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Different student groups and their views on
academic studies
Gudrun Balke Karin Lumsden Wass Göteborg
University
http//www.plana.adm.gu.se/stug/
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STUG has carried out two major evaluation projects

• Evaluation of Goteborg/Gothenburg Universitys
  (GU) 70 study programme
• Evaluation of GUs 750 single subject courses
• with a third in progress
• Evaluation of the doctoral studies at GUs nine
  faculties

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Analysis of social background

• Students whose parents have a degree or completed
  some academic education
• (Higher education group, HE)
• Students whose parents have not completed
• any academic studies after finishing
• compulsory schooling
• (Lower education group, LE)

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Gender and age
LE group HE group Total student group
Women age 74 32 67 26 72 28
Men age 26 31 33 26 28 28
Total 100 100
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Characteristics of the students

• Lower education group
• 56 are married or cohabitants
• 38 have children living at home

• Higher education group
• 40 are married or cohabitants
• 11 have children living at home

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Reasons for choosing academic education
LE group
HE group

• I want to study in Göteborg
• I want to minimise the risk of being unemployed
• I have had work experience within the subject area

• I want to increase the likelihood of me getting a
  job abroad
• I want to get a good salary

7
Working efforts within the studiesHours/week
8
Expectations
LE group/Women
HE group/Women

• I expect to
• cope quite easily with the studies
• understand the literature quite easy
• learn about conducting academic research
• enjoy being a student
• make new friends

• The studies will be..
• interesting, instructive and relevant
• valuable in terms of my personal development
• demanding
• my own responsibility
• The teachers will be
• skilled
• stimulating

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Fulfilments
LE group/Women
HE group/Women

• I
• cope quite easy with the studies
• understand the literature quite easy
• am finding out about academic research activities
  / methods
• enjoy being a student
• have made new friends

• I find the studies..
• interesting, instructive and relevant
• valuable in terms of my personal development
• demanding
• my own responsibility
• The teachers are
• skilled
• stimulating

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One student explains
We, people in our 40s, have quite a different
understanding of going to university. Even though
we enjoy being students, we dont live the merry
student life of a 20 year-old. We are often more
focused to complete our studies as soon as
possibly. University studies and the life around
it tend to focus on young students You the
university do need to find out more about the
needs of the old ones.
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Teaching and learning Aspects the LE-group find
important

• The organisation of the studies
• The possibilities to get in touch with the
  teaching staff
• The amount of teaching hours
• Links to research
• Study guidance
• Learning about rhetoric
• Practice and development of oral and written
  language
• Practice in using ICT

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Plans for the future
LE group
HE group

• In ten years I will
• have been working as a manager
• have been working within the private sector
• have been self-employed
• have a doctoral degree
• have been working/studying abroad
• have changed jobs more than three times

• In ten years I will
• have been working in professions strongly linked
  to my field of study
• have been working in the public sector
• have attended basic level university courses

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Concluding remarks

• The variations between the two groups is mainly
  related to differences in opinions, expectations
  and experiences between the females, thus
  highlighting the importance of including gender
  as a variable when analysing social backgrounds.
• Students within the lower education group have
  more doubts about their future academic success
  and are definitely more insecure in the academic
  environment. This underlines the importance of
  offering supporting activities during the first
  year.
• The lower education group has a different social
  situation than the higher education group, i.e.
  living with families and children. A well
  functioning organisation around the courses seems
  to be a way of supporting them in their efforts
  to manage the studies.

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Concluding comment
More people would probably apply if they thought
they had the ability to make it through
university. I used to think that university was
a place for over-intelligent snobs, but I was
sorely mistaken. The universities sure could
need a more welcoming image.