A Case Study on the Experiences of Freshmen at a University of Education Exploring Their Majors

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of freshmen at a university of education in navigating the self-directed major selection system through a qualitative case study. To achieve this goal, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 students enrolled at J University of Education, which first implemented the self-directed major selection policy in 2025. Using semi-structured interview questions, qualitative data were collected and analyzed with ATLAS.ti. The analysis yielded six themes, eleven central meanings, and forty-five meaning units. The key themes include: 1) Unfamiliarity and subsequent disappointment with the self-directed major selection system, 2) Independent efforts to explore intensive majors, 3) Choosing a major without sufficient consideration of professional relevance, 4) Grade competition and a sense of resignation, and 5) Sophomore year as a renewed period of adaptation. Based on these findings, this study discusses ways to systematically support pre-service teachers in their process of exploring and selecting majors, and suggests strategies for more effective implementation of the self-directed major selection system within teacher education institutions.