Nurturing sub-degree students with professionalism – An experience to instill growth mindset and self-determination through competition
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
12-1-2021 3:50 PM
End Date
12-1-2021 4:10 PM
Abstract
Educational competitions framing on various themes are universal in the higher education context. Students are encouraged to take part in competitions that allow them to develop problem solving skills, foster gritty will, and experience thrill from initiation upon completion. The learning impacts of competition are deemed constructive as students can apply learned knowledge in a highly resembled competitive environment of the workplace. In Hong Kong, higher education institutions usually organize year-round competitions in different forms in order to nurture students with essential 21st century skills that they should equip in future career, such as team cooperation and collaboration, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, communication and interpersonal skills, leadership skills, and professional attitudes.
Maritime Project Award has been established in 2015. The main objective of award is to increase students learning motivation and enhance students’ professional maritime logistics knowledge. In general, Under Maritime Project Award, students were required to analyze one case study relevant with “hot issues” or “urgent agenda” in maritime industry. The outstanding six students are invited to provide one oral presentation.
The first research objective is to examine the mindset and motivational drive of sub-degree students enrolled in a competition, “Maritime Project Award”, of a logistics management subject. Sub-degree students usually associate their academic results as an explicit indicator of intelligence and smartness. They leverage their “self-worth” as being brilliant to do well in a particular subject when they get a high academic result. We intend to examine the interplay between students’ mindset (growth vs. fixed mindset) and devotion to the contest. For example, are top students usually have a growth mindset? Do students with a growth mindset exert more effort to sustain good performance as a revelation of high ability? Will students choose to minimize their efforts if they presume success is not guaranteed?
The second research objective is to scrutinize the impact of competition results on future learning strategies. For example, if students believe that they exerted great efforts and performed well in the competition but finally failed, would they perceive they are incapable, feel disappointed and then disengage from the future work? If intrinsically motivated students win the competition, would they adjust their learning strategies that help them a higher chance of success in next competition? The intrinsic and extrinsic drives will be explored to address how educators can use competition to support students to gain a sense of ownership of their learning behaviors and control of their lives.
This proposed study is going to conduct in-depth interviews with the parties involved in the competition. We will sample winners (awardees), candidates not being shortlisted as the for the award, and contest organizer to explore their perspectives of the above research issues. Judgment sampling will be adopted to screen out qualified candidates for interviews with sample size set as 30. Content analysis will be conducted to examine the data collected from interviews.
Keywords
Educational competition, Growth mindset, Fixed mindset, Motivational drive
Nurturing sub-degree students with professionalism – An experience to instill growth mindset and self-determination through competition
Educational competitions framing on various themes are universal in the higher education context. Students are encouraged to take part in competitions that allow them to develop problem solving skills, foster gritty will, and experience thrill from initiation upon completion. The learning impacts of competition are deemed constructive as students can apply learned knowledge in a highly resembled competitive environment of the workplace. In Hong Kong, higher education institutions usually organize year-round competitions in different forms in order to nurture students with essential 21st century skills that they should equip in future career, such as team cooperation and collaboration, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, communication and interpersonal skills, leadership skills, and professional attitudes.
Maritime Project Award has been established in 2015. The main objective of award is to increase students learning motivation and enhance students’ professional maritime logistics knowledge. In general, Under Maritime Project Award, students were required to analyze one case study relevant with “hot issues” or “urgent agenda” in maritime industry. The outstanding six students are invited to provide one oral presentation.
The first research objective is to examine the mindset and motivational drive of sub-degree students enrolled in a competition, “Maritime Project Award”, of a logistics management subject. Sub-degree students usually associate their academic results as an explicit indicator of intelligence and smartness. They leverage their “self-worth” as being brilliant to do well in a particular subject when they get a high academic result. We intend to examine the interplay between students’ mindset (growth vs. fixed mindset) and devotion to the contest. For example, are top students usually have a growth mindset? Do students with a growth mindset exert more effort to sustain good performance as a revelation of high ability? Will students choose to minimize their efforts if they presume success is not guaranteed?
The second research objective is to scrutinize the impact of competition results on future learning strategies. For example, if students believe that they exerted great efforts and performed well in the competition but finally failed, would they perceive they are incapable, feel disappointed and then disengage from the future work? If intrinsically motivated students win the competition, would they adjust their learning strategies that help them a higher chance of success in next competition? The intrinsic and extrinsic drives will be explored to address how educators can use competition to support students to gain a sense of ownership of their learning behaviors and control of their lives.
This proposed study is going to conduct in-depth interviews with the parties involved in the competition. We will sample winners (awardees), candidates not being shortlisted as the for the award, and contest organizer to explore their perspectives of the above research issues. Judgment sampling will be adopted to screen out qualified candidates for interviews with sample size set as 30. Content analysis will be conducted to examine the data collected from interviews.