Values and educational decisions: How do values relate to adolescents’ academic track choices?

Abstract Values are central for life choices, including vocational and academic decisions. Importantly, vocational choices begin within the school system, where selecting specific study tracks can impact later career development. How do values relate to adolescents’ academic track choices? Study 1 focused on Israeli students who chose exact science tracks compared to those who chose other tracks. Adolescents, reached through panel recruitment ( N = 216, age: M = 16.66, SD = 0.95; 63% female), reported their values and listed their academic tracks. Openness to change related positively to studying in exact science tracks. Study 2 used a different approach, with Israeli participants, recruited through social media ( N = 125, age: M = 17.21, SD = 0.60; 52% female), self-reporting their main academic track and values. Additionally, a new questionnaire was introduced to measure the students’ value-based academic goals (VAGS). Exact science students held the highest self-enhancement academic goals, conservation values, and conservation academic goals. Artistic students had the highest openness values and the lowest conservation values and academic goals. Psychology students had the highest self-transcendence values and academic goals and lowest openness to change academic goals. Additionally, exact science students prioritized long-term goals more than those in other tracks. Similarities and differences in the two samples’ findings are discussed, in light of the different strategies to assign students to their study tracks. Results are reviewed in light of Schwartz’s values theory and Holland’s vocational environment model, promoting our understanding of the association between values and high school academic track choices. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested for the concepts of value-based academic goals.