The Relationship Between Thinking Style Differences and Career Choices for High-Achieving Students

Kim, Mihyeon

Item

The Relationship Between Thinking Style Differences and Career Choices for High-Achieving Students

Kim, Mihyeon

Abstract

The intent of this study was to present information about high-achieving students' career decision making associated with thinking styles. We gathered data from two International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and a Governor's School Program with a sample of 209 high-school students. The findings of this study demonstrated that the effect of program on the different thinking styles was statistically significant. The findings showed that external thinking style was a good predictor for choosing social science areas as future careers. However, students with higher external thinking styles chose computer and math areas 73% less often than students with lower external thinking styles. In addition, the findings demonstrated that high-school students attending a program with an academic focus on liberal arts tended to be more people oriented and outgoing and valued sharing ideas with others as opposed to students in a program with an academic focus on science and technology. Finally, students attending a program with an academic focus on liberal arts tended to be more systematic and set priorities more often than students in a program with an academic focus on science and technology.