Using data from the 2019 bachelor's degree survey, Susanne Bergann, Irmela Blüthmann, Rainer Watermann, and Martin Neugebauer investigated the role that expectations of success and extrinsic and intrinsic motives play in the transition to a master's degree program:

Bergann, S., Blüthmann, I., Neugebauer, M., &. Watermann, R. (2025). Intrinsic and extrinsic motives of undergraduate students for pursuing a master’s degree: Applying the Eccles et al. expectancy-value model. PLoS ONE 20(3): e0317204. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317204