Students’ identification with schools or universities is associated with many positive outcomes, such as increased cooperation and completion of studies. This study is a qualitative investigation of university students’ experiences concerning identification. Two hundred and eleven Italian students and 226 U.S. students wrote responses to open-ended questions about a time that they either felt connected (identified) or disconnected to (not identified) with their university. In Italy, students prompted to identify with the university focused their descriptions on didactical aspects such as academic training experiences. Italian students prompted not to identify with the university often described their experiences with the university’s organizational and administrative aspects. U.S. students prompted to identify or not with the university focused on the social aspects of their university experience such as their involvement with fraternities and sororities. Italian and U.S. students rarely mentioned instrumental aspects of their university experience such as how much the university matters for professional training. This close analysis of students’ experiences illustrates how diverse the sources of university identification can be across different countries. These qualitative results help to fully understand the contents of the experience of university students. Policies for enhancing students’ motivation and engagement in higher education should reflect all the different domains of identification, to support the full range of students’ experiences.

(2023). Students' University Identification: An Exploratory Study in the United States and Italy [journal article - articolo]. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10446/234129

Students' University Identification: An Exploratory Study in the United States and Italy

Di Battista, Silvia;
2023-01-01

Abstract

Students’ identification with schools or universities is associated with many positive outcomes, such as increased cooperation and completion of studies. This study is a qualitative investigation of university students’ experiences concerning identification. Two hundred and eleven Italian students and 226 U.S. students wrote responses to open-ended questions about a time that they either felt connected (identified) or disconnected to (not identified) with their university. In Italy, students prompted to identify with the university focused their descriptions on didactical aspects such as academic training experiences. Italian students prompted not to identify with the university often described their experiences with the university’s organizational and administrative aspects. U.S. students prompted to identify or not with the university focused on the social aspects of their university experience such as their involvement with fraternities and sororities. Italian and U.S. students rarely mentioned instrumental aspects of their university experience such as how much the university matters for professional training. This close analysis of students’ experiences illustrates how diverse the sources of university identification can be across different countries. These qualitative results help to fully understand the contents of the experience of university students. Policies for enhancing students’ motivation and engagement in higher education should reflect all the different domains of identification, to support the full range of students’ experiences.
articolo
2023
La identificación de los estudiantes con las escuelas o universidades se asocia con muchos resultados positivos, como el aumento de la cooperación y la finalización de los estudios. Este estudio es una investigación cualitativa de las experiencias de los estudiantes universitarios en relación con la identificación. Más de 200 estudiantes en dos países (211 en Italia y 226 en Estados Unidos) fueron preguntados sobre un momento en el que se sintieron conectados (identificados) y uno en que se sintieron desconectados (no identificados) con su universidad. En Italia, los estudiantes a los que se les pidió que se identificaran con la universidad centraron sus descripciones en los aspectos didácticos, como las experiencias de formación académica. Los estudiantes italianos a los que se les pidió que no se identificaran con la universidad describieron a menudo sus experiencias con los aspectos organizativos y administrativos de la universidad. Los estudiantes estadounidenses a los que se les pidió que se identificaran o no con la universidad se centraron en los aspectos sociales de su experiencia universitaria, como su participación en fraternidades y hermandades. Los estudiantes italianos y estadounidenses rara vez mencionaron los aspectos instrumentales de su experiencia universitaria, como la evaluación de la importancia de la universidad para la formación profesional. Este análisis detallado de las experiencias de los estudiantes ilustra lo diversas que pueden ser las fuentes de identificación con la universidad en los distintos países. Estos resultados cualitativos ayudan a comprender plenamente el contenido de la experiencia de los estudiantes universitarios. Las políticas para mejorar la motivación y el compromiso de los estudiantes en la educación superior deberían reflejar todos los diferentes ámbitos de la identificación, para apoyar toda la gama de experiencias de los estudiantes.
DI BATTISTA, Silvia; Smith, Heather; Mongelli, Lucia; Berti, Chiara
(2023). Students' University Identification: An Exploratory Study in the United States and Italy [journal article - articolo]. In INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10446/234129
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10446/234129
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