major. Specifically, students with a strong investigative personality were more likely to enroll in STEM majors, while those with a strong artistic personality or enterprising personality were less likely to do so. Males with a strong social personality also tended not to choose STEM majors, though social personality had a positive effect on whether females chose STEM majors. Implications of the findings for policymakers, educators, and administrators were explored.