Social cognitive factors that predict post-baccalaureate study intentions among undergraduates pursuing agricultural and life science majors

Lent, Brown, and Hackett's (1994) Social Cognitive Career Theory was used as the guiding theoretical framework to explore the extent to which academic self-efficacy predicted students' math/science interests, commitment to their academic majors, and intentions to pursue post-baccalaureate study. Participants were undergraduate students pursing agricultural- and life science-related (ALS) majors (n=255) who either did not intend to pursue post-baccalaureate education or planned to pursue post-baccalaureate education in a discipline that was aligned to an ALS field. In this data set, academic self efficacy predicted students' math/science interests and their intentions to pursue post-baccalaureate study; academic self efficacy also predicted commitment to major when gender was controlled. Mediational analyses, guided by Baron and Kenny's (1986) method, showed that math/science outcome expectations partially mediated the relationship between academic self efficacy and math/science interests. This study has implications for developing our nation's science-related work force and for university faculty and administrators who work with students to help them attain their academic and career goals.