{"id":{"repo_id":"rowan","oai_identifier":"oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1390"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/rowan/oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1390","repository":{"repo_id":"rowan","name":"Rowan University","base_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Undecided students: a study of decision-making styles and choosing a college major at Rowan University","abstract":"The purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the decision-making styles of undecided students who are in the process of choosing a major at Rowan University, (b) to investigate students' reactions to making a real-life decision such as choosing a major, and (c) to determine if there is a significant relationship between students' decision-making styles and the characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and class level. The subjects in this study were undecided, full-time, freshman and sophomore students in the Exploratory Studies Program (ESP) at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, during the 2012-2013 academic year. A survey consisting of 59 Likert scale items was used to collect data on demographics, decision-making styles and reactions to the decision-making process. Data analysis suggests that undecided students are thinking logically and conducting thorough searches in the decision-making process of choosing a major. Data analysis also suggests that undecided students see the outcome of their major decision as being life-framing. A weak positive correlation was found between gender and students' level of agreement that they often procrastinate when making important decisions. There were no statistically significant correlations between decision-making and ethnicity or class level.","abstract_html":"The purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the decision-making styles of undecided students who are in the process of choosing a major at Rowan University, (b) to investigate students' reactions to making a real-life decision such as choosing a major, and (c) to determine if there is a significant relationship between students' decision-making styles and the characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and class level. The subjects in this study were undecided, full-time, freshman and sophomore students in the Exploratory Studies Program (ESP) at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, during the 2012-2013 academic year. A survey consisting of 59 Likert scale items was used to collect data on demographics, decision-making styles and reactions to the decision-making process. Data analysis suggests that undecided students are thinking logically and conducting thorough searches in the decision-making process of choosing a major. Data analysis also suggests that undecided students see the outcome of their major decision as being life-framing. A weak positive correlation was found between gender and students' level of agreement that they often procrastinate when making important decisions. There were no statistically significant correlations between decision-making and ethnicity or class level.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pasquarella, Kathleen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. Higher Education","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Educational Services, Administration, and Higher Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sisco, Burton"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-07-08T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-07-08T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:09Z","subjects":["College majors","Higher Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/391","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sisco, Burton"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pasquarella, Kathleen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-03-03T19:59:05Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Services, Administration, and Higher Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. Higher Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["College majors","Higher Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/391"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the decision-making styles of undecided students who are in the process of choosing a major at Rowan University, (b) to investigate students' reactions to making a real-life decision such as choosing a major, and (c) to determine if there is a significant relationship between students' decision-making styles and the characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and class level. The subjects in this study were undecided, full-time, freshman and sophomore students in the Exploratory Studies Program (ESP) at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, during the 2012-2013 academic year. A survey consisting of 59 Likert scale items was used to collect data on demographics, decision-making styles and reactions to the decision-making process. Data analysis suggests that undecided students are thinking logically and conducting thorough searches in the decision-making process of choosing a major. Data analysis also suggests that undecided students see the outcome of their major decision as being life-framing. A weak positive correlation was found between gender and students' level of agreement that they often procrastinate when making important decisions. There were no statistically significant correlations between decision-making and ethnicity or class level."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Undecided students: a study of decision-making styles and choosing a college major at Rowan University"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sisco, Burton"],"dc:creator":["Pasquarella, Kathleen"],"dc:date.available":["2020-03-03T19:59:05Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purposes of this study were (a) to investigate the decision-making styles of undecided students who are in the process of choosing a major at Rowan University, (b) to investigate students' reactions to making a real-life decision such as choosing a major, and (c) to determine if there is a significant relationship between students' decision-making styles and the characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and class level. The subjects in this study were undecided, full-time, freshman and sophomore students in the Exploratory Studies Program (ESP) at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, during the 2012-2013 academic year. A survey consisting of 59 Likert scale items was used to collect data on demographics, decision-making styles and reactions to the decision-making process. Data analysis suggests that undecided students are thinking logically and conducting thorough searches in the decision-making process of choosing a major. Data analysis also suggests that undecided students see the outcome of their major decision as being life-framing. A weak positive correlation was found between gender and students' level of agreement that they often procrastinate when making important decisions. There were no statistically significant correlations between decision-making and ethnicity or class level."],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/391"],"dc:subject":["College majors","Higher Education"],"dc:title":["Undecided students: a study of decision-making styles and choosing a college major at Rowan University"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Services, Administration, and Higher Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. Higher Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:09Z"}