Explaining university students’ strong commitment to understand through individual and contextual elements

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Graduates' evaluations of usefulness of university education, and early career success - a longitudinal study of the transition to working life

A successful transition from university to working life requires that graduates are able to employ their education and academic competences in real working-life contexts. Our previous research showed that graduates varied in how they were able to reflect on their competences at the time of graduation. The present longitudinal mixed-method study follows the same graduates and explores their evaluations of the usefulness of university education and career success, three years after graduation. The follow-up data consisted of 57 graduates' survey answers analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that graduates who were able to describe and evaluate more competences at the time of graduation perceived their current jobs to correspond more to their education. Graduates with more limited evaluations of their competences, on the other hand, had experienced more challenges related to employment and were more uncertain of their goals. The results also showed that having diverse competences and an ability to recognise them at the time of graduation is important for later career success and may also be related to what kind of challenges graduates face in working life.Peer reviewe

Complex interrelations between academic competences and students' approaches to learning - mixed-methods study

Students are expected to develop academic competences during their studies. However, research regarding the relation between academic competences and student learning is scarce. The present mixed-methods study aims to investigate the complex interrelations between academic competences and approaches to learning using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data included 1023 graduates' survey answers and 83 interviews. The results showed that academic competences correlated positively with a deep approach to learning as well as with organised studying, and negatively with a surface approach. The qualitative analysis, however, revealed that descriptions of a deep approach were also found among graduates who evaluated academic competences less highly. Further, the results showed that putting effort into studying and seeing various competences as transferable were also positively related to academic competences and greater satisfaction with the degree obtained. The present study also showed that approaches to learning are closely intertwined with academic competences. The study suggests that the development of academic competences and an ability to identify them can be supported by emphasising deep-level learning and organised studying.Peer reviewe

What Constitutes the Surface Approach to Learning in the Light of New Empirical Evidence?

This study aims, firstly, to examine the nature of the surface approach to learning in today’s university context, and secondly, to explore the factors that explain variations in the use of this approach. The 61 participants were studying in six Bachelor programmes representing various disciplines. These students scored above average on a surface approach scale and volunteered to be interviewed. One compulsory course was selected from each programme. Five surface approach profiles emerged showing variation from a full surface approach to a deep approach with memorisation. Despite very similar high scores on the surface approach scale, students varied in their use of surface-level processes. Thus, the inventory data did not capture the full variation in the students’ use of the surface approach to learning. Rich research methods are therefore needed to better understand the nature of students’ personal aims as well as their study processes and practices.Peer reviewe

"Jag har haft nytta av socialpsykologin både professionellt och i mitt personliga liv" : en rapport om socialpsykologerna från Soc&kom i arbetslivet

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Vem är jag, vem är vi, vem är vem i vårt land? : Kontextens betydelse för gruppidentifikation och stereotypier bland svensk- och finskspråkiga i Finland och Sverige

Using primarily Social Identity Theory [SIT] and sociolinguistic theories this research focuses on identification with language groups and intergroup bias on stereotypic traits among nationwide representative samples of Swedish and Finnish speakers in Finland and Sweden (N = 2479). This article based dissertation examines the relative importance of local ethnolinguistic vitality, the individual s network of linguistic contacts and perceived language competence for ethnolinguistic identity among Swedish-speaking minority members in Finland, explores multiple identification with two language groups and studies the importance of ethnolinguistic factors and group identity for intergroup bias. The Finnish and Swedish minority and majority groups in Finland and Sweden are compared when examining the effects of group size, group status and trait valence on intergroup bias and stereotype content and the degree to which stereotypes of these language groups are found to be consensual. Results indicate that there is only a weak impact of local ethnolinguistic vitality on ethnolinguistic identity among Swedish-speaking Finns, while a predominantly Finnish network of linguistic contacts and perceived L2 competence (Finnish) increase identification with Finnish-speakers and bilinguals. Perceived L2 competence does not subtract from identification with Swedish-speaking Finns. Thus, these minority members have multiple ethnolinguistic identities characterized by an additive rather than subtractive pattern; to varying degrees they see themselves as Swedish-speaking, bilingual and Finnish-speaking as well as nationally Finnish. Low local ethnolinguistic vitality, a more Swedish network of language contacts and strong ingroup identification predict intergroup bias, while a strong national identity is associated with less intergroup bias. Minority members in both countries also show more intergroup bias than majority members regardless of trait valence, while the effects of group status are more ambiguous. Group size also influences dimensions of stereotype content and a consensual view was found across the two countries regarding which stereotypes are typical of which language group. These findings from representative samples of natural groups corroborate some findings from experimental studies but they also question the ability of SIT to elucidate the complex multiple identities found in multilingual societies, suggesting that our understanding of these identities may be enhanced by applying a wider range of theories within cross-cultural and social psychology on acculturation and common ingroups. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the necessity to acknowledge contextual factors like group size, group status, group history, ideology and other aspects of the sociolinguistic environment when studying group identification and stereotypes in natural groups.Utifrån teorin om social identitet [SIT] och sociolingvistiska teorier fokuserar avhandlingen på identifikation med språkgrupper och på tendensen till partiskhet (dvs. att favorisera den egna gruppen och/eller nedvärdera utgruppen) i ett riksomfattande representativt urval av svensk- och finskspråkiga i Finland och Sverige (N = 2479). ---- I avhandlingen som består av fyra artiklar och ett sammandrag studeras vilken betydelse lokala skillnader i etnolingvistisk vitalitet (dvs. andelen svenskspråkiga på hemorten), individens språkkontakter och språkkunskaper har för minoritetsmedlemmars (finlandssvenskarnas) språkgruppsidentifikation, samt i vilken mån denna identifikation är multipel. Ovan nämnda sociolingvistiska faktorers samt gruppidentifikationens betydelse för tendensen till partiskhet undersöks likaså inom ramen för den finlandssvenska minoriteten. Genom att jämföra de svensk- och finskspråkiga minoritets- och majoritetsgrupperna i Finland och Sverige besvaras frågor om vilken betydelse gruppens storlek, gruppens status och valören på de drag som tillskrivs grupperna har för tendensen till partiskhet och för innehållet i stereotypier samt i vilken mån det råder en konsensus kring stereotypierna som tillskrivs de aktuella språkgrupperna. Resultaten antyder endast ett svagt samband mellan den lokala etnolingvistiska vitaliteten och den etnolingvistiska identiteten, medan ett mer finskspråkigt kontaktnätverk och högre subjektiva kunskaper i finska har samband med en starkare identifikation som två- och finskspråkig. Högre subjektiva kunskaper i finska minskar inte identifikationen som finlandssvensk. Studien visar sålunda att finlandssvenskarna har en multipel etnolingvistisk identitet som karaktäriseras av ett additivt snarare än ett subtraktivt mönster: de identifierar sig starkt som finlandssvenskar och i varierande grad samtidigt som två- och/eller finskspråkiga samt som finländare. En lägre lokal etnolingvistisk vitalitet, ett mer svenskspråkigt nätverk för språkkontakter och en stark identifikation som finlandssvensk ökar tendensen till partiskhet, medan en stark identifikation som finländare har samband med lägre partiskhet. Studien visar också att minoritetsmedlemmarna i bägge länderna visar mera partiskhet än majoritetsmedlemmarna oberoende av valören på de drag som tillskrivs grupperna, medan effekten av gruppens status är mer mångtydig. Gruppens storlek påverkar också innehållet i stereotypierna och en viss konsensus tycks råda beträffande vilka stereotypier som i högre grad kännetecknar respektive språkgrupp. Resultaten från dessa studier med ett representativt urval av naturliga grupper bekräftar vissa tidigare resultat från experimentella studier, men ifrågasätter också SITs förmåga att beskriva och förklara de multipla identifikationer som framträder i dagens mångkulturella samhällen. Avhandlingen framhåller att förståelsen av dessa identiteter kunde ökas med hjälp av teorier om ackulturation och gemensamma ingrupper ur tvärkulturell (social-)psykologi. Avhandlingen visar också att kontextuella faktorer som gruppstorlek, gruppstatus, gruppers historia, ideologi och andra aspekter i den sociolingvistiska miljön bör beaktas när gruppidentifikation och stereotypier studeras i naturliga grupper

The development of approaches to learning and perceptions of the teaching-learning environment during Bachelor level studies and their relation to study success

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Identity and ethnicity - and language?

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