Student Attitude Towards various Genres of Courses
Student’s Name:
Name of Tutor:
Course:
Date:
Student Attitude Towards various Genres of Courses
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093280″1.Executive summary PAGEREF _Toc406093280 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093281″2.Introduction PAGEREF _Toc406093281 h 5
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093282″3.Qualitative Research PAGEREF _Toc406093282 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093283″The Correspondents’ Needs PAGEREF _Toc406093283 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093284″5.Survey Research PAGEREF _Toc406093284 h 9
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093285″6.Types of Data Used PAGEREF _Toc406093285 h 11
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093286″7.Discussion PAGEREF _Toc406093286 h 12
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093287″8.Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc406093287 h 15
HYPERLINK l “_Toc406093288″9. Cited Works PAGEREF _Toc406093288 h 16
Executive summaryA tendency shown by students of putting preference on certain education courses over the others is a phenomenon of many years, a matter that has drawn attention of many and prompted the this research. The education sector has grown considerably over the last few decades as many students are joining our institutions. We have seen many sectors of higher learning coming up, introduction of new courses and new education facilities as well. The general tendency is that as students enroll to these institutions, some considerable factors determine their dislike of some genres of courses. These same units are within their majors and all are required for a successful completion of their degree programs, yet students still show preferences, a matter that requires a comprehensive research and proper solutions.
Learning is a lifetime process and it has many purposes for every member of an ideal society. The main aims of learning involves making people get access to information, equipping the learners with ability to air their views, helping people to apply their natural or acquired skills in solving the societal problems and acting like a ladder to the future. The designers of every program at our universities put this in mind as they come up with a structure of every course. This research bears specific queries into what has emerged in the schools and among college students. Research shows that there are various factors contributing to students showing preferences of some subjects over the others. These may include student’s future career ambitions, attitude towards the course, and student’s particular interests about the course content
Other researchers have also come up with several approaches into this matter. Researchers test different variables such as method of delivery and the type of the course instructor and all these show that they affect the overall satisfaction of the students in one way or another. For example, in class learning or distance learning produce students with different satisfaction levels.
As clearly seen from early researches, student course preferences are not a matter of chance but something that is determined by several variables. This research, if undertaken, will highlight these factors and give guidelines where need be. Major stakeholders in the education sector will also benefit from these findings as they will know the approach may have towards helping students who have issues with the various courses offered to them.
IntroductionEducation is a very important factor that determines the general structure of a society in terms of its growth, peaceful co-existence of members and generally its wellbeing. Educated members of a society bear the greatest role in spearheading its developments. Leaders are those who can make proper decisions that work towards the overall wellbeing of the members they represent. Education equips the individuals with ability to make proper decisions, to air their views publicly for effective changes, and make good plans for future developments.
Purposeful guidelines are essential for effective learning. The society must put in place an efficient system for keeping its members informed. For acquisition of required skills and expertise, for effective leadership and good governance, education is the key (Burgen 19). Youths are the main targeted population in any kind of education setup because they make the largest population in most countries. Moreover, youths have young developing minds, are energetic and ambitious. Nurturing these youthful talents must be the aim of any ideal society. The research will therefore target the youths as the main audience, especially the college students.
The objective of this research is to outline the various problems youths face in their learning. It will cover the learning environment, the type of the lecturers handling them, various methods of delivery of course materials and the overall effect of these on the students’ course preferences and the individual attitude towards the various courses.
Considerably, education has been derailed by so many factors, so much so that it does not meet all its true purposes. The challenges are so varied and are projected by both the students and teachers as well. A comprehensive analysis, the kind that has been done in this report, would clearly help point out and apprehend the challenges that compromise the quality of education.
An instance for which, students have interests in various petering because there are either poor teaching methods employed, or the requirements for unit registration are too complicated. Boring and monotonous lecturers make the lessons one-way and hard to digest.
Educations curricular that are over demanding and push the students to the limit also exhaust the mental capacity of some students. For example, too many minors, of whom not all are applicable, make the students loose the rationale of the whole process.
To be comprehensive, the education curricular should consider all the challenges experienced by varied students from different cultures in different education modes. Considering that not all challenges experienced by the students are classroom borne, there should be measures that cover even the out of classroom problems that affect students like financial problems.
Qualitative ResearchThe data for the study was collected through a face-to-face interview with the participants who expressed their views and concerns on the changes regarding education. The research was conducted by the administration of Shenandoah University in analysis of the problems that are encountered by their students. In a free atmosphere, the participants were able to air their satisfactions and dissatisfactions freely highlighting the matters that they felt were of concern to them. As such, comprehensive data was compiled for the study.
Considering that, the research was centered on matters concerning education, university students were chosen as the ideal correspondents. The participants were drawn from the varied schools and genres in Shenandoah University and had varied cultures and modes of study. To achieve validity and quality of the research, both genders were included.
In the research, matters that directly concern the students both directly and indirectly were handled. Matters such as teacher-student engagement and the troubles experienced during the varsity formal procedures were also examined. The participants included both local students and even international students.
The Correspondents’ NeedsThe biggest concern expressed by the correspondents was the relevance of the units offered by the varsity. Some expressed the desire to handle only subjects/units that directly concerned their majors and considered the varied minors as partly time wastage. For instance, a student majoring in Biology saw little relevance in handling art subjects.
They also expressed the desire to have improved lessons that had more student engagement through lively and appropriate methods employed by the teachers. Lectures that were delivered by monotonous lectures that had little concern on student participation have become hardly bearing and as such, the students’ interests in the fields are petering. The correspondents expressed interests in lessons that involved more lively lecturers.
The other issue of significance was also the lack of motivation that the learners were subjected to some tutors. There was the desire to feel appreciated and understood. The correspondents felt that unavoidable circumstances or even complexity of a subject could make proper performance in a subject hard. As such, the correspondents made a proposal that the teachers should fairly award the extra credit to help them compensate for unavoidable inconveniences. Meanness of the teachers had only served to demoralize the students and diminish their interests in the units.
The international students also expressed concern on the varied challenges that they do experience off the class environs. The problems as such, could compromise their ability to at times handle and submit the homework in time. That could also compromise their ability to study and perform to per. There was the request that lecturers should recognize the problems and always be available to assist. They also expressed the concern for extra credit to help them compensate for the challenges experienced.The respondents also raised issues with the registration process. Students were concerned about how the whole process is complicated. They suggested that for them to develop early interest on the subjects, they must get easy access to the lecturers for further clarification on the whole course content.
The matters that limit the student participation are varied and may include dislike for the lecturers, or the lecturers’ dislike for the students. As such the students came up with the proposal that there should be double lessons for singular classes/subjects. Such would present them with variety and the choice of engaging with the lecturers and classes in which they are most comfortable. This is because student comfort in a class is key to concentration and the ability to decipher and comprehend concepts. The proposal/concern expressed the students desire to wholly participate in classes.
There were also concerns with the size of the classes. The respondents felt that the number of students per class should be small since participation of every member of the class is guaranteed in such settings. Lecturers get easy access to every student and students also participate fully for effective learning process where students show satisfaction.
Precisely, the needs/shortfalls have in one way or the other affected the student class productivity and expressing the serves to share some of the burden.
Survey ResearchAs indicated in the earlier section of this research proposal, our study will involve conducting of interview. This section of survey research questions is a very crucial part in our research since it determines the outcome of our research after scientific analysis of the findings.
This part calls for proper design of the questions. Since the research will involve face-to-face interviews, framing of the questions in a way that allows flexibility during the actual interview is important. The interviewer can deviate from the main set of questions to get further clarifications of the topic. Furthermore, this makes the whole interview process lively and sets a free atmosphere for participation since the interview technique was group interview. When every member of the team participates fully, varied responses come up and the interviewer can use his/her skills to analyze them.
These are the main questions that will target the college youths who will be our target audience:
What are your majors? (this was a simple question that was meant to set the moods and make the students free and cooperative)
What are the changes you want for the registration? (The second question covered the concerns that were expressed by the learners on the challenges that they experienced through the registration of the units. It also required their proposals to help improve and simplify the registration process.
Which courses do you like? What are the factors that have led to your course preferences?
What have you found interesting or bugging about the different courses you are taking?
Can you explain the things you would like your lecturers to change?
Can you discuss the various methods of delivery of course units used in your institutions. What are the changes you want for these?
The questions aimed at validating the emotional and intellectual capacity and resonance on matters that directly and indirectly affected the students. The emotional aspect would be used to judge the level of student commitment and level to which a situation affected them. Though most matters affected the students in general, there were some other factors that affected particular students, like the interest in particular courses or the dislike for lecturers.
Considering that the correspondents freely participated in the interview and showed little restriction on answering of the questions, there were some very important points that hence arose. An example is the consideration that was expressed by the students about the student engagement in the lessons. That point was a revelation to about the little interests that have always been expressed by the students for different units.
The other very important point that was expressed was the lack of motivation that they had been subjected to through the mean teachers who were never determined to understand their problems. The international students stated the numerous glitches that define their education and also pointed out the understanding teachers were the key to a great performance.
Significantly, there was also the desire to have smaller classrooms that would facilitate student engagement through small populations. The populations would improve the student- teacher ratio. Moreover, there was the yearning to have to have a registration method that was not so complex. The challenges faced by the students on their first in school during the registration had made some of them develop negative perceptions about the courses.
However, there was a paradox at the limited understanding about the minors that were offered by the university. Some students felt that the minors were of little/ no relevance to their learning. It was interesting that they never took notice of the numerous advantages that could be derived from the minors.
A lecturer who has a vast experience in teaching carried out the whole process of the interview. Such an individual understands students at a deeper level due to their day-to-day interactions, hence the reason why such a decision was necessary. The lecturer engaged the correspondents/students in a way that sets them free. This was like a class setting where an experienced individual facilitates the whole process using his/her expertise.
Almost every part of the mass interview was very relevant and highlighted every bit of the challenges experienced by the students. This is because the population was large, varied and had students from different modes of education. The questions were also multiple and well balanced. The level of compliance that the students exhibited made the entire research process simplified. Student participation was made easy through motivational factors and rewards like the use of snacks and sweets.
Types of Data UsedThe data type used in this research was qualitative. The research team decided on this since this is the type that could give clear and concise results in accordance with the nature of our research design and purpose. Since this research is one that that seeks individual opinions and recommendations of the variables of the research, this is the type of data that can give clear findings.
This particular research employed various data collection methods including video recording, and face-to-face interview. For effective qualitative data analysis, these are the very methods that give reliable information since the interviewer engages the respondents in a form of a discussion. Some of the advantages of face-to-face interview include:
The interviewer has an opportunity to be flexible in asking the questions.
It gives an opportunity for a thorough and in depth analysis of the topic.
The interviewer has an opportunity to scrutinize the responses and get to ask further questions for a very precise answer.
Video recordings provide an in depth analysis of the whole interview process as it gives an exact how the questions were asked and the particular responses. This provides an avenue for correcting any wrongly entered data. It also provides a live review of the whole process; hence, the stakeholders get reliable information. Moreover, the data from these sources is first hand.
Another advantage of using video recording is the fact that the team can review a particular moment of time of the interview. It is easy to see some hidden minor details that bear important information and which were not easy to notice at the start (Chipman, Susan, Lorelei and Donna 289).
DiscussionThe data collected was analyzed the challenges experienced in the field of education. An insight into the kind of changes that should be made is thus comprehended. Through the interviews, there was the chance of gauging the emotional validation of the questions. This assisted in assessing the level and magnitude of concern. The emotional validation of the research really proved relevant in the process.
Education holds a significant position in the creation and development of a country. Considering that the process prepares students for the future, it should be handled with great care and sobriety.
The research that entailed comprehensively covered the challenges experienced by learners in education. Some of the projections of the data collected only illuminated some the problems too well known in the field. For instance, the teacher monotony that has always killed the students’ interests in learning is one that has plagued the sector for too long. Student engagement is not only minimized through such as the large student-teacher ratio also affects the same.
Not all problems experienced in the sector arise from generalized factors as some are personal. The curricular should thus be modified to put into consideration all of the matters that affect the learning of all students. Inability to deliver assignment in time for instance, should involve the inquisition into the factors that resulted in the same. Clarification of all student failures as incompetence without putting into all the factors that affect them only demoralizes them.
Considerably, the process of education should train students, but mold them into well rounded individuals capable of handling almost every challenge experienced in life. As such, a well taught student should e equipped with information in various fields, the necessity of the minors.
In summation, the process of education is entangled with so many inconveniences that need to be changed. The process is so much challenging even from the very start and basics that include registration and introduction. Making the process simple would not only improve the student interests, but also boost the level of education (Chipman et al. 2014 289).
Considering the participants’ views and interests, the system should be formally improved to be inclusive. However, some of the challenges require a system over whole. For instance, training of aging teachers and professors on new teaching methods would be expensive and time consuming. The results are not even guaranteed to be positive. As such, more teachers should be engaged to provide a variety and make the students generally satisfied (Parker 289).
Not every need and demand can be satisfied, but the changes should touch on most of the aspects covered by the correspondents. The research examined in this paper clarifies the roles and positions that should be held by both the students and teachers (Parker 289). A mutual relationship and should exist between the two, that would allow both parties to mete out their responsibilities. Education should not be mechanical to produce well trained students, but rather well taught students capable of creating and fitting into the new world (Chipman et al. 289).
Imparting of knowledge and creativity goes well beyond the classroom atmosphere and rotates around various aspects that either directly concern the learners, or indirectly affect them. Monetary, residential and commuting challenges for instance, could indirectly affect the learning and performance of a student. Improving education basically starts at the school at the administrative levels, and extends to the governments.
ConclusionIn conclusion, there are various challenges that are experienced by students in varied levels of education. The challenges are varied and are presented based on different factors, among which are the mode of study, teaching methods and the course provisions/outlines v. There are demands that require the students to participate in so many minors, most of which bear little relevance to the kinds of lives they aspire to lead in the future. The nature of the curriculum is also so demanding and offers little room for student adjustment after inconveniences. The modes of studying also present problems, especially the international students who have to make cultural and climatic adjustments (Parker 289).
The research comprehensively challenges and even recommends improvements that can be made in the sector to improve most of the aspects. Deriving basis from the data collected from the correspondents, a comprehensive analysis into the jeopardy that factors to lower the level of students’ interests and as such the level of education has been presented. The number of participants in the study enabled the collection of detailed data.
Improving education in institutions may not be spontaneous, may be filled with challenges, but is very much a necessity. Problems like student engagement should be given solutions so not to compromise the quality of production. As the productivity of every given country depends on the level of intelligence that the education system can impart on the students, the system should address the challenges experienced by different students (Chipman et al. 289).
Finally, every institution should come up with strategies, the kind of this research, to unearth the challenges that the learners experience. Appropriate measures should then be taken to meet and solve the problems (Parker 289).
9. Cited WorksChipman, Susan F., Lorelei R. Brush and Donna M. Wilson. Women and Mathematics: Balancing the Equation. Psychology press, 2014.
Parker, Rick. Women and Mathematics: Balancing the Equation (2010): 280.
