1. Duffy, Ryan D, and Bryan J. Dik.

"Beyond the Self: External Influences in the Career

Development Process."Career Development Quarterly. 58.1 (2009). Print.
Ryan Duffy is an assistant psychology professor. Bryan J. Dik is an associate psychology
professor. They both have studied topics related to work and career satisfaction.
This is a primary source: This article explores the factors that affect ones future
academic decision making and the way these factors affect an individual career path and
quality of work. It takes a psychological view with theories that explain the steps that
someone takes to make educational choices. This article also explains the role volition
takes in the decision making process.
This article serves as my primary source because it helped me understand the external
factors that affect the decision making process on ones career path. I also learned what is
volition and how this principle can be extended to the decision of acquiring a higher
education.
REFLECTION: This book focuses on the external factors that can affect ones academic
decision making. The author provides a psychological view that explains very well this
process. I am going to use this information to explain the steps that individuals go
through while making this decision.
2. Lagemann, Ellen C, and Harry R. Lewis. What Is College For?: The Public Purpose of
Higher Education. New York: Teachers College Press, 2012. Print.
Ellen Condliffe Lagemann and Harry R. Lewis are both education writers and
researchers. They are authors of several education books. Both writers specialize on the
writing of many educational books, articles, reviews and reports on education.
This is a secondary source: The book has strong debates on why a college education is
important. The first four chapters concentrate on the importance, value and economic
benefits of education. Chapter 6 of this book is called Graduate Education: The Nerve
Center of Higher Education argues that acquiring a college education does improve the
quality of life of an individual. In general, this book concentrates on the purpose of
having a college education and leaves the reader wondering and asking questions about
their direction to acquiring a higher education.
This book relates to my topic because it focuses on the importance of an individual
having a college education. It argues that it improves the quality of life for someone. This
book helped me understand why acquiring a college education may be important for and
individual and how it benefits someone from it.
REFLECTION: This book provides more general information on the importance of
college education. In difference to the other sources, this book does not talk about the
decision-making process or factors that affect it. However, it does provide a lot of

important and useful information about the main idea of my topic, which is that acquiring
a college education, is important.
3. Haley, Karen J, Audrey J. Jaeger, and John S. Levin. "The Influence of Cultural Social
Identity on Graduate Student Career Choice." Journal of College Student Development.
55.2 (2014): 101-119. Print.
Karen J. Haley is an assistant professor in higher education. Her research is based on
topics such as teaching and learning at graduate level. Audrey J. Jaeger is also a professor
in higher education. Her primary research is based on student relationships that show
issues of climate, language and community involvement. John S. Levin researches studies
in higher education on colleges, including the student experiences.
This is a secondary source: This article explains how students cultural background
influences their educational decisions. It gives an understanding on why students may or
may not choose to follow a career. It explains how their beliefs, perspectives and values
from their culture affect such decision.
This article relates to my topic because it gives an understanding on how ones cultural
beliefs and values affect their view on college education. It gives an explanation on why
an individuals cultural background affects the individuals point of view on
understanding if assisting or not assisting to college is considered the right or
reckless thing to do.
REFLECTION: This article helped me understand how much can basic factors such as
one own culture affect the academic decision making of a person. It helped me learn
more about my topic and to support strong points.
4. Simpson, Ronald D, and Susan H. Frost. Inside College: Undergraduate Education for
the Future. New York: Plenum Press, 1993. Print.
Ronald D. Simpson is a currency market analyst who was been cited on numerous
articles. Susan H. Frost is author of some academic books.
This is a secondary source: This book encourages readers desire to learn and informed
that that they are in complete control of their future when making this decision. This book
is directed to individuals that are interested on a higher education.
This book is a good source because it proves a lot of information on the importance of
higher education in America.
REFLECTION: This book going into depth providing the issues individuals face today
when making the decision on whether going to college or not.
5. Hartnell-Walker, Marie. "5 Wrong Reasons for Going to College." Psych Central. N.p.,
17 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Dr. Marie Hartwell-Walker is a psychologist that specializes in family therapy. She

constantly writes parental articles.
This is a general Internet source: This article focuses on five wrong reasons why one may
be going to college. It focuses on the peer pressure that one may receive by family, peers
and society when making such an important decision. It also gives an explanation in why
not assisting to college is not the reckless idea that society has today.
REFLECTION: This article was very helpful since it basically supported the side of the
story that a lot of people may not agree with. However it provided strong arguments at
the end on such a dynamic topic. This article was very helpful even though it did not
teach me anything that I already knew. I used it to support my topic. The ideas in the
auricle appear to be the authors personal opinion.
6. Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.
Jon Krakauer is known by his writings about nature. He has written some of the bestselling non-fiction books.
This movie is a good source because it shows that the standard society has of acquiring a
college education is not the right thing to do for everyone.
REFLECTION: The main character in this movie is a prime example of how someone
that achieved such a big accomplishment of acquiring a college education can still decide
that is it not the right to do for him or her. This is a good source because it shows
someone that went to college just to fulfill his parents wishes and societal norm but at
the end chose to do what made him happy.