Beyond conscientiousness: Career optimism and satisfaction with academic major

Abstract

The study focuses on psychological predictors of academic major satisfaction. According to the career construction theory (Savickas, 2005), vocational personality and career adaptability should generate career satisfaction. In this study, vocational personality was operationalized as Big Five conscientiousness, and career adaptability was operationalized as generalised self-efficacy and career optimism. A sample (N = 529) of university students completed an online survey. The resultant data were used to construct a structural model of the hypothesized relationships among variables. A good fitting model [χ2 = 10.454 (7) p = .164; GFI = .993; CFI = .999; RMSEA < .031 (<.001 -.066)] indicated that career optimism fully mediated the relationship between conscientiousness and academic major satisfaction.Results were consistent with previous research into personality and academic performance.Moreover, the results highlight the significant role of optimism in satisfaction with career generally, and studies, specifically. Suggestions are made for future research into modelling the relationships according to different academic disciplines and for the potential role of optimism as a learning objective for career education and counseling.Keywords: academic major satisfaction; conscientiousness; career optimism; career construction theory 3 Beyond Conscientiousness: Career Optimism and Satisfaction with Academic Major University students' satisfaction with their studies is an important matter for themselves, their teachers, their institutions, and public bodies that scrutinise universities.Indicators of students' satisfaction are associated with institutional reputation in an increasingly international market place. In their review of over 7000 publications, Richardson, Abraham, and Bond (2012) classified 42 non-intellective correlates of academic performance into five classes: personality traits, motivational factors, self-regulatory learning strategies, students' approaches to learning, and psychosocial contextual factors. These, socalled non-intellective factors represent sites of psychological or educational interventions that aim to enhance students' engagement and satisfaction with their studies (e.g., teaching study techniques according to approaches to learning). In this paper, we address facets of two of the non-intellective predictors of student satisfaction with their academic major: the personality factor conscientiousness and the motivational factors self-efficacy and optimism. Career Construction Theory and Academic SatisfactionTo conceptually frame the research, we referred to the career construction theory (Savickas, 2005) that provides an integrative conceptual framework to understand career in terms of three inter-related domains: vocational personality, career adaptability, and life themes. Students' engagement with their studies can be understood from the perspective of these conceptual domains. The first two classes of non-intellective correlates of academic performance identified by Richardson ...

Satisfacción académica en la universidad: relaciones entre inteligencia emocional y engagement académico

“…En este sentido, un estudiante con un alto nivel de conciencia se compromete con sus estudios y está dispuesto a esforzarse más por alcanzar sus objetivos de la carrera, logrando así una mayor satisfacción académica (McIlveen, Beccaria y Burton, 2013).…”

Dispositional Optimism as a Correlate of Decision-Making Styles in Adolescence

“…In a very recent study, Tolentino et al (2014) highlighted that a solid body of research has shown the benefits of optimism on health-related adjustment (e.g., better quality of life and subjective well-being in Scheier & Carver, 1992; less psychological distress in Carver et al, 2005;Fitzgerald, Tennen, Affleck, & Pransky, 1993;Trunzo & Pinto, 2003) as well as on academic adjustment and satisfaction (Aspinwall & Taylor, 1992;McIlveen, Beccaria, & Burton, 2013). Furthermore, optimism has not only been found to predict adaptive career planning strategies (Creed et al, 2002), career optimistic individuals have also been reported to strive higher academically, report greater comfort with their educational and career-related plans, and engage in activities that enhance their career insight (Rottinghaus et al, 2005).…”

Ethnic identity affirmation as a strength for Mexican descent academic outcomes: Psychological functioning and academic attitudes as mediators

“…These findings corroborate previous findings relating poorer psychological functioning to poorer academic outcomes and better psychological functioning to better academic outcomes (Balanga et al, ; Close & Solberg, ; Zychinski & Polo, ). If an individual reports higher levels of life satisfaction, they may feel more optimistic or positive about their future possibilities (McIlveen, Beccaria, & Burton, ). This positive outlook on life may increase their desire to perform well in school, which would be related to academic motivation (McIlveen et al, ).…”

“…If an individual reports higher levels of life satisfaction, they may feel more optimistic or positive about their future possibilities (McIlveen, Beccaria, & Burton, 2013). This positive outlook on life may increase their desire to perform well in school, which would be related to academic motivation (McIlveen et al, 2013).…”