Joint influence of school self-esteem and motivation in the choice of a Higher Education program

Abstract

The right choice of a university program by young people constitutes a challenge for themselves, their families and society, since their personal development, professional success, values, and community service depend on it. Considering the factors that intervene in this choice are diverse, this work seeks to determine empirically if school self-esteem and motivation degree influences enrolment in a first-preference university program. The sample corresponds to the 2626 students who entered at Universidad de Concepción Campus Chillán, between 2016 and 2021. A binary probit model was used since the dependent variable oscillates between two discrete values. The self-esteem and motivation degree was measured from one of the Personal and Social Development Indexes (IDPS, in Spanish), delivered by the Education Quality Agency dependent of the Chilean Secretaryship of Educa-tion, for each high school graduation institution. Control variables such as personal characteristics of both, students and institutions, were added. The results confirm that the higher the school self-esteem and motivation degree, the greater the probability that the student enters the program of his/her first preference. This study confirms the importance of school self-esteem and motivation, also there is still a progress to be made in firming up school programs that put the emphasis on promoting conditions that allow the full development of students, highlighting strengths over weaknesses.