A survey of Effective Factors on Choosing the Field of Study Among Eligible Candidates of University. Entrance Examination

The present research examines the effective factors in opting for the field of study by the candidates who are permitted to do so in the state university entrance examination. For the purpose of this research, a 12-item questionnaire with open-ended questions on the effective factors in opting for the field of study was provided based on the results of a pilot study. After examination and confirmation of the questionnaire’s face validity, its reliability was evaluated by administering them primarily on 120 candidates, and the Alfa coefficient 0.82 was obtained. The final version of the questionnaire was used with 1700 residents of Tehran candidates (920 girls and 780 boys). The research method was survey. According to the results of the factor analysis test, the researcher-made questionnaire was composed of three factors, namely occupational, family-friendship and individual. The statistical analyses showed that the percentage points obtained from the reliability range of the candidates’ scores average are 77/45% for the individual factor, 76/8% for the occupational factor, and 50% for the family-friendship factor. Thus, the individual factor, occupational factor and family-friendship factor are the most important factors in opting for the field of study, respectively. The t/ tests of the individual testing groups showed that there is a meaningful difference between the male and female candidates regarding the effectiveness of the occupational and family-friendship factors in opting for the field of study. However, there was no difference between the male and female candidates with respect to the individual factor. The variance analysis test also indicated that there was a difference among the candidates of the testing groups in relation to the occupational and family-friendship factors. However, there was no meaningful difference among the candidates of the testing groups with regard to the individual factor.