The extent to which teacher attitudes and expectations predict academic achievement of final year students

Competition in the market is a perennial and ever‐increasing problem for independent schools. How schools can meet this pressure and find ways to attract (the best) students is a continuing question and one that will get more onerous as the government funding for education is, in relative terms, decreasing. One of the ways in which schools can show their worth is the attraction of the best teachers and being able to show potential clients how their staff contribute to the academic success of their graduating students. This study considers the relationship between teachers’ attitudes toward their work and the expectations and the extent to which their attitudes and expectations predict the academic achievements of their final year students. Results found that academic achievement is enhanced when school leadership provides an academically oriented context where values and expectations of high academic achievement are part of the school culture. Other teacher variables found to improve academic achievement are the teachers’ need for greater input into decision‐making at their schools; less formalisation of rules, procedures and process; and support through personnel, facilities, finances, equipment and resources.     

A three‐year prospective longitudinal cohort study of medical students' attitudes toward anatomy teaching and their career aspirations

Today's medical students are faced with numerous learning needs. Continuously developing curricula have reduced time for basic science subjects such as anatomy. This study aimed to determine the students' views on the relevance of anatomy teaching, anatomical knowledge, and the effect these have on their career choices. A Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to second year medical students [response rate 91% (n = 292/320)]. The same questionnaire was subsequently distributed to the cohort three years later when they were final year students [response rate 37% (n = 146/392)]. Students in both the cohorts of study agreed strongly that clinically correlated anatomical teaching was relevant to clinical practice (92% and 86% of second and final year respondents, respectively) and helped them during their clinical placements (73% and 92%, respectively). Only 28% of the second year and 31% of the final year students agreed that their anatomy teaching prepared them to interpret clinical images (P = 0.269). Only 14% of the final year students felt confident in their knowledge of anatomy. Of the final year students, 30% felt that they had enough opportunity to scrub in the operating room. Nearly half of those students who would consider surgery as a career (19%) think that they will eventually become surgeons (11%). This data suggests that modern anatomy curriculum should focus on clinical correlations and clinical image interpretation. Students would value more opportunities to participate in surgeries. Vertical integration of anatomy teaching throughout the full medical course may be useful. Anat Sci Educ. © 2010 American Association of Anatomists.     

Understanding aspirations and expectations of international students in Australian higher education

The aspirations and expectations of the growing international student cohort in Australia are implicitly incorporated into recruitment and internationalization strategies but have received little academic analysis. To address this gap in the literature, this paper develops a conceptual model built upon earlier research by Tim Mazzarol and Geoffrey Soutar, which focuses on the push and pull factors relating to home country and country of destination, respectively, in relation to students' decisions to seek international study. Focusing predominantly on Chinese and Indian students, we conceptualise, extend and place the push and pull factors within a social psychological framework in relation to students' aspirations and expectations of international education, indicating factors that can be influenced by higher education (HE) institutions and their programmes, and those which cannot. We then interrogate the model and its applicability in Australian HE through the case study of an Indian international Study Tour conducted in our Australian HE institution in 2009. In the present context of decreased international student enrolments in Australia in 2010, where we seek to better understand our international students, the proposed model provides a basis for identifying international students' expectations and aspirations and developing prospective international relations.     

Self-efficacy beliefs as shapers of children's aspirations and career trajectories

This prospective study tested with 272 children a structural model of the network of sociocognitive influences that shape children's career aspirations and trajectories. Familial socioeconomic status is linked to children's career trajectories only indirectly through its effects on parents' perceived efficacy and academic aspirations. The impact of parental self-efficacy and aspirations on their children's perceived career efficacy and choice is, in turn, entirely mediated through the children's perceived efficacy and academic aspirations. Children's perceived academic, social, and self-regulatory efficacy influence the types of occupational activities for which they judge themselves to be efficacious both directly and through their impact on academic aspirations. Perceived occupational self-efficacy gives direction to the kinds of career pursuits children seriously consider for their life's work and those they disfavor. Children's perceived efficacy rather than their actual academic achievement is the key determinant of their perceived occupational self-efficacy and preferred choice of worklife. Analyses of gender differences reveal that perceived occupational self-efficacy predicts traditionality of career choice.     

Gender differences in high-school learning experiences,motivation, self-efficacy,and career aspirations among Taiwanese STEM college students

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to answer the following two questions: (1) Do significant differences exist in high-school learning experience, interests, self-efficacy, and career aspirations between male and female science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students? (2) Can high-school learning experiences, interests, and self-efficacy significantly predict career aspirations, and do differences exist between male and female STEM students? This study highlighted the gender gap between male and female university students who had already chosen STEM majors with similar academic ability. A total of 407 first-year students were surveyed at a 4-year research university in Taiwan. For the data analysis, a t-test and multiple regression analysis were used, and the findings indicated that male STEM students had greater family support than their female counterparts. The variable of task value could significantly predict STEM career aspirations for both male and female students, whereas the variable of STEM course self-efficacy could only significantly predict that of male students. In conclusion, the findings highlighted that the motivation of task value was a vital factor for predicting STEM career aspirations, whereas the factor of family support was the main gap between male and female STEM students in terms of their high-school learning experiences.     

Access,opportunity, and career: supporting the aspirations of dis/abled students with high-end needs in New Zealand

Acting as an entry marker into the adult world, the transition from compulsory schooling is inextricably linked with a change in career status. As such, transition is widely acknowledged to be a significant event in the lives of all young people regardless of their dis/abilities. However, many dis/abled students in New Zealand, particularly those with high-end needs, experience many challenges in the construction and enactment of their career. These are often exacerbated by the limited availability of mainstream opportunities and/or the absence of clearly defined employment pathways. In addition, they are less likely to have had access to meaningful workplace experiences whilst at school which would assist them with the decisions they must make, and actions they must take in relation to their futures. In this article, I locate the concept of the dis/abled student within a New Zealand context, critically explore the notion of career and consider whether this is a feasible and realistic aspiration for those with high-end needs. Following this, I discuss a case study of a post-secondary transitions scheme on the South Island of New Zealand which was established to meet the aspirations of students with high-end needs. This is used to illustrate how initiatives that seek to address the disjuncture between the desires of this student group, labour market expectations, and the requirements of local employers can present both opportunities for change and challenges for inclusion.     

Schooling experiences and career aspirations of indigenous vocational high school students: a case study in Taiwan

In Taiwan, substantial resources have been invested in upper-secondary vocational education for Aborigines as a solution to their lack of career development opportunities. This study examined the schooling experiences and career aspirations of Taiwanese indigenous vocational high school students. A case study was designed to collect data through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 24 aboriginal students in twelfth grade at a Major Indigenous Vocational High School (MIVHS). The findings indicated that aboriginal students experienced mainstream-centric schooling that focused on preparing students for college education with additional support. The schooling contributed to their solid educational aspirations to attend non-prestigious technological colleges and vague occupational aspirations with low occupational self-efficacy. It also enforced their strong cultural aspirations of living in their homelands and benefiting their people. The findings suggest that the MIVHS could provide the culturally responsive schooling for aboriginal students' diversity to facilitate their career development.     

Academic boredom and the perceived course experiences of final year Education Studies students at university

This work explores the relationships between academic boredom and the perceived course experiences of 179 final-year Education Studies students attending a single university in England. Adopting a mixed-methods design, with data collection employing a combination of questionnaires and individual research interviews, findings suggest that all participants exhibited some measurable disposition towards academic boredom, with traditional lectures and work leading to the completion of assignments the main sites and triggers for the actual onset of academic boredom itself. Amid overwhelmingly encouraging responses from course expectations to course demands, reflecting the successful promotion of deep ways of working, as well as a clear sense of satisfaction with their teaching and learning environment overall, cluster analysis reveals the presence of five structurally related groups of students with profiles which help identify those typically more engaged and effective learners from others. Path analysis reveals a series of complex inter-connections, with academic boredom emerging as a strong predictor of surface approaches and organised effort as well as contributing indirectly towards degree outcome as a whole. The implications for boredom mitigation are considered.     

Independent inquiry and the undergraduate dissertation: perceptions and experiences of final‐year social science students

This article reports on findings from a research project that investigated the experiences and perceptions of final‐year social science undergraduates enrolled on a dissertation module in a post‐1992 UK university. The dissertation was designed to provide students with the opportunity to function autonomously and determine the content and focus of a major part of their study and assessment. Using data from interviews and questionnaires, the article explores the students’ lived experience of the dissertation as a form of independent learning and assessment, the challenges they encountered, and their perceptions of peer and tutor support. While students valued the autonomy, authenticity, and ownership they felt in relation to their dissertation, they also experienced considerable ­challenges, particularly in relation to ‘time’.     

Vocational knowledge in rural children: A study of individual differences and predictors of occupational aspirations and expectations

Few studies have identified individual differences in vocational knowledge or its association with career aspirations or expectations of children. We investigated whether individual differences in grade, gender, academic achievement, and SES predict levels of vocational knowledge, and further examined the relationship between vocational knowledge and career aspirations and expectations. Children in the fourth through seventh grades (N = 132) from two rural school districts were administered measures of vocational knowledge, expectations, and aspirations. The results of this study suggest no differences in vocational knowledge in groups differing in grade, gender, and SES; however, academic achievement was a significant predictor of vocational knowledge. Moreover, results of regression analysis demonstrated that vocational knowledge adds significantly to the prediction of career aspirations and expectations. These results contribute to the emerging literature exploring mechanisms involved in the career development of rural children.     

试析现代大学生的体育价值观

通过对大学生体育课选项动机、体育选项课学习态度、对教师选择的态度和希望从体育教育中获得的收效的调查，探讨在培养大学生体育价值观的实践中应把握的重点，旨在为全面提高教育质量服务。     

Variables related to career commitment,mastery motivation,and level of career aspiration among college students

The authors wish to express appreciation for the statistical help provided by James Wardrop and Ya-Mei Chen; and for the support provided by the Bureau of Educational Research and the Campus Research Board, University of Illinois. Also several persons helped with the development of the measures and data collection including Carole Ames, Mary Z. Anderson, Cindy Glidden, Fu-lin Y. Lee, Kirsten Peterson, and Barbara Powell. Requests for reprints may be addressed to the first author at the Educational Psychology Department, University of Illinois, 1310 South Sixth St., Champaign, IL 61820.     

Connecting high school physics experiences,outcome expectations,physics identity,and physics career choice: A gender study

This study explores how students' physics identities are shaped by their experiences in high school physics classes and by their career outcome expectations. The theoretical framework focuses on physics identity and includes the dimensions of student performance, competence, recognition by others, and interest. Drawing data from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project, which surveyed college English students nationally about their backgrounds, high school science experiences, and science attitudes, the study uses multiple regression to examine the responses of 3,829 students from 34 randomly selected US colleges/universities. Confirming the salience of the identity dimension for young persons' occupational plans, the measure for students' physics identity used in this study was found to strongly predict their intended choice of a physics career. Physics identity, in turn, was found to correlate positively with a desire for an intrinsically fulfilling career and negatively with a desire for personal/family time and opportunities to work with others. Physics identity was also positively predicted by several high school physics characteristics/experiences such as a focus on conceptual understanding, real‐world/contextual connections, students answering questions or making comments, students teaching classmates, and having an encouraging teacher. Even though equally beneficial for both genders, females reported experiencing a conceptual focus and real‐world/contextual connections less frequently. The explicit discussion of under‐representation of women in science was positively related to physics identity for female students but had no impact for male students. Surprisingly, several experiences that were hypothesized to be important for females' physics identity were found to be non‐significant including having female scientist guest speakers, discussion of women scientists' work, and the frequency of group work. This study exemplifies a useful theoretical framework based on identity, which can be employed to further examine persistence in science, and illustrates possible avenues for change in high school physics teaching. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 978–1003, 2010     

医学生生命价值观的现状调查与分析

医学生是我国未来医疗事业发展的主力军,医疗行业的特殊性决定了对其进行生命价值观教育具有重要的现实意义。本文对部分医学生进行了生命价值观调查与分析,结果显示目前多数医学生生命价值观是健康积极的,但也仍有部分医学生生命价值观存在着不容忽视的问题。     

Gifted American and German adolescent women: a longitudinal examination of attachment,separation, gender roles,and career aspirations

This study assessed 43 gifted adolescent females in the United States and Germany over a 4‐year period. Initially the girls were assessed during their 7th or 8th grade and again for this current study during their 11th or 12th grade. Factors that were examined included the daughters' attachment to and psychological separation from their mothers, while the study also focused on their gender roles, instrumental (masculine) characteristics, and career aspirations. Results showed that within 4 years, these gifted girls had grown less attached, but at the same time had become psychologically closer to their mothers. Additionally, the German girls became more masculine in their characteristics while the Americans became more feminine. All of the girls developed more traditional gender roles and their desires of attaining leadership or expert roles within their future careers diminished.     

Personal,career, and learning skills needs of first-year university students

This study investigates the personal, career and learning skills needs of first-year university students. Consenting first-year South African students completed structured questionnaires assessing these needs in 1993 (n=1,817) and 1994 (n=2,209). The need for assistance with personal, career and learning skills concerns was found to be much higher in the South African student samples than for North American students.     

Cognitive ability,learning approaches and personality correlates of general knowledge

The relationship between general knowledge (GK) and cognitive ability (IQ and abstract reasoning), learning approaches, and personality (‘big five’ traits and typical intellectual engagement) was investigated in a sample of 101 British undergraduates. As predicted, GK was positively correlated with cognitive ability (more so with IQ than with abstract reasoning), typical intellectual engagement, and openness to experience. A hierarchical regression showed that IQ was the strongest predictor of GK, explaining 26% of GK variance. However, openness (15%) added incremental validity to the variance explained. These results are discussed in relation to previous findings in the field of GK and the personality–intelligence interface.