Attractiveness Of Careers Research Articles

Recognition and Motivation: A Study on the Strategies for Improving the Career Attractiveness of Nursing Workers in Nursing Institutions

Nursing staff in nursing institutions are the guardians of the growing "silver age" of the elderly, and they are the solid arms of the elderly institutions to support the happiness of the elderly in their old age. The project members investigated 6 different types of elderly care institutions in Nanjing, and explored the basic situation and career attractiveness of institutional caregivers through qualitative interviews, and analyzed the dilemma of occupational attractiveness. Adhere to the problem-oriented, combined with the logic and influencing factors of the construction of the professional self-identity of the nursing staff, from the aspects of the social environment, institutional system and personal development of the professional self-identity construction of the nursing staff, and put forward constructive and targeted suggestions, aiming to promote the construction of the professional self-identity of the elderly care workers in China, and promote the improvement of nursing quality and the healthy development of the nursing career.

Changes in the attractiveness of medical careers and career determinants during the bachelor’s program at Zurich medical schools

BackgroundMonitoring the career intentions of medical students during their undergraduate studies could help to address the shortage of physicians, particularly in general practice. This study aimed to investigate changes in medical students' career openness, attractiveness and determinants of medical career choice during their bachelor’s studies.MethodsThe design was cross-sectional, recruiting all medical students who started a bachelor’s program in one of the four different educational tracks in Zurich, Switzerland, in the fall of 2019 (first survey) and completed it in the summer of 2022 (second survey). Students’ perceptions of the attractiveness and determinants of different medical career options were assessed using a structured online questionnaire. Absolute changes between the two-time points were reported in percentage points overall and by educational track. Regression analysis was used to examine the association of student characteristics and determinants of career options with the attractiveness of each option.ResultsWe surveyed 354 medical students at the beginning and 433 at the end of the bachelor’s program (participation rate: 71.1% and 86.9%, respectively). Overall, the proportion of students open to all proposed medical career options decreased (from 52.8% to 43.8%, p = 0.004). The attractiveness of outpatient gynecology or pediatrics increased (from 27.4% to 43.4%, p < 0.001), whereas the attractiveness of both general and specialized inpatient care decreased (from 47.8% to 40.3%, p = 0.05 and from 71.1% to 61.1%, p = 0.006 respectively). There was an increase in the proportion of students who perceived part-time work, autonomy and relationships with patients as important career determinants (from 47.3% to 64.7%, p < 0.001; from 63.3% to 77.8%, p < 0.001; from 80.8% to 89.3%, p = 0.002 respectively), while the importance of reputation and career opportunities decreased (from 42.6% to 26.2%, p < 0.001; from 79.2% to 63.6%, p < 0.001 respectively). The importance of part-time work and relationships with patients were positively associated with the attractiveness of general practice.ConclusionsDuring the bachelor’s program, the attractiveness of a career in general practice tended to decrease, but the importance of part-time work, autonomy and relationships with patients as career determinants increased. Helping students understand how these determinants relate to general practice may increase their interest in the profession.Trial registrationNot applicable.

Media Communication and Cultural Influence in Chinese Malaysian Students’ Career Choice in STEM

There has been a decline of Malaysian students pursuing STEM courses over the past few decades. The democratisation of higher education since the 1980s has seen intense advertising of higher education in local media, which plays a role in shaping students’ career choices. Applying Stuart Hall’s theory of Circuit of Culture, a study deploying advertisements, and a survey with intensive interviews has been conducted to understand media and cultural influences on STEM career choice of Chinese Malaysians. Several factors, including media stereotyping nature of jobs of STEM as laboratory-based and practical activities, lack of curation of distinct images and role models in many STEM careers, lack of experiential exposure in daily social settings, fragmentised science communications, and disconnect of Chinese Malaysians from mainstream national development could have contributed to this decline. The study found that there is no distinct dislike towards STEM by Chinese Malaysians. Rather, for them, there are a wide range of careers beyond STEM, with non-STEM careers appearing to be more attractive in terms of career prospects. Alternative discourses and narratives for STEM careers with reimaging of nature of jobs for STEM careers to reconstruct perception towards STEM via the media and science communications could enhance the attractiveness of STEM careers. Additionally, a multi-disciplinary approach to higher education and promotion of specific STEM careers based on market needs could bring STEM closer to students.

Career as Self-Identity in Chinese Malaysian Students’ Career Choice in STEM

Chinese Malaysians who inherit the traditional Chinese culture have evolved with assimilation of globalisation with colonialism elements to form a myriad of cultural mélange, with an impact on career choice in STEM. Applying Stuart Hall’s theory of circuit of culture, a study deploying obituaries has been used to understand media and cultural influence on STEM career choice. Career as self-identity and social status has influenced Chinese Malaysian students’ career choice, with a hierarchy of prestige among them and medicine occupying the top position. Career choice for them in STEM is found to be limited to a few which are socially visible. In addition, the hegemony of “university”, “degree” over “college”, “diploma”, “vocational” and “training” has resulted in Chinese Malaysians to consider technical and vocational education and training as well as practical-oriented courses in STEM as second choice. This does not augur well for national human resource development in emerging fields in STEM. Alternative discourses and narratives for STEM careers with reimaging of nature of jobs for STEM careers to reconstruct perception towards STEM via the media and science communications could enhance the attractiveness of STEM careers. Additionally, multi-disciplinary approach to higher education and promotion of specific STEM careers based on market needs could bring STEM closer to students.

Parliament as a steppingstone? Patterns of post-parliamentary careers in The Netherlands between 1967 and 2017

Not much is known about Members of Parliament (MPs) after they leave parliament. This study addresses this empirical gap by analysing post-parliamentary employment in The Netherlands between 1967 and 2017. With 970 post-parliamentary careers included, it ranks among the most extensive studies into post-parliamentary career attractiveness up to date and a first inquiry into the development over time. By employing two different measures of attractiveness, this study provides two main findings: first, MPs are increasingly transferring towards a more attractive post-parliamentary career in the 50 years under study, indicating changing patterns in post-parliamentary employment opportunities. Second, by comparing the development in patterns between private and political sector post-parliamentary careers, this study finds that the increase can mainly be attributed to an increase in private sector post-parliamentary careers. Not only are MPs increasingly moving towards the private sector, but they are also increasingly able to gain a more or similar attractive private sector function as of an MP. As a result, the findings indicate substantially different career opportunities, which, in turn, could have significant implications for parliamentary democracy.

Attractiveness of medical disciplines amongst Swiss first-year medical students allocated to different medical education tracks: cross-sectional study

BackgroundAs most countries, Switzerland is experiencing a shortage of physicians especially in general practice and new medical education tracks with respective focusses have been started in response. This study investigated Swiss medical students’ career openness and attractiveness of different medical disciplines as well as the concordance of students’ career intentions with assigned medical education tracks.MethodsCross-sectional study surveying first year medical students assigned to four different Swiss medical education tracks with distinctive additional education focuses (ETH Zurich: medical technology and engineering, University of St. Gallen and University of Lucerne: primary healthcare and University of Zurich: no distinctive focus).ResultsWe surveyed 354 medical students (response rate across all included medical education tracks 71.1%), 64.8% female, mean age 20 years. Regarding career openness, we found that 52.8% of medical students had neither a strong commitment nor a strong reservation for any of the proposed career options and 17.0% had a strong commitment. Among medical disciplines, medical subspecialties were attractive to the largest part of students (inpatient subspecialties attractive for 71%, outpatient for 58%), attractiveness of general practice was moderate (30%), academic (22%) and industrial sector (17%) careers were least attractive. Proportions of medical students attracted to general practice were similar at medical education tracks with focus on primary healthcare compared to other medical education tracks (32.2% vs. 25.8%, p = 0.391). Conversely, proportions of medical students attracted to academic or industry careers were significantly higher at the ETH Zurich compared to other medical education tracks (37.2%, vs. 13.1%, p < 0.001 and 31.9%, vs. 8.8%, p < 0.001 respectively).ConclusionWhile most first-year medical students were open to careers in many medical disciplines, attractiveness of disciplines varied strongly. Students attracted to academic or industrial careers accumulated at the medical education track with concordant teaching focus but students attracted to general practice did not accumulate at medical education tracks focused on primary healthcare. For medical education tracks with primary care teaching focus this is both a challenge and an opportunity to specifically counteract the shortage of general practitioners in Switzerland.

COVID-19 outbreak improves attractiveness of medical careers in Chinese senior high school students

BackgroundThe shortage of healthcare workers is becoming a serious global problem. The underlying reasons may be specific to the healthcare system in each country. Over the past decade, medicine has become an increasingly unpopular profession in China due to the heavy workload, long-term training, and inherent risks. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has placed the life-saving roles of healthcare professionals under the spotlight. This public health crisis may have a profound impact on career choices in Chinese population.MethodsWe conducted a questionnaire-based online survey among 21,085 senior high school students and 21,009 parents from 24 provinces (or municipalities) of China. We investigated the change of interest in medical study due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the potential motivational factors based on the expectancy-value theory framework. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation of static or dynamic interest in medical career pursuit with the reported number of COVID-19 cases. Logistic regression model was adopted to analyze the main factors associated with students’ choices.ResultsWe observed an increased preference for medical study post the outbreak of COVID-19 in both students (17.5 to 29.6%) and parents (37.1 to 47.3%). Attainment value was found to be the main reason for the choice among students, with the contribution to society rated as the top motivation. On the other hand, the predominant demotivation in high school students was lack of interest, followed by concerns regarding violence against doctors, heavy workload, long-term training and heavy responsibility as a doctor. Additionally, students who were female, in the resit of final year, had highly educated parents and outside of Hubei province were significantly associated with a keen interest in pursuing medical study.ConclusionsThis is the first multi-center cross-sectional study exploring the positive change and motivations of students’ preferences in medical study due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Our results may help medical educators, researchers and policymakers to restructure medical education to make it more appealing to high school students, particularly, to develop a more supportive social and working environment for medical professionals to maintain the observed enhanced enthusiasm.

“I Love What I Do; That’s The Bottom Line”: Theory of Women’s Career Attraction and Retention in Sport Psychology

The increasing representation of women in the field of sport psychology in recent years is the direct result of pioneering female practitioners and scholars. Although the contributions of these women are often relegated to the pages of textbooks, the exploration of women’s professional experiences is essential to understanding what sources lead women to engaging in sport psychology. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to generate a theory that explored the factors that influence women’s attraction and retention to sport psychology. An interpretivist–constructivist paradigm and constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to guide semistructured interviews with 17 cisgender female sport psychology practitioners. The findings of this study were used to develop the theory of women’s career attraction and retention in sport psychology. The theory comprised three categories including (a) sources of attraction, (b) training and professional development, and (c) sources of retention. Study findings and professional implications are discussed throughout.

Students’ perceptions of tertiary tourism education and careers during the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Covid-19 causes significant disruption and creates challenges for international student recruitment while raising questions about the future attractiveness of tourism careers. To identify if, how and why the perceptions of tourism education and careers have changed, 24 interviews were conducted with students currently enrolled in a tertiary tourism management degree at two New Zealand universities and explored through the theory of planned behaviour. Disruption induced by Covid-19 predominantly strengthened students’ commitment to their previously selected career. Prepared to find alternative employment options throughout the initial recovery period due to a perceived lack of behavioural control, the ability to utilize their degree to induce positive change and make a lasting difference to redesign tourism for the better overrode increasingly negative subjective norms and initial doubt and anxiety. As a result, students held predominantly optimistic attitudes towards future tourism careers and perceived a potentially higher future value of a tertiary tourism degree.

Undergraduate hospitality students’ perceptions of careers in the industry: The Ghanaian context

ABSTRACT The study examined undergraduate students’ perceptions about careers in the hospitality industry in Ghana. Students were sampled from traditional and technical public universities through a stratified random sampling technique. With a sample size of 1 341, exploratory factor analysis, t-test and one-way analysis of variance were employed to analyse the data. The findings show that career attractiveness, prestige and mobility and the nature of hospitality careers were the main constructs of students’ perceptions about careers in the hospitality industry. Also, undergraduate students were generally indifferent about careers in the industry. Specifically, students perceived careers in the industry to offer opportunities to meet new people, but this was also stressful. Implications for educators and industry practitioners are presented.

Secondary students\u2019 values and perceptions of science-related careers: responses to vignette-based scenarios

There has been concern about the attractiveness of science-based careers to many adolescent learners, and it has been suggested that school science may not always recognise or engage personal values that are important to young people in making life choices. The present study discusses interview comments made by upper secondary level students in England when 15 young people were asked to give their personal responses to brief vignettes describing scientific careers. Using an interview-about-scenarios approach, the students were asked about whether they would feel comfortable working in the scientific careers represented. The career areas were purposefully selected because they might be considered to potentially raise issues in relation to personal values or commitments that some students might hold. A range of student perceptions relating to the mooted careers were elicited (positive, negative and indifferent), but all of the participants raised issues that impacted on the acceptability or attractiveness of at least one of the mooted scientific careers, in terms of aspects of their own personal beliefs and values systems. It is recommended that teachers and career advisors should be aware of the range of value-related considerations that influence student views of science-related careers and should consider exploring aspects of science-based careers that link to values commonly shared by young people. This exploratory study also offers indications for directions for further research exploring how learners’ value systems impact upon their perceptions of science and scientific work.

Am I choosing the right career? The implications of COVID-19 on the occupational attitudes of hospitality management students.

The hospitality industry is under threat from COVID-19 and the possibility of future crises remains very real. To improve understanding of how such a crisis impacts the attractiveness of pursuing a career in the hospitality industry, this study examines the effects of negative emotions invoked by COVID-19 on hospitality management students' occupational attitudes. Using a sample of 425 students, we find that in addition to diminishing their occupational identification and in turn, job choice intentions, that the effects of these negative emotions are channeled through three salient motivational pathways, namely self-efficacy, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and passion. Thus, the study not only advances theory by providing a more nuanced conceptualization of the effects of negative emotions on occupational attitudes but it identifies important leverage points that can be harnessed to help mitigate the harmful emotional effects of a crisis, such as COVID-19, important and timely contributions that the authors hope willbenefit aspiring hospitality industry talent and help restore the attractiveness of careers in the hospitality industry. Future research directions and implications to theory and practice are discussed.

CSR Perception Influence on Philadelphia Young Professionals: Career Attraction and Expectations

CSR Perception Influence on Philadelphia Young Professionals: Career Attraction and Expectations

Invisible Shifts in and Out of the Classroom: Dynamics of Teacher Salary and Teacher Supply in Urban China

Background The remarkable economic growth in contemporary China is unprecedented, but scholars voice concerns regarding unintended consequences during this transitional phase. Of particular concern is the constant challenge to staff schools with highly qualified teachers. Purpose This study sets out to understand subtle yet consequential changes in schools during a sustained period of economic boom, through the lens of teacher occupational choice. This study contributes empirically to the teacher occupational choice literature by identifying the magnitude of lag in wage growth and returns to human capital in the teaching profession, and their critical relationship affecting high-ability workers’ career decisions. Research Design Using a nationally representative repeated cross-sectional data set spanning a quarter century (1988–2013), this study estimates Mincer earnings function regression models and multinomial probit regression models to assess wage differentials and heterogeneous rates of return to human capital in teaching and nonteaching sectors, in addition to untangling complex relationships between worker quality and observed occupational choice. Findings We documented several novel facts about teachers in contemporary urban China. First, we found sharp shifts in the relative career attractiveness of teaching, such that a 13% wage premium for teachers in 1988 dissipated over time and regressed to a 11% wage penalty in 2013, when compared with similar workers. Second, returns to tertiary education are markedly higher in nonteaching careers—about 11–15 percentage points more so than in teaching. Third, highly educated workers in younger cohorts are half as likely to become teachers relative to older cohorts, particularly in recent years. Conclusions The authors contextualize findings and discuss appropriate policy implications. Most importantly, holding back teacher wage levels from broader market prices has consequential effects on teacher supply. Policy makers need to reconsider existing forms of teacher compensation arrangements and develop sustainable wage dynamics that can attract and retain bright minds to enter and stay in teaching.

Major Decisions and Career Attractiveness among Criminal Justice Students

Criminal justice programs have grown dramatically in recent decades. Yet, relatively little is known about what motivates students to choose criminal justice as a major and what their career goals are after graduation. In light of current uprisings and demands for criminal justice reform, this study investigates the relationship between undergraduate students' personal characteristics and the criminal justice careers to which they are attracted. Findings can inform criminal justice curriculum development and student retention, as well as recruitment and hiring practices for criminal justice agencies.

Teacher attractiveness of ingressants in Pedagogy course

This article discusses the attractiveness of teachers among newcomers to the Pedagogy Course. The objective was to know the motivation for students to enter the first period of the course, since the teaching profession seems to be undervalued. The article describes and analyzes the current context of teaching, highlights the issue of teacher appreciation and career attractiveness. It also brings the results of field research conducted with the 65 students of the 1st period of the Pedagogy Course, from a state institution, in a city of Rio de Janeiro / Brazil, who answered a questionnaire in the 2nd semester of 2018. Research indicates that the Pedagogy Course was not the first college option for most students, who chose it for a variety of reasons. The most cited were: enjoying working with children and the opportunity to complete their studies.

ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ДОСЛІДНИЦЬКОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ АКАДЕМІЧНОГО ПЕРСОНАЛУ: ЗАРУБІЖНИЙ ДОСВІД

The problem of evaluating the university faculty research performance in the European Higher Education Area and in the European Research Area is enlightened in the paper. It is emphasized that under the transition to open science and open access and increasing digitalization, that has emerged in the higher education system due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of academic staff research performance evaluation and their career attractiveness needs to be reconsidered. The article analyses the key principles of evaluating researchers and their professional development; they are enlightened in the basic regulations of the European Commission, European University Association and European Research Area, and in the Hong Kong Principles as a part of the Open Science and Open Access Initiative. The issue of using almetrics in evaluating research outputs is actualized; it provides the «visibility» of the researcher not only for the scientific or educational community, but also for society as a whole. This expands the scope of usual indicators of research performance and provides a comprehensive and more objective measurement of researchers’ excellence. The structure of research performance evaluation is given; it should be based on an integrated approach, taking into account the peer-review, quantitative and qualitative measurements, and include all the components of university staff research activity, i.e. the scientific creativity potential and its research outputs, research supervision, young scientists’ mentoring, national and international cooperation, performing administrative duties, research dissemination, and mobility.

What Keeps Them Interested? Influences on the Stability of Research Career Intentions in the Course of Academic Qualification

Aim/Purpose: While scientists play a crucial role within modern knowledge societies, the attractiveness of scientific careers in Germany is moderate due to career uncertainty and the limited perspectives of long-term retention in academia. This study identifies (intra-individual) changes in the career intentions of early career researchers. Furthermore, supporting factors for the stability of research career intentions are shown. Background: Recent studies investigated early career researchers’ career intentions and predictors for their development in cross-section. These studies determine influences of individual factors, such as interests or self-efficacy beliefs, and organizational aspects like working and doctoral training conditions. By contrast, there is little knowledge about intra-individual changes in career intentions in the course of academic qualification. Methodology: Longitudinal data of 101 research associates at a German university were collected via survey questionnaires in 2016 and 2018. Descriptive analysis was used to investigate changes in career intentions in consideration of doctoral phases. Logistic regression was applied to predict the stability of research career intentions over time. Contribution: So far, research investigated the career intentions of early career researchers in Germany solely in cross-section. The present paper contributes in two ways. Firstly, intra-individual changes in career intentions are identified from a longitudinal perspective. Secondly, the stability of research career intentions is explained, considering various individual and contextual factors based on the Social Cognitive Model of Career Choice. Findings: Descriptive analyses illustrate the tendency of declining interest in scientific careers in the course of academic qualification. The stability of research career intentions is predicted by changes in attractiveness ratings of a professorship and subjective assessments of research abilities relative to peers. Changes in academic self-efficacy beliefs have no significant effect. Recommendations for Practitioners: Firstly, the attraction of and the path to a professorship must be structurally strengthened. Secondly, early career researchers should be supported in developing realistic assessments of their subjective research skills relative to peers. Mentoring in addition to academic supervision, mental support, or opportunities for peer counseling are expected to be valuable offers. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers seeking to explain the career intentions of early career researchers should be aware of their changeability. Hence, they should be investigated in extended longitudinal studies. Furthermore, impostor feelings as influencing factors on career intentions need further research. Impact on Society: Research and knowledge are the basis for innovation and progress. In today’s knowledge society, research is in direct competition with both other countries and the private sector. In order to attract the “brightest minds” for academia, universities and research institutes must gain a deeper understanding of factors influencing the stability of research career intentions. Future Research: Future research should focus on specific instruments of promoting early career researchers and how they affect the development of realistic assessments of individual research skills. Moreover, international ECRs should be explicitly considered since a researchers’ visa status potentially affects career prospects and individual career intentions.

Education, training and mobility: towards a common effort to assure a future workforce in Europe and abroad

The paper highlights the main features of some Euratom projects, which have been running recently in support to education, training and mobility in the nuclear fields. The described projects address various critical aspects of nuclear knowledge management, aiming at maintaining the wealth of nuclear expertise in Europe in an environment characterised by decreased attractiveness of nuclear careers. In an effort to broaden the cooperation and to further extend the opportunities for mobility, some projects ran in parallel with similar initiatives undertaken beyond the European borders. The lesson learnt in terms of successes achieved and critical aspects revealed by the different actions are finally discussed also considering recent recommendations and assessed scenarios by the European Commission for the decarbonisation of the energy sector.

COVID-19 Outbreak Improves Attractiveness of Careers in Medicine in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey in High School Students and Parents

Background: The shortage of healthcare workers is becoming a serious global problem. The underlying reasons may be specific to the healthcare system in each country. Over the past decade, medicine has become an increasingly unpopular profession in China due to the heavy workload, long-term training, and inherent risks. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has placed the life-saving roles of healthcare professionals under the spotlight. This public health crisis may have a profound impact on career choices in the young generation of Chinese. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based online survey on high school students and their parents from 24 provinces (or municipalities) of China. We investigated the change of interest in medical study due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the motivational factors. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the correlation of static or dynamic interest of medical career selection with the reported number of COVID-19 cases. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs was used to explore underlying motivations for selection of medical-related degrees. The logistic regression model was adopted to analyze the main factors associated with students’ choices. Findings: A total of 21,085 students and 21,009 parents were included in the study. We observed an increased preference for medical study since the outbreak of COVID-19 in both students (17·5% to 29·6%) and parents (37·1% to 47·3%). Contribution to society and interest in medicine was rated as the main motivations. Additionally, students who were female, in the resit of graduate year and outside of Hubei province were significantly associated with a keen interest in medical study. Interpretation: This first multi-center cross-sectional study explores the positive change and noble motivations of students’ preferences in medical study during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal study is required to determine the persistence of their choices. Funding Statement: The Local High Level University Construction Project of Shanghai, China. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Institutional review board of the Fudan University School of Public Health. Informed consent was waived because the questions were answered anonymously.