Using Holland's Theory to Study Patterns of College Student Success: The Impact of Major Fields on Students

Abstract

For the past ten years or so we have explored the use of the person-environment fit theory of John Holland (1966, 1973, 1985a, 1997) to study the change and stability of abilities, interests and values of college students within their academic disciplines (Smart & Feldman, 1998; Smart et al., 2000, 2006; Feldman et al., 2001; Feldman et al., 1999, 2004). In doing so, we have become increasingly cognizant of the following two properties of Holland's theory: (1) its usefulness in tracking alternative kinds of student success; and (2) the strength of the sociological potentials and implications embedded within it. The present chapter presents a systematic exposition and articulation of these two domains of interest. After presenting a brief overview of Holland's theory, we use the theory to consider new directions for research on college student success. The ensuing discussion focuses on alternative patterns of student success (within major fields), which we illustrate with longitudinal data. We then consider the practical, programmatic and policy implications of our analysis, followed by a comparison of Holland's theory with other contemporary efforts to understand student success.