The Role of Interests in STEM Pursuit and Academic Performance

Abstract

A good fit between students' interests, academic major, and subsequent career is critical for occupational success and satisfaction. Substantial work has examined how individual differences in interests are linked with academic and career choices. However, less is known about the role of interest in student performance. To investigate how interests are related to academic outcomes, the current work combined psychological and institutional data in a sample of N = 8,326 students enrolled in 249 different majors. Study 1 identified five major clusters that reveal diversity in interests across STEM and non-STEM majors. These patterns suggest that the common STEM vs. non-STEM dichotomy may misrepresent differences and similarities in interests across majors. Study 2 used interests and institutional data to predict student GPA. The results clarify previous findings about the role of interests in performance and highlight the importance of person-environment fit.