Do Pragmatists Choose Business While Idealists Choose Education?
Academic advisors want to use all available data in helping a student select a major field of study. Recent research suggests that the identification of a student’s basic philosophic viewpoint is one such piece of data that is not presently used. This study examined a random sample of college students (N=347) in order to determine the relationship of their philosophic viewpoint to their choice of college major. Variables examined included student’s scores on a philosophic preference questionnaire, student’s gender, whether or not the student was a transfer student, and whether or not the student was a candidate for teacher certification. Results indiated that the philosophic viewpoints of idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism were both real and measurable. Fine arts majors were low on pragmatism and high on idealism. Education majors tended to be low on realism. Natural science majors were less idealistic than fine arts majors, applied science majors, and education majors.
