Motywy podjęcia studiów na Wydziale Nauk o Ziemi Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w 2009 roku

Abstract

The research conducted at the Earth Sciences Faculty, University of Silesia, majors: geography, geology and geophysics, focused on the motives to undertake study. Respondents recruited mostly (75%) from the region (lack of data in 41 questionnaires) (silesian voivodship – fig. 1). Most of the youth coming from nearby cities, towns and villages would not probably undertake the study, if there were tuition fees to be paid (fig. 8). One may draw a conclusion, that the University of Silesia gives the chance to undertake higher education for a wide range of young people, who otherwise would not be able to achieve it. Majority of those polled have attended a general high school, much less vocational secondary school or specialized high school (fig. 2). Most of the respondents were examined after their high school during the “matura” exam in new formula (fig. 3), choosing as their third subject (besides Polish and foreign language) geography, biology or mathematics, rarely other subjects (fig. 4). The major chosen by the graduates was in most cases the priority one or the best of these, at which they were admitted. More priority statements were among the geography students and postgraduate students, than between the others (fig. 5). The most frequently marked answers to the question about motives to undertake study on the chosen major, were: interest in travelling or opportunity to travel and be trained in field (62% of respondents), prospects of future job (38%), interesting specializations and the proximity of the higher education institution (both 35%; fig. 6). Prospect of working in the future means being a teacher only for 40% of the undergraduate geographers and 27% postgraduate geography students (fig. 9). Future job prospects were chosen by the geophysics (54,5%), undergraduate and postgraduate students (53,2% and 48,6%), while the undergraduate and postgraduate geography students preferred this answer in 32,8% and 24,0%. Interesting specializations and proximity to place of residence was important for geology students. Geophysics, undergraduate and postgraduate geography students chose students’ life as their motive to undertake study very frequently (tab. 1). The biggest number of students were informed about the possibility to study their major at the University of Silesia from the university web site, some of them also from the information booklet about higher education or their friends and relatives (fig. 7).