Physical education students’ satisfaction with their choice of studies in relation to career plans

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate physical education students’ satisfaction with the studies they had chosen and their declarations of making the same choice again, in the context of their career plans. The results of this study are part of the evaluation of education quality at the Faculty of Physical Culture in Gorzów Wlkp. of the Poznan Aacdemy of Physical Education. Three groups within each year-group were studied. Out of 226 subjects 188 expressed their satisfaction with the studies they had commenced (83.2%), and 140 of them declared they would make the same choice again. There were also 38 respondents (16.8%) who were not satisfied with the studies and would not choose the same field again. In the research, a diagnostic survey was employed, with the use of the techniques of auditorium questionnaire, uncategorized interview, and document analysis. The empirical material was statistically analyzed according to the number and characteristics of the variables. In order to draw statistical conclusions, the trait frequency and the independence χ2 test were used. For the calculations the Statistica 12 software package was employed (StatSoft, Inc. 2015 Statistica for Windows). Most of the students surveyed were satisfied with the studies they had commenced, declaring at the same time that they would repeat their choice. These people most often linked their career plans to work as a physical education teacher and employment in institutions connected with physical culture. Women more often planned to work in institutions of physical culture and men in the profession of physical education teacher. It was revealed that the number of people satisfied with the choice of their studies, declaring repetition of that choice and linking their career plans to their field of education, is similar to the survey results obtained at other universities of physical education.