Impact of the environment on the motivation to choose studies by university students in Rzeszów (Poland)

Abstract

Motivation is a human activity that depends on one’s living environment. The environment of parents, siblings, grandparents, friends and acquaintances shapes the child’s perception of the world, influences their taking various life activities, and also implies various motives for creating human behaviour. The article aimed to broaden the knowledge on the significance of said influence on the motivation to chose the fields of study of academic youth divided by gender. The research problem was the respondents’ perception of the influence that parents, family traditions, peers, teachers, media, and career counsellor have when it comes to choosing a field of study, while also taking into account the ease of getting into a given field of study. A null hypothesis (H0) was assumed, stating no differentiation of the subjects at the level of statistical significance by gender. The performed calculations did not show any differences at the level of statistical significance. Higher percentages were obtained by women in terms of the influence of family, family traditions, teachers, media, ease of getting into university and career counsellor, except for the influence of acquaintances. The research broadened the knowledge about the small influence of the school environment of young people, especially the vocational counsellor, on the motivation to chose particular fields of study. It is postulated to increase the support possibilities on the part of the school, especially the vocational counsellor, to increase young people’s awareness regarding the proper selection of their education path.