@phdthesis{AlSaffar2016,
  author    = {Al-Saffar, Loay Talib Ahmed},
  title     = {Analysing prerequisites, expectations, apprehensions, and attitudes of university students studying Computer science},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-98437},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xii, 131},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {The main objective of this dissertation is to analyse prerequisites, expectations, apprehensions, and attitudes of students studying computer science, who are willing to gain a bachelor degree. The research will also investigate in the students' learning style according to the Felder-Silverman model. These investigations fall in the attempt to make an impact on reducing the "dropout"/shrinkage rate among students, and to suggest a better learning environment. The first investigation starts with a survey that has been made at the computer science department at the University of Baghdad to investigate the attitudes of computer science students in an environment dominated by women, showing the differences in attitudes between male and female students in different study years. Students are accepted to university studies via a centrally controlled admission procedure depending mainly on their final score at school. This leads to a high percentage of students studying subjects they do not want. Our analysis shows that 75\% of the female students do not regret studying computer science although it was not their first choice. And according to statistics over previous years, women manage to succeed in their study and often graduate on top of their class. We finish with a comparison of attitudes between the freshman students of two different cultures and two different university enrolment procedures (University of Baghdad, in Iraq, and the University of Potsdam, in Germany) both with opposite gender majority. The second step of investigation took place at the department of computer science at the University of Potsdam in Germany and analyzes the learning styles of students studying the three major fields of study offered by the department (computer science, business informatics, and computer science teaching). Investigating the differences in learning styles between the students of those study fields who usually take some joint courses is important to be aware of which changes are necessary to be adopted in the teaching methods to address those different students. It was a two stage study using two questionnaires; the main one is based on the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire of B. A. Solomon and R. M. Felder, and the second questionnaire was an investigation on the students' attitudes towards the findings of their personal first questionnaire. Our analysis shows differences in the preferences of learning style between male and female students of the different study fields, as well as differences between students with the different specialties (computer science, business informatics, and computer science teaching). The third investigation looks closely into the difficulties, issues, apprehensions and expectations of freshman students studying computer science. The study took place at the computer science department at the University of Potsdam with a volunteer sample of students. The goal is to determine and discuss the difficulties and issues that they are facing in their study that may lead them to think in dropping-out, changing the study field, or changing the university. The research continued with the same sample of students (with business informatics students being the majority) through more than three semesters. Difficulties and issues during the study were documented, as well as students' attitudes, apprehensions, and expectations. Some of the professors and lecturers opinions and solutions to some students' problems were also documented. Many participants had apprehensions and difficulties, especially towards informatics subjects. Some business informatics participants began to think of changing the university, in particular when they reached their third semester, others thought about changing their field of study. Till the end of this research, most of the participants continued in their studies (the study they have started with or the new study they have changed to) without leaving the higher education system.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Hofmann2002,
  author    = {Hofmann, Nadi},
  title     = {Value education of youth},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-0000926},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2002},
  abstract  = {Am Anfang und am Ende des Schuljahres 2000/2001 wurden die Wertepriorit{\"a}ten der Sch{\"u}ler/innen und Lehrer/innen an acht verschiedenen Schulen gemessen. Mit dieser Studie wurde das theoretische Modell einer universellen Struktur menschlicher Wertepriorit{\"a}ten (Schwartz, 1992) erneut best{\"a}tigt. Zu beiden Messzeitpunkten ergaben sich gleiche Geschlechtseffekte wie auch {\"a}hnlich hohe positive Zusammenh{\"a}nge zwischen Religiosit{\"a}t und Schulbindung. Die Sch{\"u}ler/innen der nicht-religi{\"o}sen Schulen gaben Hedonism als h{\"o}chsten, und Tradition als niedrigsten Wert an. In den religi{\"o}sen Schulen waren Benevolence und Self-Direction die meist gesch{\"a}tzten Werte, w{\"a}hrend Power die niedrigste Priorit{\"a}t besaß. Die Ver{\"a}nderung der Werte Conformity, Hedonism und Universalism ließ sich sowohl durch die Religiosit{\"a}t der Sch{\"u}ler/innen wie auch durch deren Schulzugeh{\"o}rigkeit vorhersagen. Die Ver{\"a}nderung von Power, Tradition, Benevolence und Achievement hingegen wurde prim{\"a}r durch Religiosit{\"a}t vorhergesagt. In drei der vier Schulen korrelierte die {\"A}hnlichkeit der Sch{\"u}ler und Lehrer positiv mit der Schulbindung der Sch{\"u}ler/innen. Die Sch{\"u}ler-Lehrer {\"A}hnlichkeit korrelierte {\"u}ber alle Schulen positiv mit Schulleistung.},
  language  = {en}
}