Differences in academic achievement and psychological well-being based on major selection status
Abstract
Choosing a college major is one of the most important decisions in a student's educational journey. In reality, however, many Indonesian students enter their study programs not based on personal interest, but due to exam-score requirements, family expectations, or limited options. A mismatch between interests and major is related to students' psychological well-being. This study aims to determine whether there are differences in psychological well-being (PWB) and academic achievement (GPA) between Biology students who chose their major based on interest and those who did not, in terms of psychological well-being (PWB) and academic achievement (GPA). Using a quantitative comparative design, data were collected from 90 Biology students. PWB was measured with Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being, and GPA was obtained from official university records. After confirming normality and homogeneity of variance, an independent samples t-test was applied for PWB and a Mann-Whitney U test for GPA. The independent samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups, t(88) = 4.361, p < .001. And the Mann-Whitney U test showed no statistically significant difference in GPA between the two groups, U = 1003, z = ?0.077, p >.001. These findings indicate that major selection driven by personal interest is meaningfully linked to students' psychological well-being, though not to their academic grades. The implications for academic guidance and counseling practice are discussed.
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