Student Focused Pedagogies
Determinants of Students' Choice of Major at the College of Education at Kuwait University
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shaimaa Shaymaa, Maryam A. Al Mazkour
Questionnaires were conducted with a study sample of 644 students. The results of the study are academic factors are the most influential on the choice of specialization, followed by social factors; male students are the most affected by social factors; students with an average level of achievement are most affected by academic and social factors; and correlation between academic and social factors is high. The study resulted in several recommendations.
Influence of a Student-Centred Approach to Teaching on the Achievement of Students’ Career Goals and Personal Aspirations
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Vivienne Therese Decleva
Competency-Based Training focuses on the acquisition of work-related competencies. The study examined the acquisition of competencies, and it investigated students’ progress in the direction of their career goals and personal aspirations when a humanistic/student-centred approach to teaching was used in a Competency-Based program. Nineteen students in Certificate III, Community Services Education (Aged Care Work) participated in the study. Information was collected during the 17-week program, three and six months after. The methodology for the study was derived from the Theory of Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) as presented by George Kelly (1955/1991). The theory of PCP acknowledges individuals as responsible, active and meaning-seeking agents who are open to change and to personal development. The theory also proposes active participation between researcher and respondents. In the study, the students became co-researchers who examined and interpreted their constructs systems. Through their stories and personal reflections, the study monitored the students' progress in becoming the person that I would like to be.
Spiritual Support among the Foreign Students of Czech Universities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marketa Semberova
The article deals with the importance of spiritual support among the foreign students studying at the Czech universities. Firstly, the article consists of the theoretical part in which the key concepts for this research are defined (spiritual support, value of education, value orientation). The aim of the second – research – part of the article, is to find out where the students seek for support in the challenging study-related situations, what role makes faith in their daily lives and who introduced them to it, and, in what way these aspects influence their stay in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, we research in what way influences the faith and the surroundings of the respondents their perception of the value of education and solving the challenging study-related situations. As the research method, we chose semi-structured interviews. Responses of the members of our research sample were subjected to open, axial and selective coding.
