This study aimed to identify the constituent factors of Business Administration major aptitude and develop and validate indicators to measure them. The expansion of the university no-major admission system starting from the 2025 academic year (Ministr...
This study aimed to identify the constituent factors of Business Administration major aptitude and develop and validate indicators to measure them. The expansion of the university no-major admission system starting from the 2025 academic year (Ministry of Education, 2024) has provided students with extended opportunities to explore their aptitudes and career paths after enrollment, while enabling universities to cultivate integrated talent required for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. However, despite this societal shift, systematic diagnostic tools for major aptitude remain insufficient (Jung, 2002; Lim, 2006), particularly measurement indicators for fields like Business Administration with complex and integrative academic structures. Addressing this gap, this research systematically developed indicators for Business Administration major aptitude constituent factors that reflect the field's academic characteristics and practical learning demands.
The research proceeded through three sequential stages: conceptualizing Business Administration major aptitude, deriving constituent factors, and validating the components. First, through literature review, Business Administration major aptitude was conceptualized as an integrated aptitude complex encompassing cognitive, affective, and attitudinal elements, moving beyond traditional fragmented approaches centered solely on abilities or interests. This aptitude is distinguished from existing interest-based tests at the academic division level by including attitudinal and value-based traits essential for Business Administration learning and performance, such as interest in corporate and organizational phenomena, openness to change, and growth-oriented attitudes.
Second, the study combined literature analysis with qualitative research to identify practical constituent factors. Behavioral Event Interviews (BEI) were conducted with 11 third- and fourth-year Business Administration students who had completed at least four foundational courses and demonstrated high major satisfaction and academic achievement. This yielded 26 potential factors, structured into 3 upper categories and 7 subcategories. Subsequently, Focus Group Interviews (FGI) with 7 students selected using identical criteria were conducted to review 120 behavioral indicators and refine the aptitude model and component definitions.
Third, based on the refined components and behavioral indicators, measurement items were developed and content validity was secured through two rounds of expert review. This resulted in a preliminary model consisting of 3 upper categories, 7 subcategories, 21 components, and 105 items.
Subsequently, a survey was conducted with third- and fourth-year Business Administration students, as well as students pursuing Business Administration as a double major or minor, who had completed at least four foundational courses. A total of 548 responses were collected. Through item analysis, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the reliability and construct validity of the Business Administration major aptitude model and measurement indicators were verified. During this process, 28 inappropriate items were removed, yielding a final model with 3 upper categories, 8 subcategories, 19 components, and 77 items.
The final model's upper categories were classified as cognitive traits, affective traits, and attitudinal traits. Cognitive traits comprised three subcategories with nine components: 'Core Business Knowledge,' 'Information Utilization Skills,' and 'Business Problem-Solving Competency.' Affective traits comprised three subcategories with four components: 'Relationship Orientation,' 'Accuracy,' and 'Intellectual Curiosity.' Attitudinal traits comprised two subcategories with six components: 'Adaptive Attitude' and 'Challenging Attitude.‘
This study offers several contributions. First, theoretically, it reconceptualized Business Administration major aptitude as an integrated aptitude complex encompassing cognitive, affective, and attituditudinal elements, thereby expanding the theoretical foundation of major aptitude research. Second, methodologically, it systematically derived and validated constituent factors through a sequential mixed-methods design combining field-based qualitative research (BEI, FGI) and quantitative research (EFA, CFA). Third, the measurement indicators developed in this study can serve as foundational resources for future development of standardized Business Administration major aptitude assessment tools and, once such tools are developed, provide evidence-based guidance for major placement and career counseling under the no-major admission system.
However, this study has several limitations. First, while it developed aptitude indicators from an integrated perspective, it did not fully reflect the unique characteristics of Business Administration sub-majors such as finance, accounting, marketing, and human resources. The derived components focus on factors commonly required across Business Administration, limiting their utility for diagnosing specialized aptitudes for specific sub-majors. Second, while the study developed and validated constituent factors, it did not advance to developing a fully standardized assessment tool. Although the components and items demonstrated structural validity, additional procedures such as norm development, interpretation guidelines, and feedback systems are required for practical field application. Third, this study verified internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α) and construct validity but did not confirm test-retest reliability or criterion validity. Future research should address these limitations by developing sub-major aptitude profiles, standardized assessment tools, and validating predictive validity to provide more refined and practical understanding of Business Administration major aptitude.