Switching Majors and its Relationship to Decision Making Styles Among Arab Students in Israeli Universities

Previous studies have shed light on career choice and higher education challenges. However, this study is unique since it is the first to focus on the relationship between switching university majors and decision-making styles among Arab university students changing their majors during their academic life. A cross-sectional and descriptive design study was carried out consisting of 228 university students. Two scales administered were: The General Decision-making Styles Questionnaire (GDMSQ) and Influences on Choice of Major Questionnaire (ICMQ). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient tests were used to analyse the data. The research findings showed that rational decision-making style is very prominent, and that personal interests and abilities are the most significant factor for major switching among Arab university students. The findings revealed positive correlation between personal interests and abilities on the one hand and rational style on the other hand. The main contribution of the present study is its approach in examining the relationship between switching university majors and decision-making styles among students, specifically within the context of Arab society in Israel.