Professional socialisation and withdrawal from courses of professional education

Abstract

Chapter l introduces the problem of university dropouts with a discussion of its size, and of the estimated costs involved . It proceeds to deal with the difficulties associated with the definition of "dropout", and then introduces the concept of socialisation (and in particular of secondary socialisation). Possible applications of the concept to the analysis of professional education are discussed, and in particular the application of the concept to the question of whether students remain in their courses or withdraw from them. Emphasis is placed on the importance to this perspective of both individual and institutional variables. Chapter 2 contains a summary review of the literature pertaining to university dropouts . The principal theme of this review is the development from descriptive to analytical studies of the problem, from simple to more complex perspectives, and from a concern with student characteristics to a realisation that the interaction between the student and his educational environment is an important factor to be investigated. Chapter 3 presents a conceptual framework outlining the attributes of both individuals and institutions which are postulated as being involved the transmission,by the professional school to the student, of the elements making up the professional role. Individual attributes are divided into (1) background factors (father's income, occupation, and education; mother's education; relatives in the legal profession; and age at which the decision to study Law was made) (2) academic ability (3) orientation factors (attitudes, reasons for choosing Law, perceived characteristics of a successful lawyer, and expectations of the law course ) (4) situational factors (marital status, fulltime or part - time course , scholarship assistance) Institutional attributes are divided into (1) orientation factors (academic/vocational emphasis , implicit attitudes and values) (2) faulty/ student interaction (3) facilities for learning (flexible teaching methods, carefully constructed course organisation, library facilities) Chapter 4 describes the development of the present study from a large-sale inestigation of professional education in Australian universities; the nature of the group studied; the instruments used to collect the information in the stud ; and the inadequacies of the available information with regard to testing the operation of the conceptual framework outlined in Chapter 3. The specific hypotheses to be tested in the present study are presented in both descriptive and formalised fashion. Chapter 5 presents the results of the testing of the hypotheses specified in Chapter 4. Significant differences between continuing students and dropouts were discovered in relation to father's education, age at which the decision to study Law was made, marital status, type of course (full-time, part-time, and external) , and receipt of scholarship assistance. As well, there were differences between the two groups at some of the universities studied in relation to attitudes, perceived characteristics of a successful lawyer, and the extent to which the course fulfilled students' expectations. Chapter 6 puts forward a typological construct of the dropout based on the hypotheses tested and found to be supported by the data in Chapter 5 , In an attempt to gain a further understanding of these relationship, both the continuing students and the dropouts subdivided into older and younger groups, and some of the relationships which were found to hold in Chapter 5 are re-examined in the light of this breakdown. Chapter 7 consists of a brief discussion of the implications of the research in relation to the theoretical position outlined earlier in the dissertation; the implications for further research; and the practical implications of the study.