Choice of Field of Study: A Network of Motives and Students’ Motivational Profiles

The choice of an educational and professional trajectory is an important stage in the life course and is associated with subsequent professional development and psychological well-being. The present study aims to analyze the motivational foundations of students’ choice of field of study, with a focus on differences between STEM and non-STEM fields as well as gender differences. An integrative approach is employed, combining methods of network psychometrics and person-oriented analysis. Using a sample of students enrolled in different programs (bachelor’s and specialist degrees) from 31 universities (N = 7,196; 64% female; 38% enrolled in STEM fields), the structure of interrelations among motives for choosing a field of study was reconstructed using an Ising model, and latent motivational profiles were identified via latent class analysis. The results show that motivation for choosing a field of study constitutes a connected system in which distinct clusters (e.g., social motives, pragmatic motives) and bridging nodes (e.g., intrinsic personal interest) can be identified. Latent class analysis revealed five motivational profiles, the distribution of which differs between STEM and non-STEM fields as well as between male and female students. The findings underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach to the study of motivation in the choice of field of study.