I took a survey of my intro-to-psych students on the first day of this semester
(Jan. 20th). I asked them to answer a simple question: "What is the purpose of
a college education?" My students are mostly young (late teens and early 20s),
white, and upper-middle class. Scottsdale is a relatively well-to-do suburb of
Phoenix. In going through their answers (which require some interpretation in
at least some cases), it seemed that their responses fell into two general
categories:
(1) a practical "goal orientation"--In this case, they said that the purpose of
a college education is to:
get ahead in life; get a good job; survive in the world; prepare for life; get
a high-paying job; know more than the next guy; know more about my major;
impress others; get an interesting job; open doors for future; get
certification; make a decent living; have an advantage in the work place; find
what one is interested in doing; advance in a field of interest; and so on.
(2) a "cognitive and/or self orientation"--This category was somewhat more
diffuse; but, in general, it focused on the traditional aims of a liberal arts
education. They said that the purpose of a college education is to:
broaden horizons; understand world; exercise mind; quench thirst for knowledge;
become open to new ideas; help one to think better; increase understanding on
many levels; make one more adaptable to different life situations; get
satisfaction (feels good to learn); learn about yourself and surroundings;
mature and grow up; prove to yourself that you can do it; enrich one's life;
and so on.
It was usually (but not always) easy to separate these two "orientations" in a
person's responses; but a number of people responded with both. I obtained
responses from 119 students (one was not usuable); and they gave me a total of
150 reasons, all of which (except one) I was able to place into one of the two
categories:
Practical Goal Orientation: 94
Cognitive/Self Orientation: 55 (32 of these also picked the first category)
Other: 1
PRACTICAL GOAL ORIENTATION:
Almost all of my students have specific career (and related) goals in mind for
their college education. I present some clearly stated examples of this
orientation (I have left spelling and grammatical mistakes uncorrected):
"Today the main purpose of a college education is just to get a degree for a
good job. Most people who are young don't really care about actually learning."
"The purpose of a college education is simple. It is not about higher learning,
but instead is about sticking with a program. Once school is completed you will
have a diploma that shows that you were able to stick to a program. The longer
the better. One can get a better job, better salary, or maybe even a better
life, because they have a piece of paper to back them up. That is what college
is all about."
"The purpose of a college education to is be somebody in this very competetive
world. An education is the key to success."
"The purpose of my college education is alot like an opsticle [obstacle]
course. In order for me to get what I need and want in life I need my college
education."
".... In these times it is difficult to be successful in life without a college
education. Basically you have to!"
"....Pretty much colleges purpose is that you don't look stupid while talking
to people."
COGNITIVE/SELF ORIENTATION:
Many of the students who had jobs and related concerns in mind for their
education also chose the traditional liberal-arts goal for education: to
improve one's self, to make one a more productive member of society, to think
more critically, etc. Only 23/119 students responded with this orientation
alone. I present some clearly stated examples of this orientation:
"To me, the purpose of a college education is to help a young student to
mature. It's there to enrich their lives so that they may mature to an adult
who feels a passion for something that will be the focus of what they will do
in their life. College is the finishing touch to polish off a great piece of
art."
".... I think to most people it is the personal satisfaction of finding out
more and understanding many things, some of which we will use and some we may
not."
"The purpose of a college education is to expand my knowledge on certain
topics. Learning about other things and experiencing the challenges of college
builds character and personality."
".... a college education is for the most part to better yourself through the
knoweleg acquired not by the degree. It seems that most of my friends are more
preoccupied with getting the degree as quick as possible so they can move on to
a career. I could care less if I ever have a job."
"The purpose of a college education is to expand your mind, learn as much as
you can while you're young...."
".... I was entirely interested in college to improve my shot at a good career,
until I got excited about learning. Now I am taking my time, and learning all
that I can."
I particularly like the last response: it shows that we can reach at least some
of those who look at their college education as just another flaming hoop
through which they must jump in order to prove their mettle. Other than this
comment, I will let you draw your own conclusions from this survey.
Jeff Ricker
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale AZ
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
