The Relationships Among Senior High School Students’ Sensation Seeking, Achievement Motivation And Vocational Tendency

Vocational tendency is a person’s desire of his or her vocation, a concept of self-expressionof the vocation and a long-lasting value orientation shown in the vocational life. According toresearchers at home and abroad, it has already been proved that vocational tendency has a highcorrelation with individual’s personality traits. Sensation seeking, as a personality trait ofseeking changeable, novel and complex feelings or experiences, is also related to vocationaltendency. However, influential factors of vocational tendency are extremely complicated,concerning the influence of physiological, psychological, social and other factors. Based on theviewpoint mentioned, this research concentrates on the connection among sensation seeking,achievement motivation and vocational tendency.This study sampled among three senior high schools at random. Senior One was chosen astarget. Holland Vocational Tendency Inventory (VPI), Chinese senior high school students’sensation seeking questionnaire (Zhao Shan, 2006), and Achievement Motivation Inventory(translated by Ye Minzhi and Hagtvet) were used as study tools. The researcher sampled oneclass as a unit to have a test which lasted for 45 minutes. The test was carried on by theresearcher and some trained teachers. They were able to answer all the students’ questions, butthey do not give them any interruptions or indications. They collected all the questionnaires assoon as the test was finished. All the data were analyzed by SPSS16.0, and the conclusions are asfollows.As for choosing professions, students preferred high salary most, while put higher social status inthe last place.There was obvious difference about vocational tendency among different schools. Compared tothose in vocational schools, the students in general schools showed more practical, investigable,artistic and professional vocational tendency.There was great distinguish about vocational tendency among male and female students. Theywere quite different in practicality, investigation, art, sociality and conventionality, but there waslittle difference in profession. The senior students’ achievement motivation affected vocational tendency greatly.The senior students’ achievement motivation is closely related to vocational tendency. Amongthem, there is obvious relationship among seeking success dimensionality and investigation,sociality, profession and conventionality, while avoiding failure dimensionality only relates topracticality, investigation, sociality.Senior high school students’ sensation seeking is bound up with vocational tendency obviously.The excitement and adventure dimensionality and control-removing dimensionality are related toevery pattern of vocational tendency.The disinhibition of sensation seeking can adjust the process when achievement motivationinfluences the conventional vocational tendency.