Survey finds college grads lack professionalism

[this is true]

AM VET wrote:

entitlement mentality, welfare mama's.lil rap star gag banger wanna be's..man-o-man, america is on the down hill slope,,

Exactly. Obamanation.

[Katie]

I want the layout of this survey. If people went around between classes in order to ask students these questions: of course they will not be professional. It's the middle of their school day, and they are not in a "professional work" environment. The fact is, people act differently when they are at work, and when they are at school.

Students know how to be civilized, respectable, hard working individuals. I believe that there was bias in this survey. I can not name a single friend of mine that is incapable of displaying the five pillars of professionalism, when placed in the right situation.

Show me the method that was used to conduct this survey, exactly what the results were, and what possible errors could have been in the study. This summary does not provide enough information to understand the experiment.

[Change]

Katie wrote:

I want the layout of this survey. If people went around between classes in order to ask students these questions: of course they will not be professional. It's the middle of their school day, and they are not in a "professional work" environment. The fact is, people act differently when they are at work, and when they are at school.
Show me the method that was used to conduct this survey, exactly what the results were, and what possible errors could have been in the study. This summary does not provide enough information to understand the experiment.

I think the survey was conducted by asking employers about their impressions of recent graduates based on initial job interviews. I imagine a Likert Scale was used as the research instrument. I have nothing to do with the research that was conducted but from what was written this is the process I assume was used. It is standard procedure for the methodology used in research to be addressed when the results are presented.

*Probably the most important component of the research is whether the sample was random. If snowball sampling was used it is possible that the sample was drawn from the same social network that York College uses to place students in the workforce. This might lead one to believe that students from York College are unprofessional; not the greater body of recent college graduates.

*Another interesting factor is the research institute that conducted the research is owned by a board member of the York College Center for Professional Excellence (YCCPE). Presenting the results in a certain fashion can validate the existence of the YCCPE and the YCCPE becomes a selling point for York College. The research does not mention that 66% of the sample either thought professionalism has remained the same or increased over the past five years.

*It is important to remember that the research as we see it in the newspaper is not the same fashion is it would be presented in an academic journal. If the newspaper went into all the details about methodology most people would not read the article.

Katie you bring up some really good points. I hope the YCCPE takes the time to write a "professional" report and attach it to their homepage so people who are actually interested in the details can know the details or people who can "talk the talk" will think their findings are nothing but a bunch of hot air meant to promote the importance of having an institute such as YCCPE at the college parents decide to send their children to.