Abstract
The research investigates student’s motives for obtaining higher education, their objectives and reasons for particular choice of institution and course. Moreover, it aims to reveal how available information influences students’ choice and make specific choice more attractable. Quantitative research method with the help of SurveyMonkey service is used. For this study x full-time and part-time students of X university were surveyed. As a result of this research it was proved that indeed students’ motives and expectations influence their choice of institution and education area. Three top reasons for going to university for both full- and part-time students are to obtain job/better job, to pursue specific career and qualification, and interest in subject. There is strong difference between full-time and part-time student was observed, former consider academic and subjective aspects including extra-curricular opportunities and social life while part-time students are constrained by their full-time jobs and families and more priority they give to characteristics from pragmatic point of view such as availability of have part-time courses, class schedule, and are proximity to their home.
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Whatever aims one may have after completing their period in the University, the education is important in helping to open doors for them in areas that would otherwise be impossible without a degree. When one gets into the university, it is believed that this is one of the crucial stages of their professional development and lays down the groundwork for their success in the future. Whether it is at the stage of enrolling in the university to get their first degree or around the end of the student’s education, most students will likely keep an eye on their main aims or goals that they hope to attain the long run (Peterson, 2012). The reason for attending the university in the first place can spark the required motivation in the student on days that one may find that they are struggling with their academic performance in school to ensure that they maintain the required level of performance to meet their goals at the end of their period in school. The aims that the student may have at the end of the period in the university will vary depending on the needs of the student. In other cases, students join the University hoping that the degree that they attain at the end of the program will help them make some form of difference in the community. This is especially true for students who may come from poor backgrounds and thus, see the need to work and be empowered to make a difference in the lives of others in the society who may require their help. For others, it is simply the joy and happiness that they get to experience at the end of the period knowing that they have made some form of achievement can a finally talk of having a degree like others in the society. They do not have a long-term goal at the start of the decision to pursue a degree in the particular field other than the fact that they are hoping to reach a particular level as others have in the past. Lastly, there are those who pursue the degrees based on the pressure that they face from their families about the need to earn a degree as it what is expected of them. Whichever the case, it is evident that everyone has some aim that they hope to achieve at the completion of their period in the university.
Research aim and objectives
The main objective of this research is to examine which goals and expectations students have when entering higher education and find factors that influence their choices.
Research questions
The research investigates student’s motives for obtaining higher education, their objectives and reasons for particular choice of institution and learning area. Moreover, it aims to reveal how available information impacts students’ choice and make specific choice more attractable.
Report structure
Chapter 2 contains literature review and discusses three main theories: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, self-determination theory, and the goal orientation theory. Chapter 3 describes research methodology and chapter 4 discuses results and presents findings of the study. Finally, chapter 5 proposes recommendations for improving the study as a future work.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Most past research shows evidence that most of the students who join the university do so hoping that at the end of the program they can get an opportunity of starting a career with good pay. Rouillard (2003) argues that this seems to be the main motivating factor for most students who strive to be better than others in the class and work to come out at the top of the class. The students believe that with a good degree, they get a competitive advantage when they go put on the market in search of employment. Additionally, most students believe that if they perform well, they get an opportunity to bargain with the employers given that they may have the right skills required to perform the particular tasks better than other aspirants in the playing field. It is evident that ultimately after University education, most of the graduates hope that they can get a well-paying job that will help improve their standards of living. Three main theories are considered in the review, which includes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, self-determination theory, and the goal orientation theory.
One theory that has been suggested to provide an explanation for the idea of students setting aims on completing their course at the university is the self-determination theory. The theory suggests that people are motivated to change and grow courtesy of their innate psychological needs. The first assumption of this theory is that all humans are driven by the need to grow. This implies that the period spent in the university in the study is inevitably leading to something better after the completion at the university. One cannot be at the university without an aim or something that the student aims to achieve with the education and skills that they may have acquired at the end of the period they spent in the university. In the case of students who may be pursuing a second degree, the greater knowledge that they are likely to gain at the end of the second degree acts as a motivating factor.
This theory, unlike the others which imply that people are motivated by the external rewards such as money, acclaim, and other prizes, states that people are likely to be motivated by internal factors such as personal independence and the possibility of gaining new skill or knowledge in the particular area. According to the theory, there are three main feelings that one must experience before they can feel some level of psychological growth which includes competence, connection and autonomous. Competence ensures that some is able to master some new skill or task in their life to feel some level of growth.
Connection, on the other hand, means that individuals in the community need to feel a certain level of attachment or connectedness with others in the society. Lastly, autonomous is the need that people have to feel in control of their goals and behaviors. When an individual feels these three main things, they get the motivation to work towards whatever they have set out to attain in life. At the end of the period that one spends in the university earning the degree in their field of specialty, they are likely to have experienced these three things and thus the motivation that they require to attain the aims that they may have at the end of their education.
The other theory brought that can help one understand the motivation for students in the academic setting would be Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The theory was coined by Maslow, who believed that people had a set of motivation systems that went beyond the rewards that one would likely get from performing a particular task and the unconscious desires that one may have. Wehmeyer (2003) posits that as humans we are motivated to achieve certain particular needs in life, and when one need has been achieved, we move to the next one. He came up with a model that comprised of five main stages showing the levels that one moves through in life as they work towards achieving their needs. These include the basic needs which are psychological, safety, esteem and love and the growth need which is the last stage in the model known as self-actualization. The basic needs exist to motivate people to work towards them until they are met.
One cannot deny themselves these needs and the more they deny them, the stronger the need grows. After the attainment of these needs, one finally set out to pursue the goals that will ensure that they reach the point of self-actualization through growth. Acquiring a degree in a particular field could be seen as an esteem need. Once one gains the degree, they will get self-respect from others in the community, they will have mastered skills or have the ability to Performa a particular task with ease, and the degree will also come with the guarantee of some level of prestige in the society (Wehmeyer, 2003). Looking at the case of the students who aim at the completion of the degree is seen as an achievement and a level of prestige given that others in the community are yet to earn a degree, this gives on the view that this research theory perfectly fits on the idea of esteem needs. This is also applicable to those aiming to get a good job on completion of their degree in the university.
After attainment of this need with the attainment of the degree, the student can then set on the path to pursue their need of self-actualization. This is important in ensuring that they are able to achieve some level of personal growth, self-fulfillment and the ability to finally realizing their full potential in their career. However, one is bound to experience setbacks from time to time that will inevitably imply that they move irregularly in the model of the hierarchy of needs. Although one may make some achievements in life, there are bound to be drawbacks that will imply that they cannot reach the level of self-actualization all through their lives.
Lastly, Schoenfeld (2011), argues that the goal orientation theory is the other main theory that could be sued to explain the student’s behavior when looking at the motivation and aims that the student may have at the completion of their degree in college. The theory suggests that individuals always have a goal for partaking in a given activity. The goals set by the person could be task oriented or ego oriented. For those whose goal is task oriented, the main motivation that the individual will have for pursuing the particular tasks is to master the task over time as they engage in the activity over time. This offers a good explanation for students whose aim at the end of the period at the university in an advancement in their career or getting a well-paying job.
Additionally, people who are looking to secure jobs in a particular field also fall under this category. When the goals are ego oriented, the primary motivation that the individual may have for pursuing the given task is to ensure that they are better than others in performing the task. This implies that the main motivation for pursuing the goal or aim is fueled by the idea of competition. This particularly applies to students who may be pursuing their degree hoping that at the end of the career, they have a competitive advantage based on the skills that they acquired and stand a better chance than others at securing a position in a well-paying job (Schoenfeld, 2012).
Irrespective of the aim that one may have while in the university, it is evident that in the end all the paths lead to the idea of securing a well-paying job that guarantees an improvement in the standard of living. As one starts the journey to pursuing their graduate degree, it is important to note that this qualifies as the very first step towards their professional development. The aims that students have upon completion of their graduate study will vary depending on the student’s personal feelings and the background as well given that it has been found also to play an important role in the decision that one makes to join the university. Understanding the various theories can be an important way through which to help one to understand the aims that most students have at the end of the period that they spend in the university.
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Research Method
The research program consisted only of quantitative approach - an online questionnaire that was conducted during DATE. A total of x part-time and full-time students from X university participated in the survey belonging to different gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and course type to ensure the results were general and reliable. Survey research was performed using SurveyMonkey service is used. Structured questions are prepared such that respondents are able to read, understand, and respond in a meaningful way. Responses are designed in ordinal way.
Research Design
The research design is explanatory as the aim of this study is to provide reasons for phenomena, in terms of causal relationships., to be more specific, we need to identify driving factor for entering higher education and reasons for particular choice of program and institution. For this study x participants were surveyed.
Sampling strategy and procedures
The target population of this study are high school graduates, student of universities both full-time and part-time, and fresh graduates. For this study convenience sampling is performed as participants are students of our (which?) university. Therefore, it should be considered that responses that we obtain can reflect unique trends of our university and may not represent opinion of target group in general.
Data collection method and data analysis
Quantitative data collection method is used and subsequently, quantitative data analysis is performed. First, participants were asked about reason for why they decided to study in higher educational institutions and questions were classified into three groups: instrumental, intellectual, and social. Then, students were questioned on their expectations on obtaining higher education including personal, intellectual, and social expectations. Next, participants were asked what they knew about their universities before entering – academic reputation, accommodation, extra-curricular activities, teaching record, and research status. Finally, to obtain more detailed picture questions about choice of course and information available about it before choosing were included in the survey. Data was analyzed separately for full-time and part-time students and those choosing pre-1992 and 1992 universities to identify the difference between each group.
Ethical considerations
Each participant is informed that their participation in the study is voluntary and they have the freedom to withdraw from the study at any time without any consequences, and they are not harmed as a result of their participation or non-participation in the project. Anonymity and confidentiality is guaranteed to participants. Moreover, unexpected or negative findings will be fully disclosed.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Discussion
As seen from results depicted in Table 1, majority of responders have instrumental reasons for obtaining higher education. 29% of them reported that they need to study on order to obtain a job or better job and 19% stated that study to pursue particular qualification which will help them in their career. Furthermore, 16% responded that they entered higher education because of interest in subject and 13% wanted to continue their studies. Very few students marked their motivation as being influenced by social norms and their percentile constituted only 3%. It was observed that full or part-time study mode, student’s sex, social class, or type of attended institution did not influence students’ motivation for pursuing degree. However, responders under 25 age reported education as a help to get a job more often than over 25 (33% and 21% respectively) and significantly few of students under 25 (3%) stated that they wanted to change direction in life compared to 18% of students above 25. Furthermore, there were different reasons for student having different majors, to be more specific, half of responders pursuing degree in mathematics or computing want to get job or better job and students of creative arts reported that they are interested in their area.
Next, reasons for choosing particular institution and information that students had before entering (to know which aspects attract student for particular institutions) were examined and results are shown in Table 3 and 4. It is seen that full-time students are more concerned with practical issues such as accommodation and extra-curricular activities and one in six of them reported they attended an interview and/or open day. Interestingly, most of full-timers pay attention on academic reputation of the institution and 18% of them stated that they chose the university as it was the best place to study their subject. Furthermore, most of full-time responders who attend pre-1992 universities made their choice based on academic reputation compared to those attending 1992 institutions (85 vs 54). Overall, three-quarters of responders stated that academic reputation and teaching record was most important aspect for them and about six out of ten were attracted by research status and extra-curricular activities available.
One sixth of surveyed students indicated course and institution reputation as their reason to enter the program and again, majority of them are full-time students, 21%, compared to 10% of part-time ones. Most of full-time students hose their program because the liked it. Among part-time student the most important reason is that course is offered on part-time basis such that they can continue their full-time employment. This is followed by proximity to the home. This can be explained by the fact that part-time students have jobs and families, therefore, they are less mobile and more constrained in their choice and this is why they do not require university accommodation.
As a result of studies it can be stated that students’ motives and expectations influence their choice of institution and education area. There is strong difference between full-time and part-time student, former consider academic and subjective aspects including extra-curricular opportunities and social life while part-time students are constrained by their full-time jobs and families and more priority they give to characteristics from pragmatic point of view such as availability of have part-time courses, class schedule, and are proximity to their home. They also consider relevance to their occupation. When choosing pre-992 universities students pay attention on academic reputation.
Chapter 5
Recommendations
Because of differences between full-time and part-time students it is recommended to study them as two separate groups. Moreover, as a future work, participants from other institutions and high-school graduates should be invited for data collection. Furthermore, the research program should include both quantitative and qualitative research methods in combination such that to ensure depth and breadth of findings. In fact, data will be more reliable and descriptive if it will be collected in different periods and not at once. Analysis for each gender, ethic, and social-economic groups should be performed separately and maybe for part-time student it is better to divide them into married/not-married groups to evaluate the influence of families on study choice.
It is also important to collect students’ feedback about their universities and course of study including quality of education, accommodation, facilities, and course hours, and overall feeling on the university (satisfied/not-satisfied). In addition, including into sampling group fresh graduates would also allow to investigate employment after graduation. Another aspect not included in current study and which is also important is financial: how much student spends on study and living, funding opportunities, and whether this criterion affected his/her choice of institution and course. Finally, to track and better understand whether students are satisfied with their choice or not research participants should include samples from Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors.
References
Peterson, C. H. (2012). How to get there from here-- the ten lessons that have served me well. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
Rouillard, L. (2003). Goals and goal setting: Achieving measured objectives. Menlo Park,
CA: Crisp Learning.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (2011). How we think: A theory of goal-oriented decision making and its educational applications. New York: Routledge.
Wehmeyer, M. L. (2003). Theory in self-determination: Foundations for educational practice. Springfield, Ill: C.C. Thomas.
