Effects of computer-assisted instruction in using formal decision-making strategies to choose a college major

Abstract

Compared the effects of using formal decision-making strategies on the quality of students' decisions about choice of a college major. The interaction of students' decision-making characteristics, stage, and style on treatment outcomes was also examined. University freshmen (n=113) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the Elimination by Aspects Strategy (EBA), the Subjective Expected Utility Strategy (SEU), and the control group. The results showed that the "rational" decision style students who used the EBA scored significantly higher on choice certainty. They also scored lower on choice anxiety and career indecision than rational style students in the control group. The "explorers" who used the EBA sought more information than their counterparts in the control group. Rational style students who used SEU scored significantly higher on cognitive complexity than their counterparts in the control group.