1 research outputs found
Society as notion : On the ideological shaping of students in educational programmes of four different fields of higher education
The purpose of this study is to examine stabilization and change in students' notions of division of labour, wage differentiation and reproduction of labour force. A description is given of the development and application of a qualitative method for the analysis of interviews within the framework of a theory-generating evaluation of long-term effects of higher education. A central concept is notion, the theoretical and methodological development of which up to a strict description of the content is presented in different categories. A model is presented of the structural features of notions. A theoretical revaluation of ideological reproduction is outlined and reconnected with the initial theoretical frame of reference. The empirical data consist of transcribed interviews with students of economics, medicine, psychology and engineering. The interviews were made on two occasions: when the students entered their educational programmes and after a period of about three years. The initial number of students involved were 25-27 from each educational programme. The results of the empirical analyses show initial différencies in students' ideological shaping, both within and between educational programmes. For a majority of students notions remain stable over time. Occurring changes lack general characteristics. For students of medicine and engineering changes in notions of differentiation of wages are unidirectional and fairly common while students of psychology change their notions in another direction but not to the same extent. Changes in notions of division of labour are more common among students of economics and psychology than in other groups but the direction of change is not the same in the two groups. Changes in students' notions can be said to depend on initial notions, educational programme, and societal aspect subject to the analysis. The study ends with some reflections on qualitative methods and theory generating evaluation.digitalisering@um