Jeff:
That was an interesting post but I suggest that something
important is missing, which is data on the job to which they
aspire.
Some job requirements seem pretty stable to me. I don't think
my kindergarten teacher would be too shocked at what she would
find in a classroom today whereas many computer scientists from
the same time era would be astounded at how computers are used
by most people today. (You turned a calculator into a TV!?!)
It seems to me one reason that we see such mixed messages in our
student's reactions is that there is such a mixture of goals.
Many students taking psychology here want to be kindergarten
teachers. They have wanted to do this since adolescence and
have no other goal in life (other than being nice to people). A
college degree is required for this job. They are here to get
their ticket punched and pick up a few techniques. Given the
turnover in staff in these jobs, there is a very good chance
that there will be jobs available for them when they graduate.
Given the requirements of the job, they can expect little change
in the job for 20 years.
Now I don't like their perspective on college, but it doesn't
seem to be an irrational perspective.
Ken
----------------------
Kenneth M. Steele [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dept. of Psychology
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
USA
