scholarly journals Motivation matters: predicting students’ career decidedness and intention to drop out after the first year in higher education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Bargmann ◽  
Lisa Thiele ◽  
Simone Kauffeld
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Career Decidedness ◽  
Cost Component ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Value Model ◽  
The Impact

AbstractHigher education institutions are striving to lower student dropout rates to increase the number of academically qualified persons in the labour market and decrease misguided investment. Researchers generally acknowledge that students who are firmly decided on their studies tend to drop out of their studies less frequently. Building on the extended expectancy-value model via the cost component, this longitudinal study investigates changes in and the impact of students’ motivation on career decidedness and intention to drop out. We analysed data from 351 first-year university students aiming to become teachers across three measurement points, finding that the task effort of students and, to a lesser degree, their interest value was related to career decidedness and, indirectly, to the intention to drop out after the first year in higher education. Moreover, the results revealed that these students’ ability beliefs increased and interest value decreased from the beginning to the end of the first year at higher education. Accordingly, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications taken from these findings.

Does working to pay for higher education really harm French academic results?

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 591-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliane Bonnal ◽  
Pascal Favard ◽  
Kady Marie-Danielle Sorho-Body
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Student Profiles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Results

Purpose This paper is the first of its kind to look at first-year undergraduates in France. The purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of holding down a job on the probability of students dropping out of higher education or passing their first year. Design/methodology/approach Given the existence of relevant unobserved explanatory variables, probit models with two simultaneous equations have been estimated. The first equation will enable us to explain paid employment or working hours, and the second academic outcomes that allow for dropout. Findings The results show that being employed means students are more likely to drop out during their first year and less likely to pass. The latter finding is comparable with results for subsequent academic years although the impact is greater for first-year undergraduates. The more intensive the work, the greater the adverse effects of employment. Originality/value By refining the research, this negative impact of employment is not verified for all the student profiles. For some of them, e.g., those with honours at the secondary bachelor, employment does not harm their academic results.

scholarly journals The higher education space: connecting degree programs from individuals’ choices

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Candia ◽  
Sara Encarnação ◽  
Flávio L. Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Revealed Preferences ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Higher Education Systems ◽  
Female Candidates ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Governance In Higher Education

AbstractData on the applicants’ revealed preferences when entering higher education is used as a proxy to build the Higher Education Space (HES) of Portugal (2008–2015) and Chile (2006–2017). The HES is a network that connects pairs of degree programs according to their co-occurrence in the applicants’ preferences. We show that both HES network structures reveal the existence of positive assortment in features such as gender balance, application scores, unemployment levels, academic demand/supply ratio, geographical mobility, and first-year drop-out rates. For instance, if a degree program exhibits a high prevalence of female candidates, its nearest degree programs in the HES will also tend to exhibit a higher prevalence when compared to the prevalence in the entire system. These patterns extend up to two or three links of separation, vanishing, or inverting for increasing distances. Moreover, we show that for demand/supply ratio and application scores a similar pattern occurs for time variations. Finally, we provide evidence that information embedded in the HES is not accessible by merely considering the features of degree programs independently. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the higher education systems at revealing and leveraging its non-trivial underlying organizing principles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first network science approach for improving decision-making and governance in higher education systems.

scholarly journals Impact of first-year seminar on student engagement, awareness, and general attitudes toward higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bothaina A. Al-Sheeb ◽  
Mahmoud Samir Abdulwahed ◽  
Abdel Magid Hamouda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Of Law ◽  
First Year Seminars ◽  
Campus Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Year Seminar

Purpose This study intends to add to the existing body of literature on the impact of a newly implemented first year seminar in the College of Law and Business. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects the course have on students in regard to three aspects: student awareness and utilization of resources, interaction patterns, as well as, general interests and attitudes toward higher education. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of the assessment included analysis of a survey that has been conducted by the end of Spring 2014 semester. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of the intervention on students’ awareness and utilization of resources, interactions, general interests, and attitudes toward higher education. Through the SPSS application, the Mann Whitney U Test, and χ2 tests were used to check for significant differences while comparing the means or frequencies for both groups. For the three questions, the authors have used the 90 percent confidence level and the standard significance level p-value of 0.05 or less for statistical analysis. Findings The results indicated that the course had a highly significant positive impact on student attitudes and awareness of campus resources but had less significant impact on student interactions and utilization of resources. The results in this study reveal a positive impact for the first-year seminar course on student satisfaction and attitudes toward higher education as well as their awareness of campus resources. However, in terms of the course impact on student interaction, results conveyed that students who have participated in the first-year seminar course show a slightly better interaction rate with instructors, academic advisors, and close friends than those in the control group. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study was that the sample was small. Nonetheless, it has provided valuable insights into the understanding of the social and academic impact of first-year seminars on student engagement; through the use of comparison groups, this study increased the validity of prior research. Practical implications The first-year seminar course evaluated in this study demonstrated the potential to support and enhance student social and academic engagement during the first year of college. Based on the results in this study, the study team recommended some revisions to the current first-year seminar model (UNIV P100 Skills for University Success). The team proposed three models for subsequent first-year seminars at this university. Originality/value This study adds to the existing literature by examining the impact of a newly implemented first-year seminar course at the College of Law and Business at this university on both academic and non-academic aspects from the students’ perspective. These aspects were selected as retention and GPA effects have been widely explored; therefore, the focus is on the less studied emotional and social factors associated with student success and retention. The results from this study can act as a guide for universities intending to introduce a first-year seminar course as it gives clear guidelines on design, content, and course implementation, which can be useful in enhancing general student motivation and attitudes toward academic study and higher education in general.

A Case Study of the Integration of Self, Peer, and Group Assessment in a Core First-Year Educational Psychology Unit through Flexible Delivery Implementation

2011 ◽  
pp. 101-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozz Albon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Collective Knowledge ◽  
Flexible Delivery ◽  
Complex Forms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Learn Collaborative

This chapter provides a case study of one lecturer’s approach to innovativeassessment in a first year unit of university study of 188 students. Manyinsights are provided into the training, preparation, and assessmentexperiences of self, peer, group, and lecturer assessments bound togetherby technology for flexible delivery. The dynamic and complex forms ofassessment support the coproduction of knowledge sharing to harness thesynergy of collective knowledge. Specifically, this chapter presents theauthor’s use of theory used to inform selected assessment strategies.General issues surrounding group assessments, and the impact of graduateattributes and technology on assessment, introduce the case study andreinforce the fact that assessment drives the learning. The author hopesthat by sharing her insights, higher-education practices can better meet theneed for students to learn collaborative and team skills required for thefuture world of work.

scholarly journals Perceptions of ImmerseMe Virtual Reality Platform to Improve English Communicative Skills in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (07) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Juan Habib Bendeck Soto ◽  
Diana Carolina Toro Ocampo ◽  
Lued Del Carmen Beltrán Colon ◽  
Alejandro Valencia Oropesa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Private University ◽  
Communicative Skills ◽  
Thematic Units ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Innovative Tool ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this project was to evaluate the impact of the application of the virtual reality platform ImmerseMe as an empowering and innovative tool for learning English in a private university, as well as evaluating its possible future implementation in a private university in Medellín. It was applied in speaking activities to measure and evaluate the level of speaking of students from levels 1 to 3, as a pilot test for the use of immersive virtual reality within the thematic units currently designed from the department of foreign languages and cultures. The findings of the study showed that an immersive VR platform like this one is ideal to enhance the different skills of English as a foreign language (EFL) from an immersive focus considering different contexts and thinking of the development of communicative skills and interaction with native speakers in higher education. The recommendations given are for teachers and students’ participation and motivation for its implementation contemplating the cost and the multiple advantages of immersing students in a second language virtual environment.

scholarly journals Task Values, Cost, and Choice Decisions in College Physical Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ang Chen ◽  
Xinlan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
College Students ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Utility Values ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Perceived Values ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The expectancy-value motivation theory postulates that motivation can be achieved when perceived values in an activity override perceived cost of the activity derived from the effort of achieving. This study was designed to examine types of perceived cost in physical education and the extent to which the cost might affect motivation. Data about attainment, intrinsic, and utility values in physical education were collected using surveys from college students (n = 368) in China. Perceived cost was investigated through open-ended written responses and interviews. Disappointment about the curriculum emerged as a major cost to motivation and lack of student autonomy was identified as a direct demotivating factor. Despite the cost, most of the students (92%) indicated they would, if given a choice, elect to continue physical education for health benefits and broader motivational impact in life, suggesting that strong positive values of physical activity might override the impact of cost. The findings suggest the importance of emphasizing positive values of physical activity in physical education.

scholarly journals Different Forms of Civil Activity and Employment in Hungary and Abroad, and the Development of Student Drop-out

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Valéria Markos ◽  
Zsófia Kocsis ◽  
Ágnes Réka Dusa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Student Employment ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
Work Related ◽  
University Life ◽  
Specific Culture

Young people involved in higher education have created a specific culture, to which, in addition to their studies, social and cultural activities associated with university life are also related (Kozma, 2006). Among these activities, student employment and participation in civic organizations should be highlighted. Voluntary and paid work among higher education students is increasing. These activities have several advantages in terms of future benefits; however, the attracting role of the labour market is one possible reason for dropout. In our current research, we emphasize the role of employment and civil activity in the development of student dropout. Masevičiūtė et al. (2018) found that a quarter of students stopped studying for work-related reasons. In addition, a negative perception of the marketability of the course they are on may lead to the interruption of university studies. In our study, we analysed the extent to which students are willing to interrupt their higher education studies in exchange for voluntary work. In our current research, we examined how often and for what reasons students who dropped out did paid work and volunteering during their studies.

scholarly journals Structural Equation Modelling applied to proposed Statistics Attitudes-Outcomes Model: A case of a University in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (5(J)) ◽  
pp. 222-239
Author(s):  
Bokang Ncube ◽  
Ntebogang Dinah Moroke
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Structural Equation Modelling ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Significant Loading ◽  
Value Model

The purpose of the study is to investigate the structural relationships among constructs of the statistics attitudes-outcomes model (SA-OM) using exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) methodology. The sample consists of 583 first-year undergraduate students enrolled for statistics courses at the university in South Africa. ESEM reveal that all but two of the nine constructs have well to excellent reliability. To enhance the model, we deleted the eight variables. All other indicators have a significant loading into a construct. Congruency of the SA-OM and expectancy value model (EVM) is noted. The SRMR for all modified models are less than 0.10 suggesting that all these models have acceptable fit. Moreover, all the modified models have RMSE values within the ranges of adequate fit. On the contrary, all the models have unacceptable fit according to PCF, CFI, AGFI and PGFI statistics, i.e. according to all parsimony fit indices except the RMSE. The results also reveal that all incremental fit indices but the BBNFI approve the modified models as acceptable since most of these indices are almost equal to a cut-off point of 0.9. However, BBNNI disapprove the ML3 and ML5 models as being acceptable. A host of inconsistencies in fit indices are noted.

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