scholarly journals Gender Differences in Students’ Perceptions of Information Technology as a Career

10.28945/3035 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theda Thomas ◽  
Alesha Allen
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Real Life ◽  
First Year ◽  
Technical Issue ◽  
It Industry ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The Media ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Cartoon Characters ◽  
Job Prospects

This paper reports on an investigation into first year students’ perceptions of IT as a career. There are many stereotypes of the typical IT professional. These stereotypes are often depicted in the media and affect students’ perceptions of the career and whether they should study IT or not. An exploratory study into male and female first year students’ perceptions of the IT professional is presented. The participants included students studying the Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Information Systems degrees at ACU National in Melbourne, Australia. The study investigated the differences and similarities between the perceptions of males and females as well as where they came by those perceptions. The study found that the majority of students had chosen to drop IT as a subject at school by Year 10 of their schooling. Males and females differ in their reasons for giving up IT, with females listing computer illiteracy and dislike of being called a nerd as their main reasons and males listing boredom, teachers not being encouraging and little creativity as their main reasons for stopping. The students were then asked questions relating to the IT industry. A t-test showed that females were significantly more negative about the industry in their answers to three of the questions, namely “Is it ‘uncool’ to be interested in computers?” “Does the IT industry offer good job prospects?” and “Are people working in the IT industry ‘nerds/computer geeks’?” The survey then went on to look at the technical versus non-technical issue in perceptions of an IT career. The majority of the participants believed that an IT job consists mainly of technical work and working at a computer. This was true for all the students across both genders. The majority of students did not know any females in the IT industry and could not name any female role models from real life or from TV or film. Some of the role models that they did mention were cartoon characters.

Self-Regulation and Ability Predictors of Academic Success During College: A Predictive Validity Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Kitsantas ◽  
Adam Winsler ◽  
Faye Huie
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
Upper Level

Knowledge about self-regulation and motivation processes enables students to maximize their college career paths and allows universities to implement better intervention programs to encourage struggling students to persist and complete their educational studies. College administrators and instructors should focus on developing interventions to instill a healthy sense of self-efficacy in students and teach them how to manage their time effectively. Interventions in the form of learning how to learn courses and/or workshops should be designed specifically for first-year students to provide them with helpful adjustment strategies such as setting strategic goals, planning effectively throughout the first year of undergraduate study, and seeking help when needed. Furthermore, instructors of introductory-level classes should provide first-year students with successful peer role models to enhance their self-efficacy beliefs in completing their course requirements. For example, they can make available samples of past projects to their current students, which may allow them to observe successful peers and encourage them to believe that they can succeed. Equipping students with self-regulatory strategies and positive motivational beliefs earlier on in their studies will prepare and sustain their motivation for more demanding, upper level courses as they progress through their academic career.

Study of Discontinuing Students at Macquarie University

1976 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Baumgart
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Process Variables ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Part Time Students ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Discriminant Analyses ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Second Year

In a study of discontinuing students at Macquarie University major analyses were based on a sample of 444 students divided into four categories: students still persisting in Term 3 of second year, students who discontinued during first year, students who voluntarily discontinued after first year, and students excluded because of failure at the end of first year. Multiple discriminant analyses were used to relate potential predictors to category membership. Predictors included both entry and process variables. Results are reported separately for full-time and part-time students, and for males and females within these categories. The major findings carry implications for those who need to make management decisions in relation to higher education. Additionally, the paper attempts to highlight some of the design problems inherent in correlational studies and to present selected methodological strategies used in this study to minimize the effects of these problems.

scholarly journals Developing mature empathy among first-year students: The learning potential of emotional experiences

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 128-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Sophie Konow Lund ◽  
Anne Kari Tolo Heggestad ◽  
Per Nortvedt ◽  
Bjørg Christiansen
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Learning Trajectory ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Potential ◽  
Next Of Kin ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Emotional Work

Nursing students’ ability to develop mature empathy requires emotional work, usually associated with caring experiences in relation with patients and next of kin. This article is based on qualitative in-depth interviews with 11 first-year students, and the research questions were: What characterizes situations in a nursing home that evoke strong emotional reactions in first-year students? What is the learning potential of these experiences? Findings show that facing emotionally challenging situations during their first clinical placement in nursing education aroused strong feelings and commitment among the students. The students tried, however, to find ways to handle emotionally challenging situations both with support in scientific literature, as well as from experience. Nurses were important role models, but could also exemplify characteristics of less empathic behaviour. Developing ‘mature empathy’ requires emotional work so that the students learn to adapt themselves to what will be demanded of them as professional nurses. The findings of this and other studies should alert nurses as well as teachers to the importance of helping students develop empathy as part of their learning trajectory in nursing education.

scholarly journals Psychological Well-being of First-year Psychology Students Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Getrude C. AH Gang ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
University Life ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Media Platforms

University life is always colorful, filled with a plethora of memorable moments, both academic and non-academic. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however, first-year university students’ academic experiences might be slightly different from their expectations due to being fully conducted in online learning. The COVID-19 pandemic denied first year students the opportunity to join the face-to-face classes and become involved in university’s activities in the real setting. All activities were replaced with virtual setting and they could only contact their course mates and lecturers via social media platforms. This derailment of their expectation to experience real-life university settings may dampen their enthusiasm and impact their motivational and happiness levels. To explore the phenomenon, a study was conducted with 143 first-year psychology students to examine their self-reported motivational and happiness levels before and after seven-week of online classes. This study included 113 females (79%) and 30 males (21%) with a mean age of 20.68 (SD=1.88). Data collected revealed that students’ motivation and happiness levels declined significantly after their online classes. According to their extent of agreement with the single statement ‘Overall, I am happy with my university life’, 48 (33.60%) students agreed, 76 (53.10%) were neutral, and 19 (13.30%) indicated dissatisfaction. This study may assist the university and relevant authorities in understanding students’ perceptions of dealing with academic and life challenges through online classes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, psychological strategies should be considered to enhance first-year students’ motivation and happiness levels when faced with online classes in their new first semester.

scholarly journals STUDENT TEACHERS’ OPINIONS ABOUT USING AUTHENTIC MATERIALS AND TASKS FOR ACQUIRING ESTONIAN CULTURAL HISTORY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristel Ruutmets ◽  
◽  
Evi Saluveer ◽  
Mari Niitra
Keyword(s):  
Student Teachers ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
First Year ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
First Year Students

According to the Estonian National Curriculum for Basic Schools (2011), students should value their cultural heritage. Therefore, schools should do everything to develop students’ cultural awareness and knowledge. Despite the importance of the topic the curriculum does not specify how and where it should be taught and does not say which material to use. One possibility to address the problem is to use authentic materials and tasks. The latter offer numerous ways to learn about one’s cultural history, and help to create a bridge between the classroom and real life. Authentic materials are not specifically created for pedagogic purposes while authentic tasks require students to learn, practise and evaluate material the same way as they would do in real life. The focus of the use authentic materials has so far been mostly on foreign language teaching and learning. However, they have a huge potential in acquiring cultural knowledge as they offer both current and historical information. The aim of the study was to find out future primary school teachers’ opinions about the authentic materials and tasks used during the course “The Child in Estonian Cultural History”. 25 first-year students who attended the course participated in the study. The data was collected from the students’ written reflection and analysed qualitatively. The results revealed that the students understood the relevance of authentic materials and tasks in acquiring and appreciating one’s cultural history. They believed that authentic materials and tasks enrich the teaching and learning process, and help to make connections to their everyday life. It also became evident that the students needed better instructions of how to find appropriate authentic materials and exploit them effectively in their future teaching career.

scholarly journals Forum on Conservation

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Harry F. Recher
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Front Page ◽  
First Year ◽  
Media Report ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The Media ◽  
The University ◽  
Beach Pollution

When Malcolm Jones and I taught first year students in Resource Management at the University of New England early in the 1990s, we set a major project based on an analysis of media coverage of environmental issues. I particularly remember a report on water pollution on Sydney?s beaches. Using column inches, size of headlines, location in the newspapers, and frequency of reporting, the report showed with considerable statistical certainty that Sydney?s ocean waters were pristine prior to the start of the swimming season (no or few reports in the papers), became increasingly polluted as summer progressed (more column inches, bigger headlines), reached its highest levels at the height of summer (front page coverage) and then returned to purity as the summer waned and people returned to work and school (no or few reports in the papers). Total nonsense of course. In those days, before the deep water outfalls, beach pollution was a year round problem for Sydney, but the media reported the pollution only in summer when the maximum number of people were likely to be at the beaches and therefore interested in beach conditions and more likely to buy papers highlighting water quality issues. The media report events, whether they are politics, conflict, carnage, sex or the environment, which sell newspapers or attract viewers and listeners to television and radio. Our term project at UNE was designed not only as an exercise in data gathering, analysis and reporting, but was part of our programme of producing media savvy graduates.

scholarly journals VALUE AND SENSE PREFERENCES OF MODERN STUDENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
Elena Andreevna Likhacheva ◽  
Olga Alekseevna Shumakova
Keyword(s):  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
First Year ◽  
State University ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Dynamic Time ◽  
Medical University

Background. In the context of the worldview transformations that our dynamic time is so rich in, questions of the value and sense preferences of a person become especially relevant. These issues are especially significant in the youthful period. The awareness of young people of their value and sense preferences allows them to build their own path of behavior. Aim: The article aims to study value and sense preferences in adolescence (for example, in university students). Materials and methods. The study involved first to five-year students of Chelyabinsk State University, South Ural State Medical University and South Ural State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University aged 17–22 (n = 100, 60 females and 40 males). The followingpsychodiagnostic methods were used: the test of meaning-life orientations (MLO) by D.A. Leontiev; the Value Orientations method by M. Rokich. To check the significance of differences, the Student t-test for independent samples, the Pearson Chi-square test and the r-Spearman correlation coefficient were calculated using the IBM SPSS STATISTICS v.23 statistical software package. Results. It was found that the indicators of MLO in first-year students are slightly higher than in fourth or fifth-year students, while the rates for females are higher than for males. The predominant interest is in the values of personal life and individualistic values, while abstract and conformist values are not particularly significant for males and females in these samples. Conclusion. The data obtained allow to judge about various value and sense preferences in the youthful period. Value and sense preferences are determined by honesty and courage in persisting in one’s opinion, determining the purpose of life, understanding personal responsibility for one’s life and its results. 

scholarly journals ADAPTATIONAL TRAINING AS A MEANS OF STUDENTS SELF-EFFICACY DEVELOPMENT

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (86) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Muzyka ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Real Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Professional Goals ◽  
Psychological Indicators ◽  
Motivational Support ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The One

The article analyzes the possibilities of adaptation training as a means of developing the self-efficacy of first-year students. Theoretical and organizational principles of training are substantiated, the content of its separate stages is described, indicators of self-efficiency of students before and after training are compared. The training is based on the analysis of real life situations, specific organization of group work and feedback. The self-efficacy of first-year students develops at three stages of adaptation training: actualization of professional goals, reflection of adaptive resources, value-motivational support of self-efficacy. After getting acquainted and announcing the purpose of the training, students diagnose their own self-efficacy using the author's method "Student Self-Efficacy Profile". The main content of the first stage is the actualization of distant and close professional goals. The second stage of training - reflection on adaptive resources - is the main one. Аbilities can be considered the most relevant adaptation resources. An important property of abilities is the ability to develop. Students need to pay special attention to this. Arguments are sought in their personal value experience. This stage of training is aimed at reflecting their own professional abilities and forming a value attitude towards them. It is important that each trainee realizes that his or her personal set of professional abilities is sufficient to begin the process of professionalization and characterizes him or her individuality. The third stage of training is aimed at developing self-efficacy based on updated adaptation resources. We assume that the motivation for professionalization is provided by two groups of psychological indicators. On the one hand, it is based on personal values (abilities, standards of activity), and on the other - professional goals. Re-diagnosing self-efficacy completes the training. The results of the training show an increase in self-efficacy indicators on scales: goals and motives, abilities, reflection, resistance to failures, self-development.

Class in the Classroom: Media Students, Pedagogy and Legally Blonde

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 168-180
Author(s):  
Angela Devas
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cultural Studies ◽  
Harvard University ◽  
First Year ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Media Arts ◽  
The Media ◽  
Small Cohort ◽  
Pedagogic Practices

This paper argues that widening participation, which is now part of the agenda of higher education, has been insufficiently acknowledged by the media and cultural studies community, particularly in regard to pedagogic practices. The author examines the teaching of Legally Blonde, a film about an unconventional entrant to Harvard University, to first-year students on a Media Arts course, nearly all of whom came from non-traditional backgrounds. Interviews with a small cohort of students reveal that some experienced a degree of alienation at university. The students were asked to write essays on Legally Blonde that drew on theoretical understandings of widening participation, class, gender and race. The students' readings of the film are examined to highlight issues of identity and belonging in the academy, and to demonstrate the students' own understandings of structural inequalities.

A Longitudinal Field Investigation of Narcissism and Popularity Over Time: How Agentic and Antagonistic Aspects of Narcissism Shape the Development of Peer Relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 643-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Leckelt ◽  
Katharina Geukes ◽  
Albrecht C. P. Küfner ◽  
Lisa M. Niemeyer ◽  
Roos Hutteman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Laboratory Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Grandiose Narcissism ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Peer Network ◽  
Using Data

Grandiose narcissism has been linked to initial popularity but to later unpopularity in peer groups and laboratory contexts. Do these effects on peer relationships also emerge in larger real-life contexts and what are the underlying behavioral processes (i.e., behavioral expressions, interpersonal perceptions)? Using data from the longitudinal CONNECT field study ( N = 126), we investigated effects of agentic and antagonistic aspects of grandiose narcissism on emerging popularity in a complete peer network. A cohort of psychology first-year students was assessed with a quasiexperimental, experience-sampling methodology involving online surveys, diaries, and behavioral observations. In contrast to previous laboratory research, narcissism was unrelated to popularity at the level of zero-order correlations. However, results indicated that (a) an agentic behavioral pathway fostered popularity across time, and an antagonistic behavioral pathway drove the long-term decline in popularity, and (b) the two pathways were differentially related to agentic (admiration) and antagonistic (rivalry) aspects of narcissism.

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