ERIC Number: EJ1155432
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1947-8607
EISSN: N/A
Interests as a Component of Adult Course Preferences: Four Australian Case Studies
Athanasou, James A.
International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology, v4 n3 Article 3 p25-33 2013
The purpose of this paper is to examine the subliminal role of interest in preferences for 50 courses available at a community college. This is an idiographic study of educational decisions. It employed a sample of situations and a representative design. Four adults participated in an educational-vocational assessment and in the process of providing vocational guidance their course selection was examined using a logistic regression. The intra-rater consistency of choices ranged from 88%-100% for repeated course profiles. Choices varied from 2-11 courses. Results supported a minor role for vocational interest in these course choices. The overall R-squared values were around .281-.764. It was concluded that (a) adult choices did not rely exclusively upon interests; (b) adults used complex decision-making policies; and (c) the policies adopted were idiosyncratic.
Descriptors: Adult Students, Community Colleges, Two Year College Students, Student Interests, Preferences, Case Studies, Course Selection (Students), Vocational Interests, Foreign Countries, Regression (Statistics), Achievement Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wide Range Achievement Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A