Undecided Students Research Articles

Bridging Healthcare Horizons: Illuminating Pakistani Medical Students' Perspectives on Telemedicine

Purpose: In the evolving landscape of global healthcare, telemedicine stands out as a beacon of progress, offering enhanced accessibility. Nowhere is its impact more critical than in the rural expanse of Pakistan, where traditional healthcare struggles to reach. This research delves into the minds of Pakistani medical students, a cohort pivotal in steering the future of healthcare delivery in the country.
 Methodology: The research design for your study can be described as cross-sectional or survey research, focusing on understanding the telemedicine exposure, interest levels, and plans for future utilization among Pakistani medical students across 20 medical schools.
 Target Population: The target population in your study comprises Pakistani medical students enrolled in the 20 medical schools included in the study.
 Findings: Among the 396 students surveyed, 24% boasted prior exposure to telemedicine, while a noteworthy 52% expressed unwavering intentions to incorporate it into their future medical practices. Notably, 73.8% of those with prior exposure were resolute in their commitment to using telemedicine, compared to 43% without prior exposure. Among the undecided students, 21% had been exposed previously, shedding light on the profound influence of exposure on shaping future intentions.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy, and Practice: This research goes beyond the surface exploration of medical students' attitudes towards telemedicine; it makes a distinctive contribution to theoretical frameworks, policy development, and practical implications. The study acts as a theoretical cornerstone by shedding light on the intricacies of the awareness gap within this demographic. From a policy perspective, the findings provide policymakers in Pakistan with a nuanced understanding of the current state and future potential of telemedicine integration into the healthcare system. The practical implications are profound, emphasizing the urgent need for early education in telemedicine to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals for the challenges and opportunities presented by an evolving healthcare landscape.

고교학점제 운영에 있어 진로전담교사의 직무역량지원을 위한 요구분석 진로지도 및 상담직무 중심으로

Purpose: The high school credit system, which is a customized curriculum for each student that
 values the career design and growth of each student, is expected to be fully implemented in general
 high schools from 2025. These institutional changes in secondary education mean that it is necessary
 to prepare for the establishment and transformation of teachers and school management systems.
 Therefore, this study aimed to redefine the job competencies of high school and middle school career
 teachers in the operation of the high school credit system and analyze the educational needs necessary
 for job performance.
 Methods: The results of 242 career teachers in middle and high school were analyzed. Priority needs
 were derived by systematically and comprehensively applying the Borich demand analysis and The
 Locus for Focus model analysis to 39 'career guidance and counseling' performance capabilities.
 Results: As a result of the study, counseling for undecided students and counseling for students with
 low career motivation were the top educational needs of middle and high school career teachers. For
 middle school career teachers, instruction, and counseling for selecting subjects suitable for students'
 careers and aptitudes, and counseling for career advancement according to future jobs and social changes
 were the top educational needs, while for general high school career teachers, instruction, and counseling
 to ensure career connection between middle and high school were the top educational needs. For
 all middle and high school career teachers, the ability to prepare academic plans, counseling for
 undecided students, career-linked counseling for middle and high school students, and counseling for
 students with low career motivation were the top educational demands.
 Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it was suggested to provide programs to strengthen
 high-demand job competencies, provide new education every year for jobs that want to increase
 professionalism, establish an education system suitable for each annual level, and systemize career
 counseling records management linking middle and high schools.

A Historiographic Review of the Research on Undecided Students

Abstract Advising programs for undecided/exploratory students risk reinvention of the wheel through lack of familiarity with existing literature. This lack can also leave the scholar and the practitioner unable to identify potential gaps within the research. Applying the methodological approach of qualitative historiography to literature from 1950 to 2022, our findings clarify the need for a nuanced and clear understanding of undecided/exploratory students. Observed throughout the literature is an awareness that exploration and decision-making skills are valuable to all students. Additionally, cultural context—examining the various models, programs, and interventions through a lens of equity and inclusion—and a more global perspective are critical for future research.

Demographics, Purpose, and Dreams: Predicting Entering College as an Undecided Major Student

Undecided students who self-identify as uncertain of their academic path represent a unique population to support from an academic advising perspective. In a sample of 257,813 students who entered 243 four-year institutions nationally, this study examined the relationship between students who selected undecided as their intended college major and individual student characteristics. Results indicate a primary predictor of undecidedness is student acknowledgment of indecisiveness about their choice of major or career; however, undecidedness also is related to interpersonal and contextual characteristics previously unexamined. Advisors should assess students’ level of major and career certainty, concerns about financing college, and aspects of students’ identities that were predictive of undecidedness.

A Study on The Satisfaction Perceptions Towards Distance Education of German Teacher Candidates

Bu çalışmada Covid-19 salgın dönemi uzaktan eğitim alan Alman Dili Eğitimi Bölümü öğrencilerinin uzaktan eğitime yönelik memnuniyet algılarını tespit etmek amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda bir devlet üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Yabancı Diller Eğitimi Alman Dili Eğitimi Bölümü’nde öğrenim gören 80 üniversite öğrencisine Uzaktan Eğitim ile ilgili memnuniyet anketi uygulanmıştır. Anketten online olarak elde edilen veriler frekans ve yüzde gibi tanımlayıcı istatistikler yoluyla R Studio programında analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitim sistemini çok fazla benimsemedikleri görülmüştür. Almanca eğitiminin uzaktan sürdürülmesine ilişkin video kayıtlarının, esnek eğitim olanaklarının ve zamandan tasarrufun olumlu olduğu görülürken, internete ulaşamama, teknik sorunlar ve sosyal olarak izole edilmiş olma gibi konular olumsuz yönler olarak tespit edilmiştir. Araştırmanın bir diğer dikkat çekici sonucu ise öğrencilerin yüz yüze eğitimde olduğu kadar olmasa da öğretim üyeleri ile iletişim kurmakta çok zorlanmadıklarını belirtmeleridir. Anketi oluşturan her bölümde kararsız öğrencilerin fazla olması araştırmanın bir diğer çarpıcı sonucudur. Bu sonuç, uzaktan eğitimde teknik sorunların giderilmesi ve uzaktan eğitimin iyileştirilmesi durumunda kararsız öğrencilerin uzaktan eğitime uyum sağlayabilecekleri ve uzaktan eğitimden memnun olabileceklerini göstermektedir. Bu tür çalışmalar diğer üniversitelerde de yürütülürse ve ortak sorunlar tespit edilirse sorunların üstesinden gelmede ve eğitim siteminin iyileştirilmesinde ortak adımlar atılabilir.

Agency and career indecision among biological science graduate students

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how student agency influences career decision-making for doctoral students in biological sciences. The authors address the following questions: How do biological science graduate students navigate career indecision? And how does agency relate to their experiences with career indecision?Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed interview data collected from 84 PhD biology graduate students. Researchers used a grounded theory approach. After open codes were developed and data were coded, code reports were generated, which were used to determine themes.FindingsMore than half of the sample had not committed to a career path, and undecided students were bifurcated into two categories: Uncommitted and Uncertain. Uncommitted graduate students demonstrated agency in their approach and were focused on exploration and development. Uncertain students demonstrated less agency, were more fearful and perceived less control and clarity about their options and strategies to pursue career goals.Practical implicationsFindings suggest some forms of indecision can be productive and offer institutional leaders guidance for increasing the efficacy of career development and exploration programming.Originality/valueResearch on doctoral student career decision-making is often quantitative and rarely explores the role of agency. This qualitative study focuses on the relationship between student agency and career indecision, which is an understudied aspect of career development.

Effect of Rural Clinical Placements on Intention to Practice and Employment in Rural Australia: A Systematic Review.

Background: Supporting the provision of clinical placement (CP) experiences in rural areas is a strategy used worldwide to promote the rural health workforce. While there is international evidence for this intervention in medicine, there is limited understanding of the influence of rural CP for nursing, midwifery, allied health, and dentistry health professions in Australia, which have received substantial federal investment. This review examined the relationship between rural CP and non-medicine health students’ future rural practice intentions and workforce outcomes. Methods: Four databases were systematically searched; papers were screened using defined criteria and appraised using the mixed-methods appraisal tool (MMAT). Findings were synthesized using a critical narrative approach. Results: The methodological quality of the 29 eligible studies (13 quantitative non-randomized, 10 mixed method, 4 qualitative, 2 quantitative description) was appraised. Ten high-quality studies were identified. The review found that positive CP experiences may influence intention to practice rurally amongst undecided students and serve as a reinforcing experience for those students already interested in rural practice. There were mixed findings regarding the influence of CP length. The review also found that there is currently only evidence for the short-term effects of CP on students’ future practice outcomes in rural areas with focus thus far on early practice outcomes. Conclusions: Those looking to use rural CP to promote the rural health workforce should focus on supporting the quality of a large number of CP experiences that are undertaken in rural areas, as there are currently differing findings on the role of rural CP length. Future studies of rural CP should consider greater use of social and educational theories to guide them.

Geographic practice preferences of graduating medical students pursuing careers in dermatology

Geographic practice preferences of graduating medical students pursuing careers in dermatology

A Decision Support System for Undecided and Exploratory Students

Choosing a major can be a difficult choice for undeclared students, depending on personal interests, job markets, program costs, and the complexity of graduation requirements. The current procedure for exploring possible majors/minors involves a tedious and time-consuming exploration of static data presented in a convoluted format. This work considers the complexity of degree requirements and presents the design and implementation of an efficient decision support system (DSS) for exploring majors and/or minors. The DSS presents a tool that enables college students to map their already completed courses to degree requirements and then view the majors/minors that yield the shortest path for graduation. Secondly, the DSS system provides data visualization tools to assist students in selecting courses that satisfy the remaining requirements of a selected major/minor.

Knowledge, Opinions, and Attitudes of Students of Warsaw Universities Toward Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a method of treatment in many diseases, including oncology. For a large group of patients, such a therapy is a procedure that saves their health and life. Most of the transplants come from unrelated donors, which are still insufficient in comparison to the recipients in need. The purpose of the study to assess the knowledge, opinions, and attitudes of students of Warsaw universities toward hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The survey was conducted among 351 students of Warsaw universities. The research method was a diagnostic survey, and the tool was the author's questionnaire. The statistical analysis was performed using the StatSoft Statistica 13.1 PL statistical package and Microsoft Office package. The respondents answered correctly on an average 59% of the analyzed issues. Medical students older than 25 and women had a higher level of knowledge; 41.6% of respondents were registered in the donor database, and this more often referred to medical students (P < .0001). The motivation for registering (97.3%) was the willingness to help another person. The unregistered reported that their lack of a decision on registration, among others, was because their general health condition made it impossible to become a donor (34.6%) or they had insufficient knowledge (31.7%)-this more often referred to nonmedical students (P < .0001). In addition, 55% of students would be interested in attending a meeting/lecture at their university about being a potential donor (including 63.1% of medical and 44.9% of nonmedical students). The knowledge of the surveyed students was at an average level, and the opinions and attitudes were mostly favorable. It seems that the organization of meetings on bone marrow donation at universities could enable a larger number of undecided students to decide to enter into the donor register.

School-to-University Transition: The Paradox of Motivated but Undecided Students

Educational research on university transitions has repeatedly highlighted that inequalities related to cultural origin still persist even though intergenerational upward mobility has been facilitated over the last fifteen years due to the huge enrollment rates documented across countries in the Western world. In contrast to this line of research in which differences between social or cultural groups are investigated, the unit of analysis in this article is a demographically homogeneous group of families in which the parents invest in university studies as the main route for their children’s post-18 pathways. Through a variable-based research design we explore the conditions which affect high-school students’ motives for following university studies. The main finding has to do with the fact that it is how late or early students make their decision that is the factor differentiating the families within this group and affecting the students’ transition to university.

Attitudes of medical students to general practice: a multinational cross-sectional survey.

A shortage of general practitioners (GPs) is common to many European countries. To counteract this, it is essential to understand the factors that encourage or discourage medical students from choosing to become a GP. To evaluate medical students' attitudes towards general practice and to identify factors that discourage them from considering a career as a GP. In this multinational cross-sectional online survey, 29 284 students from nine German, four Austrian and two Slovenian universities were invited to answer a questionnaire consisting of 146 closed and 13 open-ended items. Of the 4486 students that responded (response rate: 15.3%), 3.6% wanted to become a GP, 48.1% were undecided and 34.6% did not want to be a GP. Significant predictors for interest in becoming a GP were higher age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-1.10], positive evaluation of the content of a GP's work (OR = 4.44; 95% CI = 3.26-6.06), organizational aspects (OR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.13-1.78), practical experience of general practice (OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.08-2.56) and the country of the survey [Slovenian versus German students (Reference): OR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.10-4.38; Austrian versus German students (Reference): OR = 0.50; 95% CI = 0.32-0.79]. Strategies to convince undecided students to opt for a career as a GP should include a positive representation of a GP's work and early and repeated experience of working in a general practice during medical school.

A Fork in the Road: Exploring Undecided Student Success

A Fork in the Road: Exploring Undecided Student Success

Motivational factors influencing student intentions to practise in underserved areas.

Exploring student intentions to practise in underserved areas (UAs) is necessary to inform the planning and training of the future medical workforce in order to increase effectiveness and fulfil societal needs. However, little is known about the motivational factors influencing these intentions. This paper explores medical students' intentions to practise in UAs and the motivational factors predicting these intentions. Eligible participants included graduating medical students from four of the five Swiss medical schools, who self-reported specialty choice, intentions to practise in UAs, and motives that explained their career choices. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare site, gender, specialty choice and UA practice intention. Motives were aggregated to obtain motivational factors using a principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Logistic regression was used to predict the effects of these motivational factors and of gender on UA practice intention. Of 1749 students included in the study, 240 (13.7%) expressed an intention to practise in UAs (62.1% of whom intended to practise in rural areas) and 719 (41.1%) were undecided. In those who wished to practise in UAs, general practice (21.6%) was the most preferred specialty. Motivational factors influencing specialty choice were intellectual challenge, work variety, work conditions and enthusiasm (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index 0.79, P<.001, 49.0% of variance explained). Students motivated by work variety (odds ratio [OR] 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-1.7) and by work conditions (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6) were more likely to choose UAs and those motivated by intellectual challenge (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.5) were less likely. Undecided students' motivations were very similar to those of students interested in working in UAs. The actual number of Swiss students interested in working in UAs is low and is probably insufficient to meet current societal needs. Work variety and work conditions appear to be factors that might attract interested and undecided students towards working in UAs.

Identifying Potential Secondary School Teachers among Science University Students: A Latent Profile Analysis

ABSTRACT The STEM teacher shortage in secondary education makes it important to investigate who is interested in becoming a STEM teacher, so that recruitment initiatives can be adjusted to these students’ characteristics. A latent profile analysis on data from 905 STEM university students identified two types of students with teaching aspirations. The first type (14%) consisted of undecided students who were interested in many careers, had high social interest, and wanted to work in a nice environment with much social contact. The second group (12%) was interested in research, science communication, and teaching. This group had high intellectual and social interest, and wanted to be intellectually challenged. Both groups had high teacher self-efficacy. Implications for teacher education recruitment are discussed.

Factors Associated With Intention to Pursue Pharmacy Residency: The Undecided Student Issue

PurposeWith over 14,000 pharmacy graduates in 2019 in the United States, the pharmacy job market may be steadily becoming saturated. As part of the quality indicators, many Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs report and encourage their graduates to pursue residencies. However, there is a portion of the pharmacy students that are undecided about residencies. The purpose of this study was to learn about contributing factors that leads students to being undecided regarding considering residency programs. MethodThis was a survey-based study of year two and three pharmacy students from five Colleges of Pharmacy in the United States, conducted retrospectively. This study compared students’ past behaviors, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control between students who were undecided and those with an Intent to Pursue (ITP) residency. ResultsA total of 287 students responded to the survey (response rate = 24.78%). Students that had not attended Midyear/residency showcase were more likely to be undecided about residencies than those that did (91.67% vs 62.50%). In addition, undecided students were less likely to agree that the people who were important to them believed that they should pursue residency compared to ITP group (4.36 vs. 5.72, on a 7-point Likert score). Lastly, those who perceived large student loans or family obligations as barriers were more likely to be undecided (OR 1.761 and 1.560, respectively). DiscussionFocusing on undecided students and addressing these major contributing factors as part of the career advising/preparation may result in shifting these students’ intention to pursue residency.

A Cognitive Knowledge-based Model for an Academic Adaptive e-Advising System

Aim/Purpose: This study describes a conceptual model, based on the principles of concept algebra that can provide intelligent academic advice using adaptive, knowledge-based feedback. The proposed model advises students based on their traits and academic history. The system aims to deliver adaptive advice to students using historical data from previous and current students. This data-driven approach utilizes a cognitive knowledge-based (CKB) model to update the weights (values that indicate the strength of relationships between concepts) that exist between student’s performances and recommended courses. Background: A research study conducted at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), a higher education institution in Kuwait, indicates that students’ have positive perceptions of the e-Advising system. Most students believe that PAAET’s e-Advising system is effective because it allows them to check their academic status, provides a clear vision of their academic timeline, and is a convenient, user-friendly, and attractive online service. Student advising can be a tedious element of academic life but is necessary to fill the gap between student performance and degree requirements. Higher education institutions have prioritized assisting undecided students with career decisions for decades. An important feature of e-Advising systems is personalized feedback, where tailored advice is provided based on students' characteristics and other external parameters. Previous e-Advising systems provide students with advice without taking into consideration their different attributes and goals. Methodology: This research describes a model for an e-Advising system that enables students to select courses recommended based on their personalities and academic performance. Three algorithms are used to provide students with adaptive course selection advice: the knowledge elicitation algorithm that represents students' personalities and academic information, the knowledge bonding algorithm that combines related concepts or ideas within the knowledge base, and the adaptive e-Advising model that recommends relevant courses. The knowledge elicitation algorithm acquires student and academic characteristics from data provided, while the knowledge bonding algorithm fuses the newly acquired features with existing information in the database. The adaptive e-Advising algorithm provides recommended courses to students based on existing cognitive knowledge to overcome the issues associated with traditional knowledge representation methods. Contribution: The design and implementation of an adaptive e-Advising system are challenging because it relies on both academic and student traits. A model that incorporates the conceptual interaction between the various academic and student-specific components is needed to manage these challenges. While other e-Advising systems provide students with general advice, these earlier models are too rudimentary to take student characteristics (e.g., knowledge level, learning style, performance, demographics) into consideration. For the online systems that have replaced face-to-face academic advising to be effective, they need to take into consideration the dynamic nature of contemporary students and academic settings. Findings: The proposed algorithms can accommodate a highly diverse student body by providing information tailored to each student. The academic and student elements are represented as an Object-Attribute-Relationship (OAR) model. Recommendations for Practitioners: The model proposed here provides insight into the potential relationships between students’ characteristics and their academic standing. Furthermore, this novel e-Advising system provides large quantities of data and a platform through which to query students, which should enable developing more effective, knowledge-based approaches to academic advising. Recommendation for Researchers: The proposed model provides researches with a framework to incorporate various academic and student characteristics to determine the optimal advisory factors that affect a student’s performance. Impact on Society: The proposed model will benefit e-Advising system developers in implementing updateable algorithms that can be tested and improved to provide adaptive advice to students. The proposed approach can provide new insight to advisors on possible relationships between student’s characteristics and current academic settings. Thus, providing a means to develop new curriculums and approaches to learning. Future Research: In future studies, the proposed algorithms will be implemented, and the adaptive e-Advising model will be tested on real-world data and then further improved to cater to specific academic settings. The proposed model will benefit e-Advising system developers in implementing updateable algorithms that can be tested and improved to provide adaptive advisory to students. The approach proposed can provide new insight to advisors on possible relationships between student’s characteristics and current academic settings. Thus, providing a means to develop new curriculums and approaches to course recommendation.

Use of Data Analytics in Supporting the Advising of Undecided Students

Higher education institutions have prioritized supporting undecided students with their major and career decisions for decades. This study used a U.S. public research-focused university’s large-scale institutional data set and undecided student’s retention and graduation rate predictors to demonstrate how to couple student and institutional data with predictive analytics to understand the different demographics, academic characteristics, and the number of major changes between undecided and decided students. This study helps practitioners take the first step in using data analytics to inform decision-making in academic advising and supporting undecided students’ academic success.

In Memory Virginia N. Gordon December 13, 1927 to November 21, 2017

In Memory Virginia N. Gordon December 13, 1927 to November 21, 2017

First-Generation Students With Undecided Majors: A Qualitative Study of University Reacculturation

When they enter institutions of higher education, students typically leave behind one culture to join another. Despite the higher rates of attrition for first-generation students over continuing-generation students and undecided students over declared students, little research has been focused on undeclared first-generation students. To understand the challenges and experiences of first-generation undecided students transitioning to a new and unfamiliar academic environment, we applied a reacculturation process to this qualitative exploratory case study of 35 students. Data came from interviews, focus group interactions, observations, and written responses to open-ended questions, which were subsequently triangulated. Findings revealed heightened feelings of stress, desire to become comfortable on campus, reliance upon continuing-generation friends, helpfulness of a specialized first-year seminar course, and uncertainty about advisors' roles.