Self-determination, Success, and College Readiness of First Generation Students in A Higher Education Institution

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare if self-determination factors differed in first and non-first generation college students and success levels. Additionally, comparisons of college readiness levels were measured, and finally a measure of factors that contribute to college success based in first and second semester grade point averages were investigated using multiple linear regression analysis. Using a Self-Determination Theory framework of human motivation, helps identify a basic psychological need for autonomy as a central feature for understanding effective regulation and well-being (Moller, Ryan, & Deci, 2006). The target population in this study was 1,586 returning students of the 2008 freshmen cohort for the University of Texas Pan American in the Fall of 2010. About 10% or 187 of the returning students completed the Academic Motivation Scale survey. However, after additional information were collected only 146 subjects had usable data for all variables. A number of group comparisons were made based on college generation, success as measured by first and second semester college grade point averages, and college readiness as measured by ACT composite scores. The comparisons yielded no differences in motivation with the exception of intrinsic motivation, to experience stimulation, where successful students showed higher motivation than less successful students. This phenomenon was only apparent the second semester of college attendance, not the first semester. The overall descriptive analysis indicates that there are very few differences in intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in these groups of students. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that external regulation (external motivation) contributed with 5.8 percent of the total variance in grade point average for the first semester, toward accomplishment (intrinsic motivation) contributed with 4.7 percent, and the ACT composite score contributed with an additional 3.9 percent of the total variance in first semester grade point average. The variables that explained the amount of variance in second semester grade point average were to know (internal motivation) with 2.7 percent, and external regulation (extrinsic motivation) with 3.6 percent

Career values and proactive career behaviour among contemporary higher education students

The paper draws on evidence from a survey of Australian and UK students (N = 433) on students’ career values and their relationship to their proactivity in career self-management. Much of the dominant approaches to careers have focused on career competencies and adaptability in the context of increased movement from traditional to more self-managed career trajectories. Limited attention has been given to the role of career values in shaping individuals’ approaches to career management, particularly among higher education students. This study reveals data on a range of career values among students on a continuum between intrinsic and extrinsic careers. It revealed a preponderance of intrinsic career values and a clear relationship emerged on the strength of career values and levels of proactivity towards career management. Further, higher levels of intrinsic and extrinsic career values were reported for certain student groups. The article discusses the implications of these data for enhancing students’ career planning and engagement

The measurement of optimism and hope in relation to college student retention and academic success

Consistent with research approaches in positive psychology, the variables of optimism and hope were investigated to determine what role these constructs had in the retention and academic success of college students. A sample of 282 students (172 women, 111 men) from a large midwestern university, supplemented by 82 collateral reporters (friends or relatives of the students), participated in the study. Each participant completed a questionnaire including Scheier and Carvers\u27 Life Orientation Test (LOT); Peterson, Semrnel, von Baeyer, Abramson, Metalsky, and Seligmans\u27 Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and C. R. Snyder\u27s Adult Trait Hope Scale (HOPE) along with measures of depression, anxiety, commitment to college, and academic motivation. Participants gave consent for the release of their college grade point average, ACT composite score, and high school class rank from the registrar\u27s office. In addition, the collateral reporters were asked to complete the LOT, ASQ, and HOPE according to their knowledge of the participants.;Analyses including linear and logistic regression and Pearson correlations provided evidence for a significant relationship between hope and grade point average, but not optimism. Additionally, no significant relationships were found between optimism, hope, and continued enrollment from the fall to spring semester. Data from the collateral reporters demonstrated a similar pattern with hope significantly related to grade point average as indicated by correlation and regression analyses. The need for further clarification of the relationship between hope, academic success, and retention was discussed along with the limitations of the current study and suggestions for additional research

Why Civil Service Reforms Do Not Work

Public sector reform (PSR) efforts in developing countries have been less than successful in the past. Motivated by budgetary considerations, they have focused on downsizing and procedural changes without radically altering the outmoded incentive system, which, in many countries, is now characterised by declining real wages, wage compression, and a non-merit promotion and reward system. Using results from the incentives literature, this paper argues that, for a reform effort to succeed, public sector human resource management (HRM) will have to be reformed at an early stage to establish productivity incentives in the public sector. These will include introducing substantial autonomy to organisations in their work, incentive schemes, and HRM along the lines of the now well-accepted concept of central bank independence. Past PSR efforts have also attempted to conduct a unified reform effort led centrally by the ministry of finance. A continuous process like PSR—spread out over a considerable period and involving many different people and organisations—might need to build in decentralisation, local leadership and local incentives, and HRM. PSR must be based on the recognition that people are at the heart of public service. As a result, managing human resources must be at the centre of any effort. The people who are at the center of this change can either be its architects and beneficiaries or its losers and therefore opponents of change. Design and implementation of reforms must, therefore, be sensitive to this important fact. It is essential that the reform is led by individuals at the organisation level who understand the vision as well as process of change. Governments must empower such leadership to guide, initiate, innovate, and manage change.Civil Services, Reforms

Why Civil Service Reforms Do Not Work

Public sector reform (PSR) efforts in developing countries have been less than successful in the past. Motivated by budgetary considerations, they have focused on downsizing and procedural changes without radically altering the outmoded incentive system, which, in many countries, is now characterised by declining real wages, wage compression, and a non-merit promotion and reward system. Using results from the incentives literature, this paper argues that, for a reform effort to succeed, public sector human resource management (HRM) will have to be reformed at an early stage to establish productivity incentives in the public sector. These will include introducing substantial autonomy to organisations in their work, incentive schemes, and HRM along the lines of the now well-accepted concept of central bank independence. Past PSR efforts have also attempted to conduct a unified reform effort led centrally by the ministry of finance. A continuous process like PSRspread out over a considerable period and involving many different people and organisationsmight need to build in decentralisation, local leadership and local incentives, and HRM. PSR must be based on the recognition that people are at the heart of public service. As a result, managing human resources must be at the centre of any effort. The people who are at the center of this change can either be its architects and beneficiaries or its losers and therefore opponents of change. Design and implementation of reforms must, therefore, be sensitive to this important fact. It is essential that the reform is led by individuals at the organisation level who understand the vision as well as process of change. Governments must empower such leadership to guide, initiate, innovate, and manage change.Civil Services, Reforms

Burnout among primary healthcare workers during implementation of integrated mental healthcare in rural Ethiopia: a cohort study

Background The short-term course of burnout in healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries has undergone limited evaluation. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term outcome of burnout symptoms in the context of implementation of a new mental health programme in a rural African district. Methods We followed up 145 primary healthcare workers (HCWs) working in 66 rural primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Southern Ethiopia, where a new integrated mental health service was being implemented. Burnout was assessed at baseline, i.e. when the new service was being introduced, and after 6 months. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and instruments measuring professional satisfaction and psychosocial factors. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess the association between change in the core dimension of burnout (emotional exhaustion) and relevant work-related and psychosocial factors. Results A total of 136 (93.8%) of HCWs completed and returned their questionnaires at 6 months. There was a non-significant reduction in the burnout level between the two time points. In GEE regression models, high depression symptom scores (adjusted mean difference (aMD) 0.56, 95% CI 0.29, 0.83, p < 0.01), experiencing two or more stressful life events (aMD 1.37, 95% CI 0.06, 2.14, p < 0.01), being a community health extension worker vs. facility-based HCW (aMD 5.80, 95% CI 3.21, 8.38, p < 0.01), perceived job insecurity (aMD 0.73, 95% CI 0.08, 1.38, p = 0.03) and older age (aMD 0.36, 95% CI 0.09, 0.63, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion longitudinally. Conclusion In the short-term, there was no significant change in the level of burnout in the context of adding mental healthcare to the workload of HCWs. However, longer term and larger scale studies are required to substantiate this. This evidence can serve as baseline information for an intervention development to enhance wellbeing and reduce burnout