Graduation Term

2019

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Psychology: Clinical-Counseling Psychology

Committee Chair

Margaret Nauta

Abstract

This thesis reports the results of a study exploring how preoccupation with failure, perceived academic control, and academic emotions are associated with students’ major satisfaction. The responses of 391 college students to an online survey revealed that positive emotions and perceived academic control were significantly related to major satisfaction. Even after controlling for the variables of year in school, interests overlap, preoccupation with failure, and positive and negative emotions, academic control and academic emotions still explained a significant proportion of the variance in major satisfaction, which provides counselors and college professors possible intervention points to target major satisfaction. Contrary to hypothesis, it was found that preoccupation with failure did not have a curvilinear relationship with major satisfaction. The results also showed that there was a significant interaction between year in school and positive emotions on major satisfaction which indicates that the variables operate similarly, despite a student’s year in school in determining their major satisfaction. Limitations and future directions will be discussed.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2019.Lehman.A

Share

COinS