Analysis of Factors Affecting Decision Making in the Selection of Majors at SMK Negeri 4 Kupang

Abstract

Decision-making is the process of selecting one option from a range of alternative choices, carried out rationally. This process can be done individually or with the participation of others. This research aims to identify the factors influencing the decision-making of students at SMK Negeri 4 Kupang. This study employs a quantitative approach. The population consists of 195 tenth-grade students, with a sample size of 132 students. The sampling technique used in this research is probability sampling. Data collection was conducted using a Likert Scale questionnaire, focusing on decision-making in selecting a major (40 items), which includes both favourable and unfavourable items.The research findings indicate that knowledge about majors contributes the most to students' and parents' decision-making, with a contribution of 30.89%. Students' and parents' perceptions of majors account for 47.28%. The key factors include parenting style, parents' perceptions of majors, and career information. Peers also play a significant role in the decision-making process, influencing it by 58.04%.Based on these results, it can be concluded that three main factors emerged from the factor analysis:knowledge about majors, parental perception, and peer influence play an important role in the decision-making process for selecting majors at SMK Negeri 4 Kupang.