Universität zu Köln

Piepenburg, Joachim G. and Fervers, Lukas . Do students need more information to leave the beaten paths? The impact of a counseling intervention on high school students' choice of major. High. Educ.. DORDRECHT: SPRINGER. ISSN 1573-174X

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Abstract

Despite an almost endless list of possible study programs and occupational opportunities, high school students frequently focus on pursuing a small number of well-known study programs. Students also often follow gender-typical paths and restrict their attention to study programs in which the majority of students consists of same-gendered people. This choice pattern has far-reaching consequences, including persistent gender segregation and an undersupply of graduates in emerging sectors of the industry. Building on rational choice and social psychological theory, we argue that this pattern partly occurs due to information deficits that may be altered by counseling interventions. To assess this claim empirically, we evaluated the impact of a counseling intervention on the intended choice of major among high school students in Germany by means of a randomized controlled trial (RCT). We estimate the effect by instrumental variable estimation to account for two-sided non-compliance. Our results show that the intervention has increased the likelihood that participants will consider less well-known or gender-atypical study programs, particularly for high school students with lower starting levels of information. Supplementary analyses confirm that a positive impact on information seems to be one of the relevant causal mechanisms. These results suggest that counseling services have the potential to guide high school students to less gender-typical and well-known majors, possibly reducing gender segregation and smoothing labor market transitions after graduation.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Piepenburg, Joachim G. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Fervers, Lukas UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-568643
DOI:	10.1007/s10734-021-00770-z
Journal or Publication Title:	High. Educ.
Publisher:	SPRINGER
Place of Publication:	DORDRECHT
ISSN:	1573-174X
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language SELF-EFFICACY; COLLEGE; GENDER Multiple languages Education & Educational Research Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/56864