Dr Krzysztof Wasielewski Nicolaus Copernicus Univesity Toruń, Poland E-mail: [email protected].

Dr Krzysztof Wasielewski

Nicolaus Copernicus Univesity

Toruń, Poland

E-mail: [email protected]

Polish students studying strategies

in the context of the labour market

The transformation of higher education in Poland

*The transformation of higher education (HEI) in Poland after 1989 were spontaneous (uncontrolled). The pressure of society (need for knowledge, education) and the economy (need educated workers) meant that there was a massification of higher education;

*These processes favored the lack of a clear educational policy whose characteristic trait were full openness of HEI for high school graduates and falling educational standards;

Changes in perceptions of values of higher education

*University diploma became a necessary condition but not sufficient of success

*As many as 82 percent of Poles believe that it is worthwhile to gain an education. However, in serials 6 years, this percentage has decreased by up to 11 percentage points.

*Highly valued education - by both parents and young people. As many as 85 percent of parents want for their child at least higher education, only 2 percent of basic vocational;

Joining the European Union and its implications for career and educational strategies students

*Changes in the law have the character of an adjustment (actually imitation) resulting from the entry of polish higher education to the European Higher Education Area

*This has contributed, on the one hand, to enter a new educational order (including the three-cycle system, ECTS, National Qualification Framework) and increase the chances of young people to study abroad, on the other hand, complicated system of study and decisions of young people;

Demographic trends and their consequences

*With the progressive demographic low and full access to higher education significantly increased the chances of young people to take a higher education;

*Consequently, the higher education got young people with different habitus (including group has so far marginalized or who are unable for various reasons to study, eg. from poor families and agricultural workers [Wasielewski, 2013].

No doubt all of these processes cause a problem during studies and determine the formation of non-classical educational trajectories, and consequently the need to shape their own educational and professional career, f.e.:

* the opportunity to study a completely different courses of study at various levels;

*ease of changing the university and field of study;

*high rate non-completion and drop-out in HEI. Only 62% of Polish students studying in the period ended (below EU average) (OECD, 2013);

*high rate retention, and stop-out in HEI

*To undertake studies only for obtaining scholarships – money (way of life);

Selected changes in lifestyle of young people under the universal, global socio-cultural changes

•Postponement of the decision to get married and have children;

•Privatization and individualization of values, attitudes and lifestyles of students - a group of students is no longer a community and only aggregate units;

•Smaller interest in House of Students and student canteens (higher standard of living Poles, different expectations of students - work more important than science and fun);

Kontekst teoretyczny

*Indywidualizacja biografii jednostek (Ulrich Beck, Anthony Giddens);

*Credential society (Randall Collins);

*Diploma deasease (Ronald Dore);

*Jednostkowa mobilność, aktywność oraz refleksyjność jako konieczny element w globalnym świecie (Zygmunt Bauman)

Strategies, studying styles of students - key elements

The individual conditions:

1. College selection, mode of study and field of study (eg. The size of the center determines the size of the offer, selective vs non-selective study)

2. Attitudes and activity studies (eg. The assessment, social activity and professional)

3. Plans and expectations after graduation (a potential source of inequality)

The structural conditions:

4. Cultural patterns (eg. Choice of field of study);

5. Place of residence

6. Socio-economic status

7. sex

*The aim of the presentation is to show students educational strategies, which are the result of their social and conscious or unconscious decisions about institutional choices (including type of institution, field of study), as well as non-institutional (those related activity during studies, study style and expectations to the labor market).

*Questions

* What type of HEI and courses choose to students?

* What is the significance of residence and socio-economic status?

* How to study: actively or passively?

* What kinds of activities take?

* How strategies and style of studying may affect the future careers?

Used in the presentation source

1. Research conducted within the following project: Research of human capital in Poland implemented by PAED (Polish Agency for Enterprise Development) and the Jagiellonian University in 2013 on a sample of 34 thousand students (Górniak et all, 2014);

2. Research students Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (quantitative and qualitative) realized in 2012. The aim of the study was to investigate the mechanisms of selection for university young people from the different social backgrounds (author Krzysztof Wasielewski)

College selection, mode of study and field of study

* Most universities include universities (455 thousand students) and polytechnics (333 thousand), and thus public universities located in major cities (CSO, 2014);

* The most popular fields of study groups are: economics and law (20.2%), social (9.8%) and teaching (9.4%) (CSO, 2014)

Basic factors affecting diversified distribution of youth in NCU in Toruń.Wasielewski, 2014, N= full population of students.

1. Enrolment procedures. The general trend is that the simpler recruitment procedure (easier entrance examinations), the greater probability of a high percentage of poor students, rural young people and children of workers doing a given university course. The main reason for a low share of rural young people in some university courses is, above all, the process of “self-selection” and a kind of “self-exclusion”, which is manifested in ignoring courses, for which there are “more difficult” (multi-level) entrance examinations (this issue is referred to in detail in the next section).

2. There is a greater share of poor students, rural young people and children of workers in courses, where, due to low popularity, it was necessary to arrange a second recruitment process.

Table: Participation in various forms of student activitySource: Study of Human Capital in Poland, 2013, N=30473.Cracow, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Jagiellonian University, the author’s own study.

Type of activity %

Student Self-Government 9,6

Students scientific associations 22,3

Volunteering 19,0

Scouts 2,7

Erasmus Student Network 3,7

Student`s exchange (Poland) 1,2

Religious movements 6,0

Associations and Organizations 14,2

Table 4: Participation in various forms of student activity

Source: Study of Human Capital in Poland, 2013, N=30473.Cracow, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Jagiellonian University, the author’s own study.

Type of activity Private Public

Student Self-Government 11,8 9,3

Students scientific associations

18,7 21,8

Volunteering 17,2 18,3

Scouts 3,0 3,0

Erasmus Student Network 4,7 3,9

Student`s exchange (Poland) 1,7 1,4

Religious movements 4,2 6,9

Associations and Organizations

12,1 15,0

Table: Students participating in training courses, workshops, private lessons, etc. outside activities organized in the course study


Students by group of fields Yes No

Education 31,3 68,7

Humanities and Art 18,7 81,3

Social Sciences, Economyand Law

25,4 74,6

Science 20,8 79,2

Health and social care 27,3 72,7

Technics, industry,architecture

25,7 74,3

Agriculture 22,5 77,5

Services 26,6 73,4

Table: Students participating in training courses, workshops, private lessons, etc. outside activities organized in the course study


Students by group of fields Female Male

Education 31,7 31,1



27,8 21,2

Science 22,4 18,6



27,4 24,9

Agriculture 24,9 20,8

Services 29,1 22,5

TOTAL 26,5 21,8

Table 4: Students participating in training courses, workshops, private lessons, etc. outside activities organized in the course study


Students by group of fields Private Public

Education 15,0 31,7



18,2 26,0

Science 28,2 20,5



6,8 25,9

Agriculture 22,5

Services 27,1 26,5

TOTAL 21,0 24,8

Table: The percentage of respondents who during the study benefited from career counselor

Source: Study of Human Capital in Poland, 2013, N=31925Cracow, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Jagiellonian University, the author’s own study.

University career counselorA career counselor

outsideof the university

Private Public Private Public

11,2 6,4 8,0 5,3

Type of students activities

2012

Rural Urban

Job, practice, trainingJob 41,6 34,1

Practice 9,7 15,9

Educational and

scientific activity

Training 1,8 1,1

Additional study 10,6 14,8

Students scientific

associations 2,6 6,8

Socio-cultural activity

Student Self-

Government3,5 5,7

NGO`s, politics 9,7 11,4

Cultural activities - 2,3

Study No activities 40,7 39,8

Students activities (multiple choice)

Job, practice, training

*Students from rural areas mainly work out of necessity, in a situation when we do not have adequate financial support from family;

*Students from large cities take the job primarily to gain experience. Professional work is therefore for them to build their own part of the professional biography, his own portfolio.

Educational and scientific activity

*This area is located in: making additional studies, courses and training, participation in the work of scientific and research work (writing articles, trips to conferences, etc.);

*Slightly more active recognized metropolitan youth, which often take on additional studies direction and is more involved in the work of scientific circles.

Socio-cultural activity

*In this area there are active in student organizations, non-governmental, political and activity in the sphere of culture (eg. Student theaters, bands, comedians, etc.).

*Activity in student organizations is beneficial, for example. The possibility of making and evaluation of decisions on scholarships. Activity in the non-governmental organizations usually dictated by its own interests.

*Political and cultural activity of young people are marginalized.

Study

*In this area there are students whose only activity is to attend lessons.

*This type of strategy is taking 4 for 10 out of the total student population, both rural and urban.

*Inactivity is a characteristic of men. These are mainly students who have a student receive low ratings. The lack of activity clearly is related to the position of professional parents

Conclusions

*1. Due to the massification of higher education is being given to conscious choices university and field of study;

*2. It is particularly important - to inflation dyplu higher education - is an additional activity during studies;

*3. Activity in the course of study is becoming a new, additional differentiating factor in students' career

*4. Career students are still differentiated by social characteristics.

*5. These differences will be impact on positions on the labor market

*Thank You

Dr Krzysztof Wasielewski Nicolaus Copernicus Univesity Toruń, Poland E-mail: [email protected].

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