Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T05:22:01.920Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Insight, academic major satisfaction and life satisfaction among college students majoring in education: Implications for career counselling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2019

Elif Cimsir Open the ORCID record for Elif Cimsir [Opens in a new window]
Elif Cimsir*
Affiliation:
Department of Guidance & Counselling, Faculty of Education, Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Theoretical explanations suggest that insight might increase life satisfaction by helping individuals choose a suitable academic major, indicating that insight might facilitate life satisfaction through academic major satisfaction. The current study thus investigates the mediating role of academic major satisfaction in the potential relationship between insight and life satisfaction. The data collected from a sample of 206 undergraduate students majoring in education degree programs confirm that the relationship between insight and life satisfaction is fully mediated by academic major satisfaction, with a model explaining 23% of the total variance in life satisfaction. The findings have important implications for the design and implementation of career counselling and guidance services provided within high school and university settings, particularly in countries such as Turkey where career counselling services need improvement.

Keywords

life satisfactioninsightacademic major satisfactionnarrative career counsellingconstructivist career counselling
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , December 2019 , pp. 206 - 218
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Cambridge University Press 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, G. A., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (1996). Relationships of job and family involvement, family social support, and work-family conflict with job and life satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 411–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akdoğan, R, & Türküm, A. S. (2014). Psikolojik yardım sürecinde terapötik bir hedef olarak içgörü [Insight as a therapeutic aim in psychological helping process]. Current Approaches in Psychiatry, 6, 375–388.Google Scholar
Akdoğan, R., & Türküm, S. (2018). Insight scale for nonclinical university students: Validity and reliability analysis. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 51, 250–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, M.L. (1996). Dimensions of educational satisfaction and academic achievement among music therapy majors. Journal of Music Therapy, 33, 147–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amati, V., Meggiolaro, S., Rivellini, G., & Zaccarin, S. (2018). Social relations and life satisfaction: The role of friends. Genus, 74, 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Astin, A.W. (1965). Effects of different college environments on the vocational choices of high aptitude students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 12, 28–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ateca-Amestoy, V., Serrano-del-Rosal, R., & Vera-Toscano, E. (2008). The leisure experience. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 37, 64–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, A. T., Baruch, E., Balter, J. M., Steer, R. A., & Warman, D. M. (2004). A new instrument for measuring insight: The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale. Schizophrenia Research, 68, 319–329.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barron, C. (2012, August 30). Insight, creativity and happiness. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-creativity-cure/201208/insight-creativity-and-happiness Google Scholar
Bowling, N. A., Eschleman, K. J., & Wang, Q. (2010). A meta-analytic examination of the relationship between job satisfaction and subjective well-being. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83, 915–934.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burton, C. Z., & Vella, L. (2011). Clinical and cognitive insight in a compensatory cognitive training intervention. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 14, 307–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capri, B., Ozkendir, O. M., Ozkurt, B., & Karakus, F. (2012). General self-efficacy beliefs, life satisfaction and burnout of university students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 968–973.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chow, H. P. (2005). Life satisfaction among university students in a Canadian prairie city: A multivariate analysis. Social Indicators Research, 70, 139–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cimsir, E. (2018). MOOCs: An overview of the implications for counsellor education. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling. doi:10.1080/03069885.2018.1536254 Google Scholar
Cimsir, E., & Carney, J. V. (2017). School counsellor training, attitudes, and perceptions of preparedness to provide services to students with disabilities in inclusive schools in Turkey. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32, 346–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Combs, A. W., Blume, R. A., Newman, A. J., & Wass, H. L. (1974). The professional education of teachers: A humanistic approach to teacher preparation. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.Google Scholar
Cox, D. W., Bjornsen, A. L., Krieshok, T. S., & Liu, Y. (2015). Occupational engagement and academic major satisfaction: Vocational identity’s mediating role. The Career Development Quarterly, 64, 169–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dağlı, A. & Baysal, N. (2016). Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeğinin Türkçe’ye uyarlanması: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [Adapting satisfaction with life scale into Turkish: Validity and reliablity study]. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 15, 1250–1262.Google Scholar
Dahling, J. J., & Thompson, M. N. (2012). Detrimental relations of maximization with academic and career attitudes. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 278–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deemer, E. D. (2015). Women’s science major satisfaction: Regulatory focus and the critical mass hypothesis. Journal of Career Development, 42, 60–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 403–425.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Erdoğmuş, N. (2001). Üniversitelerdeki kariyer merkezlerinin etkinlikleri hakkında bir araştırma [A study on the activities of career centres within universities]. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 1, 131–142.Google Scholar
Erdoğmuş Zorver, C. (2018). Kariyer Grup Rehberliği Programinin Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Kariyer Uyum Düzeylerine Etkisi [Effect of Career Group Guidance Program on University Students’ Career Adaptability Levels] (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.Google Scholar
Grant, A. M., Franklin, J., & Langford, P. (2002). The self-reflection and insight scale: A new measure of private self-consciousness. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 30, 821–829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graunke, S. S., & Woosley, S. A. (2005). An exploration of the factors that affect the academic success of college sophomores. College Student Journal, 39, 367–376.Google Scholar
Gustavson, K., Røysamb, E., Borren, I., Torvik, F. A., & Karevold, E. (2016). Life satisfaction in close relationships: Findings from a longitudinal study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 1293–1311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gündoğar, D., Gül, S. S., Uskun, E., Demirci, S., & Keçeci, D. (2007). Üniversite öğrencilerinde yaşam doyumunu yordayan etkenlerin incelenmesi. Klinik Psikiyatri, 10, 14–27.Google Scholar
Hayes, A. (2013). An introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford.Google Scholar
Harrington, R., & Loffredo, D. A. (2010). Insight, rumination, and self-reflection as predictors of well-being. The Journal of Psychology, 145, 39–57,CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkins, D. N., & Booth, A. (2005). Unhappily ever after: Effects of long-term, low-quality marriages on well-being. Social Forces, 84, 451–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jadidian, A., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Work volition, career decision self-efficacy, and academic satisfaction: An examination of mediators and moderators. Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 154–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Erez, A., & Locke, E. A. (2005). Core self‐evaluations and job and life satisfaction: The role of self‐concordance and goal attainment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 257–268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, H., & Kim, O. (2016). Factors affecting major satisfaction of college students. Advance Science and Technology Letters, 133, 50–56.Google Scholar
Kim, Y. L., & Lee, S. M. (2015). Effect of satisfaction in major at university on academic achievement among physical therapy students. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 27, 405–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolk, C. J. V. (1998). Introduction to group counseling and psychotherapy. New York, NY: Charles E. Merrill.Google Scholar
Korkut, F. (2006). Counsellor education, program accreditation and counsellor credentialing in Turkey. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 29, 11–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korkut, F. (2007). Counsellors’ thoughts and practices regarding career guidance and counselling. Journal of Hacettepe University: Education Faculty, 32, 187–197 Google Scholar
Korthagen, F.A. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 77–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leach, J. K., & Patall, E. A. (2013). Maximizing and counterfactual thinking in academic major decision making. Journal of Career Assessment, 21, 414–429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyke, J. A. (2009). Insight, but not self-reflection, is related to subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 46, 66–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self-focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 176–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mann, C. J. (2003). Observational research methods. Research design II: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. Emergency Medicine Journal, 20, 54–60 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Markova, I. S., & Berrios, G. E. (2011). Awareness and insight in psychopathology: An essential distinction? Theory and Psychology, 21, 421–437 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIlveen, P. F. & Patton, W. A. (2007). Narrative career counselling: Theory and exemplars of practice. Australian Psychologist, 42, 226–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, K. A., Borkovec, T. D., & Sibrava, N. J. (2007). The effect of worry and rumination on affect states and cognitive activity. Behavior Therapy, 38, 23–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, J. H. (2004). Extending the use of constructivist approaches in career guidance and counselling: Solution focused strategies. Australian Journal of Career Development, 13, 50–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of National Education (MoNE). (2015). Handbook of guidance and counselling services in schools [in Turkish]. Ankara, Turkey: Special Education and Guidance Services General Office.Google Scholar
Ministry of National Education (MoNE). (2016). Education statistics. Retrieved from http://sgb.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2016_03/30044345_meb_istatistikleri_orgun_egitim_2015_2016.pdf Google Scholar
Morin, A. (2011). Self-awareness: Definition, measures, effects, functions, and antecedents. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5, 807–823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nauta, M. M. (2007). Assessing college students’ satisfaction with their academic majors. Journal of Career Assessment, 15, 446–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neal, J. D., Sirgy, M. J., & Uysal, M. (1999). The role of satisfaction with leisure travel/tourism services and experience in satisfaction with leisure life and overall life. Journal of Business Research, 44, 153–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolen‐Hoeksema, S. (1991). Responses to depression and their effects on the duration of depressive episodes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 569–582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2000). The role of rumination in depressive disorders and mixed anxiety/depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 504–511.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Neill, W. (1981). Educational ideologies: Contemporary expressions of educational philosophy. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Özgür, G., Gümüş, A. B., & Durdu, B. (2010). Evde ve yurtta kalan üniversite öğrencilerinde yaşam doyumu. Psikiyatri Hemşireliği Dergisi, 1, 25–32.Google Scholar
Patterson, E., & Welfel, E. R. (2000). The counseling process (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2010). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
Schenkenfelder, M. C. (2017). Predicting academic major satisfaction using environmental factors and self-determination theory (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6418&context=etd.Google Scholar
Schlomer, G. L., Bauman, S., & Card, N. A. (2010). Best practices for missing data management in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 1–10. doi: 10.1037/a0018082.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schimmack, U., & Lucas, R. E. (2010). Environmental influences on well-being: A dyadic latent panel analysis of spousal similarity. Social Indicators Research, 98, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silvia, P. J. & Phillips, A. G. (2011). Evaluating self-reflection and insight as self-conscious traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 234–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sonstegard, M. A. (1998). The theory and practice of Adlerian group counseling and psychotherapy. Journal of Individual Psychology, 54, 217–250.Google Scholar
Super, D.E. (1953). A theory of vocational development. American Psychologist, 8, 185–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tickle, L. (2000). Teacher induction: The way ahead. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Trapnell, P. D., & Campbell, J. D. (1999). Private self-consciousness and the five-factor model of personality: Distinguishing rumination from reflection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 284–304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uchida, T., Matsumoto, K., Kikuchi, A., Miyakoshi, T., Ito, F., Ueno, T., & Matsuoka, H. (2009). Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale: Relation of cognitive insight to clinical insight. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 63, 291–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Praag, B. M. S., Frijters, P., & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. (2003). The anatomy of subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 51, 29–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiss, H. M. (2002). Deconstructing job satisfaction: Separating evaluations, beliefs and affective experiences. Human Resource Management Review, 12, 173–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yeşilyaprak, B. (2016). Mesleki rehberlik ve kariyer danışmanlığı: Kuramdan uygulamaya [Career guidance and counseling: From theory to practice]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi Google Scholar
Yeşilyaprak, B. (2017). Career counselling services in Turkey. In Sultana, R.G. (Ed.), Career guidance and livelihood planning across the Mediterranean (pp. 267–282). Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zeichner, K. (2010). Rethinking the connections between campus courses and field experiences in college- and university-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 61, 89–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar