The Relationship Between Participation in Extracurricular Activities, Interaction, Satisfaction With Academic Major, and Career Motivation

As career development is one of the major objectives of college, this study examined how participation in extracurricular activities and interaction with faculty and peers influence satisfaction with academic major and career motivation among Korean students. A research model was proposed based on the literature review. Data were collected from 296 male and 343 female college students, and a structural equation modeling analysis was used to test the proposed model. The results showed that participation in extracurricular activities such as major-related study groups, career development-related activities, social clubs, and community service is positively related to career motivation. It was also found that frequent interaction with faculty and peers was directly and positively related to students' satisfaction with their academic majors and was indirectly and significantly related to their career motivation. The implications of these findings for college-level measures to improve career motivation are discussed.