Self-Selection of a University Course in Psycholinguistics

Abstract

The present article aimed at identifying the university students’ (further referred to as “participants”) self-selection of an optional course in psycholinguistics. The participants’ self-selection of the course was investigated by means of a structured questionnaire concerning their socio-linguistic background and a reflective essay on the topic ‘Why I Chose an Optional Course in Psycholinguistics’. Data analysis of the participants’ essays and the questionnaire revealed a set of variables involved in the students’ self-selection of the optional course in psycholinguistics. Whilst several variables were unique to each individual participant, data analysis indicated that there were recurrentpatterns in the self-selection process. Specifically, the data suggested that the patterns shared by all the participantsinvolved categories “interest”, “future profession” and other categories respectively.

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