Exploring students’ motives for studying psychology: a qualitative study

  • Pilot Mudhovozi University of Venda
  • Kobus Maree University of Pretoria
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20853/26-4-197

Abstract

The present study explored participants’ motives for studying psychology. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. The research method consisted of a brief survey. Four Black participants (male = 2; female = 2) for the study were purposefully selected from a Historically Black institution of higher learning in South Africa. The data collected through audio-taped individual, semi-structured interviews were analyzed by means of content analysis. The participants were asked to describe their motives for choosing psychology as a field of study. The results suggest that the participants chose psychology for various reasons. Minor gender differences were noted in the motives for the choice of psychology as a career. Further research on the topic is needed.

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Published
2016-01-08
How to Cite
Mudhovozi, Pilot, and Kobus Maree. 2016. “Exploring students’ Motives for Studying Psychology: A Qualitative Study”. South African Journal of Higher Education 26 (4). https://doi.org/10.20853/26-4-197.
Issue
Vol. 26 No. 4 (2012)
Section
General Articles

Copyright (c) 2016 Pilot Mudhovozi, Kobus Maree

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