Comparison of study motivation and job expectations of Russian full-time and part-time university students

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-561
Author(s):  
Martin Sikyr ◽  
Nina Ivanovna Basmanova ◽  
Mikhail Abrashkin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the authors’ questionnaire survey focused on the comparison of study motivation and job expectations of full-time and part-time students of Russian universities and identify main problems of higher education and graduate employment and suggest their possible solutions. Design/methodology/approach The authors’ questionnaire survey was conducted from March to October 2018. The respondents were full-time and part-time bachelor’s and master’s students from 30 regions across Russia. The relevant data were obtained from 1,051 students. The data analysis was based on the calculation of relative frequencies (as a share from the total number of respondents) and the evaluation of the dependence of responses on the form of study (full-time students and part-time students) using contingency tables and χ2 tests of independence. Findings The results of the authors’ questionnaire survey support the assumption that the current generation of full-time and part-time students of Russian universities studies to succeed in the future. Surveyed university students certainly have a high motivation to study, but at the same time, they seem to have too high expectations about their future work and career, which can negatively affect their future success in their jobs if they do not have appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities. Originality/value The results of the authors’ questionnaire survey show some unique tendencies in the Russian university students’ attitudes to study, work and career that are worth attention both from the point of view of universities and from the point of view of employers and their current approaches to the education and the employment of the current generation of young people. The results open up new possibilities for further research focused on the higher education and the employability of the new generation of work force.

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-484
Author(s):  
Gbolahan Gbadamosi ◽  
Carl Evans ◽  
Mark Richardson ◽  
Yos Chanthana

PurposeBuilding on the self-efficacy theory and self-theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate students working part-time whilst pursuing full-time higher education in Cambodia. It explores individuals’ part-time working activities, career aspirations and self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in a cross-sectional survey of 850 business and social sciences degree students, with 199 (23.4 per cent) usable responses, of which 129 (65.2 per cent of the sample) indicated they currently have a job.FindingsMultiple regression analysis confirmed part-time work as a significant predictor of self-efficacy. There was a positive recognition of the value of part-time work, particularly in informing career aspirations. Female students were significantly more positive about part-time work, demonstrating significantly higher career aspirations than males. Results also suggest that students recognise the value that work experience hold in identifying future career directions and securing the first graduate position.Practical implicationsThere are potential implications for approaches to curriculum design and learning, teaching and assessment for universities. There are also clear opportunities to integrate work-based and work-related learning experience into the curriculum and facilitate greater collaboration between higher education institutions and employers in Cambodia.Social implicationsThere are implications for recruitment practices amongst organisations seeking to maximise the benefits derived from an increasingly highly educated workforce, including skills acquisition and development, and self-efficacy.Originality/valueIt investigates the importance of income derived from part-time working to full-time university students in a developing South-East Asian country (Cambodia), where poverty levels and the need to contribute to family income potentially predominate the decision to work while studying.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ágnes Engler

A tanulmányban a felsőoktatás ritkán vizsgált hallgatói csoportjának, a munka és (vagy) család mellett, részidős képzésben tanuló felnőtt hallgatók tanulmányi beruházásait vizsgáltuk. A részidős képzésben tanulókat érintő tudományos jellegű megkeresések leginkább a diplomaszerzést követően történnek a diplomás utánkövetéses vizsgálatok keretében. Ennek során a felsőoktatásban végzettek szakmai életútját munkaerő-piaci szemszögből kísérik figyelemmel, érdeklődve a diploma megszerzését követő karrierállomásokról, a diploma beválthatóságáról, munkaerő-piaci pozicionálásról, a tanulmányokba történő befektetések megtérüléséről és hozamairól. A felnőttoktatás felől közelítve ugyancsak elmondható, hogy a kutatási kérdések szintén szűk körben keresnek választ a felnőttek tanulási aspirációjára vagy eredményességére. Vizsgálatunkban a tanulási döntéseket, tanulási motivációkat és az eredményességet kísérjük figyelemmel, mégpedig a tanulmányi életút függvényében.***In this peaper we wish to deal with a group of students in higher education who usually receive little attention: the students pursuing their studies while they have a full-time job and a family. Sociological research dealing with people earning a degree as part-time students usually reaches the students after graduation, in the form of follow-up examinations. These projects follow the career of graduates from the aspects of the labour market, asking questions about the stations in the career of the individuals after graduation, the return of the investment made into education, the value of the degree in the labour market. Even the research projects approaching the issue from the aspects of higher education usually do not seek an answer to questions regarding the aspirations of the students for learning, or the success of their learning process. In our examination we research the learning decision, motivation and efficiency of mature students in the light of the academic life.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-17
Author(s):  
Jannette Flores

While college and university student profiles are changing rapidly, many of our practices and support systems are geared to traditional student profiles. This article focuses on findings from a recent study examining the experiences of student parents enrolled in community colleges, and examines the kinds of student services that help student parents remain engaged in their classes and persist to graduation. This study offers insight on transformative practices for supporting non-traditional, student parents on community college campuses. This study offers a paradigm shift for advisors, counselors and faculty at higher education institutions so that they may effectively engage and support student parents. The research includes student parents who have one or more dependent children aged 17 or younger and who are enrolled as full-time or part-time students. The study investigates some of the barriers to student parent success as well as the challenges they face. The study identifies, describes, and analyzes the support services which are being utilized by student parents, and review successful models of support in surrounding institutions. Nora’s (2006) Student Engagement Model is used as a theoretical framework for this study. The results from this study should be of interest to student affairs professionals and higher education administrators alike, as they reflect the needs and challenges of the growing student parent population and inspire those searching for ways on how to support this unique, growing community of students.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Król ◽  
Dariusz Zdonek

Purpose Activities on social platforms affect the audience. They may impact brand perception, purchasing decisions or motivation to act. Motivation makes people behave in certain ways. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use of social media and its impact on intrinsic motivation, with a focus on Generation Z users (born between 1994 and 2002). Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted multifaceted survey research among full-time and part-time students of one of the largest universities in Poland. The survey was carried out on students of three major fields of study. The analysis involved 427 questionnaires. The data was analysed both with unidimensional and two-dimensional statistical analysis. Findings Although the respondents indicated some “motivational aspects” of social media usage, most of them were characterised by a passive attitude and infrequent activity on such websites. Not many of the respondents published actively. The respondents expected valuable content but were not inclined to disseminate it. Originality/value Publishing of own content and ability to view others’ content in social media may not be enough to increase the user base of a social platform. One way to do this may be narrowing down or diversification of the array of additional services and functionalities that induce users to increase the use rate.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Lindsay ◽  
Alan Floyd

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a longitudinal study that explored the perceptions and experiences of part-time doctoral students using the researching professional development framework (RPDF) as they progressed through the first year of their EdD programme at a research-led English University. Design/methodology/approach Following an initial questionnaire completed by students and supervisors (n = 18), six students were interviewed at the beginning, middle and end of the year. Findings The findings suggest that students found the RPDF had been of particular value early in their studies and had helped them realise that they were developing their identity as researching professionals, ready to make a difference to professional practice through their research. Originality/value While Doctorate in Education (EdD) courses have been around for some time, supporting frameworks have tended to be based on traditional PhD routes of study, with the unique development needs of part-time students (who are often working full-time and undertaking research into their professional context) often being ignored. To fill this gap, the authors recently proposed a new framework – the Researching Professional Development Framework – which was specifically developed to support EdD students by offering them an opportunity to reflect on key areas of their professional development as they progress through their studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 2089-2103
Author(s):  
Rosario Michel-Villarreal ◽  
Eliseo Luis Vilalta-Perdomo ◽  
Martin Hingley

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore food producers' motivations and challenges whilst participating in short food supply chains (SFSCs). This paper compares findings with previous literature and investigates the topic in the context of producers' motivations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes a literature review concerning producers' motivations to engage in SFSCs. A case study was designed to investigate motivations underlying producers' engagement in SFSCs, as well as the challenges that they face. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a farmers' market located in Mexico. Thematic analysis is used to identify the principal issues for producers'. Propositions based on findings are presented.FindingsFindings suggest that small, large, part-time and full-time producers are willing to engage with farmers' markets for diverse primary economic and non-economic motivations. Individual and collective challenges were also identified.Originality/valueThis research helps to explain producers' motivations and challenges within SFSCs in an under-researched context, namely a focus on producers' and in the Global South.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veland Ramadani ◽  
Robert D. Hisrich ◽  
Leo-Paul Dana ◽  
Ramo Palalic ◽  
Laxman Panthi

Purpose Throughout Macedonia, beekeeping is becoming popular regardless of ethnicity. Studying ethnicity, the purpose of this paper is to determine what beekeepers in Macedonia thought in their own words about their beekeeping entrepreneurship. The objective is to identify whether motivations of ethnic Albanian beekeepers in Macedonia were the same or different compared to those of ethnic Macedonians in the same country, and if different, how. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish this objective, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 beekeepers in Macedonia. A total of 29 interviews were conducted face-to-face and the other 11 by phone. The first set of interviews took place between December 2016 and February 2017, followed by more interviews in June 2017. In total, 27 respondents said they were ethnic Albanians, and 13 identified themselves as ethnic Macedonians. Also, ten respondents were women. While eight were full-time beekeepers, 32 were part-time beekeepers. Findings The results indicated that beekeeping businesses play a significant role in the transition economy of Macedonia. Beekeeping provides additional earnings that support rural families and keeps them financially stable. The majority of both Albanians and Macedonians understood that beekeeping on a part-time job basis provided a needed supplement to their income. Some part-time beekeepers are also working as auto-mechanics, locksmiths, medical doctors, restaurant/cafeteria owners, and tailors. A few in the sample were retired from their jobs or full-time beekeepers. An important difference between ethnic Albanian beekeepers and ethnic Macedonians in Macedonia is that the majority of ethnic Albanian participants see beekeeping as following in “my father’s footsteps”, while most Macedonians were motivated by the perceived opportunity of having a good business. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the research are twofold. First, financial data of family beekeeping are not available, which would be useful in determining the contribution made to economic development. It is common, especially in transition economies such as the western Balkans, that financial results are very sensitive to their owners. Second, unavailable databases for beekeepers make any quantitative approach difficult, if not impossible, resulting in most research using the qualitative research approach. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to treat beekeeping as a form of artisan entrepreneurship, which also contributes to the understanding of family business. As in other countries, the important and operation of the family business among family members in Macedonia is passed from generation to generation. The results of this research revealed the value of networking, which was found to be very important to income. For beekeepers to develop, grow, and be branded in the community, networking is an important ingredient.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dao Truong

Purpose Although the social marketing field has developed relatively quickly, little is known about the careers of students who chose social marketing as their main subject of study. Such research is important not only because it reveals employment trends and mobility but also because it informs policy making with respect to curriculum development as well as raises governmental and societal interest in the social marketing field. This paper aims to analyse the career pathways of doctoral graduates who examined social marketing as the subject of their theses. Doctoral graduates represent a special group in a knowledge economy, who are considered the best qualified for the creation and dissemination of knowledge and innovation. Design/methodology/approach A search strategy identified 209 doctoral-level social marketing theses completed between 1971 and 2015. A survey was then delivered to dissertation authors, which received 117 valid responses. Findings Results indicate that upon graduation, most graduates secured full-time jobs, where about 66 per cent worked in higher education, whereas the others worked in the government, not-for-profit and private sectors. Currently, there is a slight decline in the number of graduates employed in the higher education, government and not-for-profit sectors but an increase in self-employed graduates. A majority of graduates are working in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. Overall, levels of international mobility and research collaboration are relatively low. Originality/value This is arguably the first study to examine the career paths of social marketing doctoral graduates.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludmila Sokorutova ◽  
Natalia Prodanova ◽  
Inna Ponomareva ◽  
Oleg Volodin

PurposeThe most important problem for higher education in the post-COVID period is the production of highly qualified specialists for the labor market. The purpose of this study is to determine effective criteria for assessing the quality of training of future specialists and the adequacy of their readiness to solve real problems of the future specialty.Design/methodology/approachA study was carried out among students in order to determine some of the most important characteristics of them as future specialists. Based on the survey results, non-academic indicators were identified that participants perceive as significant for a highly professional employee. The empirical study included 300 undergraduate students from four universities (66% women and 34% men aged 20–21). All participants represent full-time training.FindingsThe survey showed that the participants identified the ability to learn and personal development as the most significant personal qualities.Originality/valueMany criteria for assessing the quality of training of specialists in different professional fields have not been precisely defined. Several ways of solving this problem can be proposed: developing criteria for assessing quality in hiring; revising the methods of work of universities; presenting to students the criteria for development in the profession or adopting international criteria for assessing pedagogical quality.


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