The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 14, 1998, Page 4, Image 4
Page 4
Study finds fre
learning morp
o>
COLLEGE PRESS EXCHANGE
i
Freshmen who entered college in i
1997 are more competitive and materialistic
than ever. 1
They want good grades and advanced
degrees because they want high- j
paying jobs, not because they love learning.
i
And don't bother asking them about i
the finer points of politics and social is- 5
sues, because most certainly don't seem
to care. <
Or so suggests a long-standing study t
of first-year college students conducted
by researchers at the University of
California at Los Angeles.
The study, considered the nation's
most comprehensive assessment of student
attitudes and nlans surveved more
than 348,000 entering freshmen na- tionwide
and represents the 1.6 million
students who started school last
fall.
It doesn't exactly paint a flattering
picture of the graduating class of2001?
all classmates of Chelsea Clinton. ?
According to the study, first-year ?
students are so disinterested in academics,
government and social activism s
that they're more likely to frequently t
oversleep and miss class (34.5 percent) p
than to work on a political campaign 1
(8.2 percent) or support causes devoted
to cleaning up the environment (19.4 t
percent) and promoting racial under- e
standing (an all-time low of 31.8 percent).
"Sounds pretty accurate to me," said e
18-year-old Jennifer Jones, a self-de- i
scribed goody-two-shoes at Indiana University
who said she studies hard for "
the As and Bs she makes. f
"People want more things but are p
less willing to work for them because g
they just expect them to happen.,
she said. a
Researchers at UCLA who con- i
ducted the study suspect she's right. d
They note that students' lack of interest
in academia comes at a time when o
nearly half, 49.7 percent, say they'll i]
maintain a B average in college.
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for a
job
Work
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Offer
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the perfect opj
has created li
time evenin
You'll be
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7.5(
Con
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Come to work in our nev
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:shmen less ii
, 1
: interested in
From there, the study reports, a
record number of students plan to attend
graduate school.
Nearly 40 percent said they'll get
their master's degrees, while another
15.3 percent say they won't settle for
anything less thpn a Ph.D.
"Having an edge in the job market
is the motivation here," said Alexander
\stin, an UCLA professor and the
study's founder.
"It appears that what's good for the
sollege application or the job applicaion
is what really counts. Look, for exPeople
want more things but
are less willing to work for
them.
Jennifer Jones
Freshman, Indiana University
imple, at the high level of students who
ispire to get their Fh.D.," he continued.
"The strange thing is that we aren't
dso seeing real interest in the occupaions
where that degree is most ap>ropriate,
like teaching on the college
evel or scientific research."
In fact, those occupations are near
heir lowest levels of student interest
iver. *
So is politics.
This year's freshmen demonstrat:d
the lowest level of political interest
n the history of the survey.
Only 26.7 percent said they believe
keeping up to date with political afairs"
is important, compared with 29.4
>ercent just last year and the high of
>7.8 percent in 1966.
Tm not so fed up with politics as I
im with the way everyone approaches
t," said 18-year-old Claire Weingarlen,
a Syracuse University freshman.
"I don't think Congress is focusing
n the right things. Few things of any
mportance seem to get done."
Added Jones: "With all the empty
iromises politicians make, they're get'0(1
loc
parM
that v
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The Gamecock
-x. j i I m
ueresieu in si
l socializing re
ting to be no better than high school COLL
government. It all boils down to finger
pointing and petty rivalries that pre- WASI
vent legislators from addressing things the na
people really care about. ers, Pi
Perhaps the only issue hot enough are coi
to get more students involved in the po- legegi
litical process is the legalization of mar- La
ijuana. millioi
Support has grown steadily open i
throughout the 1990s. This year, more of agix
than 35 percent of students said they ing stv
back the idea. Cigarette smoking also D(
is more popular than ever. More than propos
16 percent of freshman said they smoke teacht
frequently. givene
Women continue to light up more Th
than men, with 17.3 percent reporting er this
frequent smoking compared to 14.6 per- Highe
cent of men. erning
"I think some of those stats have educat
something to do with being let off of the CI
leash," Weingarden said. lion pi
"People can buy cigarettes for the meetii
first time, so they're going to. They know U
their parents aren't around to smell would
their clothes or rooms. It's their way of foragr
showing off their independence." tricts f
While they may be establishing a Th
few new boundaries, many students leges ^
are becoming increasingly conservative progra
about some social issues, the study Th
indicates. ' award
" Support for keeping abortion legal partne;
declined for the fifth consecutive year prepai
to 53.5 percent, the lowest level since "T1
1979. but be]
And after nearly a decade of grow- learnir
ing acceptance of gay and lesbian re- Coi
lationships, the percentage of those who lined p
believe it is "important to have laws loan foi
prohibiting homosexual relationships" come b
increased for the second straight year Ser
to 33.9 percent. says si
"We've got to wake up, get students attract
more engaged in service activities, over th
encourage them to work collaborative- "T
ly and be responsible for each other," courag
Astin said. "In the meantime, we forgive
can't be too critical of the trends facing gradua
us. It's easy to put down students, but fession
I think we're simply seeing a reflection he said
of society." speech
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icruiting classes
EGE PRESS EXCHANGE Sen. Jeff Bingan
sponsored legislatioi
IINGTON?In an effort to fix give student loans f<
tion's dwindling supply of teach- ates who agree to tea
resident Clinton and Congress areas,
asidering incentives to lure col- The bill also woul
aduates into public classrooms, ates to demonstrate
wmakers are worried about 2 skills in certain aca
1 new teaching slots projected to A proposal introd
lp in the next decade because First, R-Tenn., wouli
ig teachers and a rapidly grow- award two-year $5,C
ident enrollment. to students with higl
imocrats and Republicans have erages who agree to t
ied offering federal dollars for f?r two years,
sr recruitment?and loan for- The Education I
ss. mates that 2 million r
e proposals will be taken up lat- be needed by 2005.
year as Congress revamps the T^e proposed incei
r Education Act, the law gov- public attention not
: student aid and other higher Jected teacher short
ion programs the quality of teacher
in too annniinnpd his $3RA-mi1- grams.
oposal at the NAACP annual "^e 02111101 Jower
tg last July. as we have in the pa
nder the plan, 35,000 students ^r?Y11?f an c
receive scholarships in return ^ Education Sec
eeing to work in poor school dis- e^'T . 0_
br at least three years. Nearly 30 percent
ie proposal also would target col- 6 pro e8S1?n . e*,
vith strong teaehing-training
jus
a^ n _t a. u director of the privati
e Education Department would on Tea"chi
grants to those colleges that teachers enter the cl.
r with needy school districts and enough training.
re teachers to work in them. Berry recently vis
he schoolhouse doors are open, ^ California where;
hind too mafy do?"100 llttle guages were being sp
ig is taking place, Chntonsaid. graduates of teacher
lgressional Democrats have outr prepared for such cht
iroposals that include student forced to "sink or swi
rgiveness for graduates who be- But he is hopeful t
eachers. part of lawmakers will
l. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., ified teachers into th(
ich a financial incentive would "The profession w
100,000 new teachers each year forts to drive home th<
ie next 10 years. shortage of teachers
he most effective way of en- ciety's conscience ab<
ing new teachers would be to numbers but quality
student loan debt for college need to produce," he:
tes who enter the teaching pro- For financial inc
and stay there for five years," scholarships to work
1 during a National Press Club sign an agreement to
in December. ers, added Hidalgo, w!
bk Spring Aerobi
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Wednesday, Janu
>rs down, fi
looking sli:
lan, D-N.M., has college of education
1 that would for- Kingsville.
>r college gradu- "In Texas, we 1
ich in high-need where we graduate
to fill the classrooms
d require gradu- never enter teaching
strong teaching For some it's jus
demic subjects. For others, it may be
uced by Sen. Bill through college,
i allow states to They leave then:
100 scholarships option to teach if no
l grade-point av- out.
each in the state Unless financial
upon students wori
)epartment esti- "some of them will 1
lew teachers will not continue in the f
ltives have forced H alwaya alitt
n?Ur n? fl stipends. Linda Tafe
, , , pro~ tional Collie of Educ
^6, out hIso on t tt *i.
preparation pro- ^Umrererty.
Students who are
our standarts- !nS bec!i of the 1
at?to meet the would be quickl;
' new teachers," . ^ca"se'Statesare
retary Richard standards for teach.
students who major
; of teachers leave are more comm]
their first three s^said.
ie Education De- . Most of [the inc<
Berry, associate ^ve ^)ecause they're
e National Com- er sutandards for teat
,says many new ^ think the safe
issroom without standards.
For teacher edu<
lited a classroom tion will always be or
25 different lan- s^e sa*doken.
Too many "Whenever you 01
colleges are un- tie wider, the gateke
illenges and are critical."
m," he said. Tafel said the ince
he efforts on the way to deal with the t
draw more qual- which has just start*
3 classroom. felt at National-Loui
relcomes any ef- In the past mont]
3 point about the has received nume
and to raise so- schools desperate to
)ut not only the cancies.
' of teachers we "Maybe because ol
'aid. arship dollars [in the
entives such as pie weren't encourr
, students must teaching," she said.
work as teach- "I always say we
ho is dean of the enough good teacher
cs Schedule
ay, January 19, 1998)
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iture
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l at Texas A&Mlave
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but some of them
J," he said,
t another major.
! just a way to get
iselves with that
thing else works ^
aid is contingent
ang as teachers,
take the aid and
ield," he said,
le cautious about
;l,deanoftheNaationatNational
! lured into teach
scholarship doly
weeded out. ^
s adopting tougher
?r training, most
in education totted
to teaching,
mtives] are posialso
tied to high:hers,"
she said.
iguard.is higher
:ators, "our funcle
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)en the gate a litieper
function is
intives are a good
eacher shortage,
sd to make itself
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