Undergraduate Field Of Study Research Articles

Association between history of academic failure during dental school and self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress: A retrospective cohort.

To investigate the association between history of academic failure (HAF) and self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate dental students. This study involved 244 dental students from one university. An online questionnaire collected information on the following variables: socioeconomic status, behavior, use of licit/illicit drugs, and the choice of dentistry as an undergraduate field of study. The 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was applied. HAF in at least one subject during a participant's undergraduate tenure was defined as the main outcome. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance. In addition, a subgroup analysis was performed for the variable "dentistry as the first choice for undergraduate studies." The prevalence of HAF was 25.00% (n=61). Among those students, the mean number of academic failures was 5.41±6.38 (range: 1-33). Higher rates of HAF were observed among older and non-white dental students. Moreover, those who self-reported at least severe depression presented a 79% higher HAF prevalence ratio (PR) (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.15-2.80). Similar findings were detected among those who reported (PR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.06-4.46) or did not report (PR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.10-4.46) interest in dentistry as a first undergraduate option. Conversely, among women and students who did not choose dentistry as their first option, HAF was significantly lower (PR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.21-0.80). Higher HAF rates are observed in students who are older, non-white, and self-report at least severe depression. However, dentistry as a first option for undergraduate studies was not associated with HAF.

How Can I Become the Best Teacher? ELT Instructors’ Professional Development Preferences

It is well acknowledged that one of the most significant things contributing to a successful career in language teaching is ongoing professional development. It is difficult to determine which tool is the most effective for the development of teachers because of the variety of current strategies that are still being debated in terms of their usefulness and practicability as professional development practices. Furthermore, the perspectives that teachers hold regarding professional development practices vary widely. In this work, various strategies for aiding the professional growth of ELT teachers at a foundation university in Istanbul are presented and discussed. Additionally, their preferences for varied practices that enhance teacher development were identified through a survey investigation. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire, and then they were analyzed to demonstrate both the similarities and differences in the approaches to teaching. The findings revealed that the degree to which teachers valued and made use of the activities differed significantly based on several factors, including their gender, age, years of teaching experience, the undergraduate field of study, and level of qualification. The findings could serve as the foundation for a proposal made to educators who are interested in developing their approach to teaching more professionally.

Success beyond STEM: an analysis of educational background of the Fortune 50 CEOs

PurposeThe purpose of this article is examine some of the most successful contemporary global business leaders in relation to undergraduate institution and undergraduate major in order to examine the value and return of higher education programs for global business leadership. This is an important topic in the modern global context, as there continues to be an increasing global push toward deemphasizing and defunding liberal arts education in favor of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields for college and university students around the globe.Design/methodology/approachThe educational backgrounds of the 2019 Fortune 50 CEOs were researched in relation to undergraduate institutions attended and undergraduate majors. The study also included an examination of graduate education, if applicable. Using available biographical information regarding the CEOs educational backgrounds, these business leaders were compared relative to the educational data.FindingsAn examination of the undergraduate educational backgrounds of the 2019 Fortune 50 CEOs revealed an exact split between 18 STEM majors, 18 liberal arts majors and 18 business majors, with 1 CEO who began university studies but did not graduate. Upon examination, it is also apparent that some majors were more directly related to a CEO's industry, while other majors ended up having little relation to the CEO's chosen career path.Practical implicationsThe results of this study contribute to the very important discussion concerning the long-term value of a college education. At both micro and macro levels, stakeholders are constantly questioning the ultimate return on investment of a college education, and examination of the 2019 Fortune 50 CEOs indicates that the choice of college major is only one ingredient in the overall recipe for professional success. For these business leaders, there were a wide variety of educational paths, in terms of college academic preparations, that eventually led to the very pinnacle of professional and leadership attainment.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that a particular undergraduate field of study is not going to make or break a career, and the examination of these Fortune 50 CEOs indicates that one's ultimate career achievement is not simply relegated to the specific field of undergraduate major.

Predictors of success on the MCAT among post-baccalaureate pre-medicine students

Post-baccalaureate pre-medicine programs (PBPMP) provide prerequisite coursework for non-life science majors who aspire to become physicians. Students entering these programs generally do not have previous college-level exposure to the natural sciences. This pilot study was conducted to determine characteristics of scientifically naive, career changer, pre-medical students that may be used by PBPMP admissions committees. Statistical analyses were performed between Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores and student gender, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, undergraduate field of study, and undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA). While relationships between certain subscores on the SAT and MCAT were found, data suggest that other non-quantitative metrics be considered as predictors of performance among PBPMP students.

Elite universities, fields of study and top salaries: Which degree will make you rich?

This article assesses the chances of entering the top 5% of earners for a British cohort currently in their 40s. We assess the difference made by a university degree from an elite (Russell Group) or non‐elite university, and from different undergraduate fields of study. Our study uses rich longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). This allows us to control for an unusually large range of potential confounding factors, including childhood socio‐economic circumstances, cognitive scores, secondary schooling and prior qualifications. We find that large raw differences in the chances of achieving a top salary are strongly attenuated by our controls, but substantial differences between degree subject areas remain. The large gap between men and women in the chance of gaining a top salary is not explained by the type of degree achieved, and we found no evidence of gender differences in the gains from institutional prestige or particular fields of study.

Gender Gaps in Undergraduate Fields of Study: Do College Characteristics Matter?

Despite gender parity in earned bachelor’s degrees, large gender gaps persist across fields of study. The dominant explanatory framework in this area of research assesses how gender differences in individual-level attributes predict gaps in major choice. The authors argue that individualistic accounts cannot provide a complete explanation because they fail to consider the powerful effects of the gendered institutional environments that inform and shape young men’s and women’s choices. The authors propose a cultural-organizational approach that considers how institutional characteristics and cultural contexts on college campuses may influence gendered choices and thus be associated with patterns of gender segregation across fields of study. The results of an analysis of institutional data on all U.S. degree-granting colleges and universities reveal substantial interinstitutional variation in gender segregation. Furthermore, structural and contextual institutional features related to peer culture, curricular focus, institutional commitment to gender equity, and the gender proportionality of the student body correlate with heightened or diminished levels of segregation.

Attrition of Women in STEM

Data from a national survey are used to examine how individual characteristics and social structural factors may influence college graduates choosing an occupation that is congruent with their undergraduate field of study. Analysis is conducted separately for males and females and for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM majors. Comparisons between the subgroups help to identify factors that may contribute to improving career outcomes and, in particular, lowering the attrition rates in STEM at transition from college to employment. The results suggest that positive career outcomes, such as better earnings and greater job satisfaction, are associated with individuals having an occupation congruent with their college major. STEM graduates have a lower unemployment rate than non-STEM graduates, but female presence in STEM majors remains low; and gender inequality (salary and employment status) in STEM occupations is significant from the very beginning of postbaccalaureate employment.

Fertility patterns of college graduates by field of study, US women born 1960–79

Building on recent European studies, we used the Survey of Income and Program Participation to provide the first analysis of fertility differences between groups of US college graduates by their undergraduate field of study. We used multilevel event-history models to investigate possible institutional and selection mechanisms linking field of study to delayed fertility and childlessness. The results are consistent with those found for Europe in showing an overall difference of 10 percentage points between levels of childlessness across fields, with the lowest levels occurring for women in health and education, intermediate levels for women in science and technology, and the highest levels for women in arts and social sciences. The mediating roles of the following field characteristics were assessed: motherhood employment penalties; percentage of men; family attitudes; and marriage patterns. Childlessness was higher among women in fields with a moderate representation of men, less traditional family attitudes, and late age at first marriage.

Educational Performance: The Role of Background Variables

In the present time the accounting profession has faced two main challenges. The first challenge is the change and spread of the accounting role which has caused increasing demand for the skilled and professional graduates and the second one is related to existence of a gap between the current skills and the desired skills among the graduates of accounting field. This problem can be assigned to the lack of attention to effective factors of learning and training. Some believe that the educational program of accounting is supposed to bring those graduates in workforces who have the qualifications to meet the primary requirements of their professional job. On the other hand, some believe that the graduates must enjoy the background knowledge and skills in order to be ready for playing their organizational role and to fulfill their personal and group interactions for different jobs and overall tasks in their work life. The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between background variables and educational performance of accounting MA students. In this study a kind of survey method is used and a sample of MA students has been questioned and the needed data for achieving the research goals have been gathered using a standard questionnaire which is utilized in international studies. The results of the present study show that there is a significant relationship between prior educational success of students and their educational performance, also student studying in undergraduate accounting degree has a positive impact on their educational performance in the post-graduate studies. This issue is a justification about the relative lack of success of students that their undergraduate field of study is irrelevant. Student's educational performance with their motivation and expectation has a positive and direct relationship, i.e. as much more the motivation and expectation of students their educational performance is better.

Operations Research: An indispensable toolkit for the logistician

This paper traces the origin of the word logistics, outlines its conceptual evolution, and explains its meaning in contemporary usage. The background that led to the introduction of Logistics Management and Operations Research (OR) as undergraduate fields of study at the University of Stellenbosch is sketched. The concept of Logistics Management is described and its strategic, tactical and operational tiers, as well as the different activities that form part of the logistics supply chain process are identified. The role and necessity of OR in decision-making within each activity and in the coordination between the various activities are outlined. OR techniques most pertinent to the field of logistics are identified and the analytical competencies that a logistician should possess are indicated.

Economic Returns on Under-Graduate Fields of Study in Canadian Universities, 1961 to 1972

This paper provides comparable estimates of private rates of return on a set of21 undergraduate courses of study at Canadian Universities in 1961, 1969 and 1972, and then attempts to explain observed shifts in the college labour market using a simple multiple regression model.

The Nature, Effects, and Relief of Mathematics Anxiety

Results of 151 studies were integrated by meta-analysis to scrutinize the construct mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety is related to poor performance on mathematics achievement tests. It relates inversely to positive attitudes toward mathematics and is bound directly to avoidance of the subject. Variables that exhibit differential mathematics anxiety levels include ability, school grade level, and undergraduate fields of study, with preservice arithmetic teachers especially prone to mathematics anxiety. Females display higher levels than males. However, mathematics anxiety appears more strongly linked with poor performance and avoidance of mathematics in precollege males than females. A variety of treatments are effective in reducing mathematics anxiety. Improved mathematics performance consistently accompanies valid treatment.

The Nature, Effects, and Relief of Mathematics Anxiety

Results of 151 studies were integrated by meta-analysis to scrutinize the construct mathematics anxiety. Mathematics anxiety is related to poor performance on mathematics achievement tests. It relates inversely to positive attitudes toward mathematics and is bound directly to avoidance of the subject. Variables that exhibit differential mathematics anxiety levels include ability, school grade level, and undergraduate fields of study, with preservice arithmetic teachers especially prone to mathematics anxiety. Females display higher levels than males. However, mathematics anxiety appears more strongly linked with poor performance and avoidance of mathematics in precollege males than females. A variety of treatments are effective in reducing mathematics anxiety. Improved mathematics performance consistently accompanies valid treatment.

A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF CURRICULUM ON APTITUDE TEST SCORES

ABSTRACTA sample of 22,923 students who had taken the GRE General Test in the academic years 1983‐84 and 1984–85 and who had also taken the SAT four or five years earlier were found, and classified by undergraduate field of study (four major categories of curriculum) and sex. Several analyses were undertaken to determine the degree of differential impact that sex and field of study might have on GRE‐verbal, GRE‐quantitative, and GRE‐analytical scores, after controlling on SAT‐verbal and SAT‐mathematical scores. It was found, first, that the correlations of SAT‐verbal with GRE‐verbal and SAT‐mathematical with GRE‐quantitative were extremely high, both for the entire sample, and within it, for the eight subgroups defined by field of study and sex. The correlations were .86 in the total sample and ranged from the low to middle .80s in the eight subgroups. The impact of curriculum and sex was found to be low on GRE‐verbal scores, but relatively high for GRE‐quantitative, with students in heavily quantitative fields enjoying an advantage over their peers in less quantitative fields of study. The impact was moderate for GRE‐analytical. Further studies designed to “purify” the fields of study and include only clearly verbal fields and clearly mathematical fields–omitting entirely students in social and biological science–showed small additional impact. An additional study indicated that there was a generally slight effect of the institution attended on GRE‐quantitative scores, after controlling for major field of study and initial ability, although the importance of institution attended was somewhat greater for higher ability students. Although these studies helped a bit to clarify the results, the basic conclusions remained unchanged.In a separate phase of the study an attempt was made by means of Mantel‐Haenszel analyses to identify the kinds of items that were relatively resistant to curricular and sex effects. Although the items differed from one another with respect to impact, they did not fall into identifiable categories that would make it possible to predict which items would be likely to show such impact and which would not.

Women's Selection of Quantitative Undergraduate Fields of Study: Direct and Indirect Influences

Women's Selection of Quantitative Undergraduate Fields of Study: Direct and Indirect Influences

Student Choice of Undergraduate Major Field of Study and Private Internal Rates of Return

Examination of the relationship between student choice of undergraduate field of study and internal rates of return (IRR) in universities and colleges in the United States. Methodology; Results of the study; Impact of shifts in academic majors on IRR. (Abstract copyright EBSCO.)