Exploring Subfield Interest Development in Undergraduate Physics Students through Social Cognitive Career Theory

This study aims to understand how undergraduate physics majors develop an interest in specific subfields. We examine interest formation through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) by exploring four key SCCT constructs: learning experiences, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and proximal environmental influences. We conducted 27 interviews with physics majors across various years of study between 2020 and 2022. Our first research question analyzes SCCT constructs to provide detailed insights into the interest formation of various subfields of physics. Examining these constructs, we better understand the factors influencing students’ preferences toward specific subfields. Our findings indicate that positive class experiences and experimental opportunities significantly impacted students’ interest in different subfields of physics. This understanding helped us explore significant variations in interest formation between astrophysics and biomedical physics in Research Question 2. By understanding how students decide about their interests, we can provide valuable insights for physics departments and career guidance professionals.