Personal Development Plan - Essay Example

Personal Development Plan Introduction The purpose of this paper is to identify issues that affect personal development in the first generation college students. Actually, the experiences by the students play a crucial role in determining their personal development. These experiences include culture shock, where the student meets unexpected social and academic atmosphere. The fact that this will direct affect the student’s performance indicates the importance of the study. The paper will also look at the teamwork and presentation skills that are required by the students, as well as developing a personal development plan that relates to the culture shock together with the experiences. Evidently, the paper analyses the stages of developing a personal development plan (PDP). Chapter 1 Acculturation Theories/ concepts about personal and academic institutional culture shock and students performance Cultural mismatch theory Stephens et al. (2012) claims that cultural mismatch theory is relevant in identification of sources of underperformance in the first generation students in colleges. Inherently, the theory is composed of the three claims. The investigations considered 147 participants, all of whom are the undergraduate students. More importantly, the study included about four studies to investigate the claims of the theory. Firstly, the theory purports that the American college culture depicts a persuasive middle class norms that are significant in the American society. Moreover, the theory reveals that the effect of culture shock will depend on the implicit cultural frameworks together with college models regarding self, that is, it will depend on both the university cultural context as well as the immediate situation. Thirdly, the theory shows that the culture shock influences students performance through changing their perception associated with setting along with construal of tasks that are needed in a the setting. Consequently, the theory shows that cultural mismatch theory is a source of culture shock and consequently this affects individual students’ performance. In an investigation to identify the effects of culture shock on minority students, Ostrove and Long (2007) and Greenfield (1994) found out that culture shock negatively affects academic performance of the students. The research focused on the black students who were the first generation students. Similarly, Grossmann and Varnum (2011) considered college to be an alien planet where young people from both poor and middle class families are the first to attend college. Consequently, the social atmosphere results to culture shock on the black students from the said backgrounds, and it influences their adjustment to college. Inherently, the new social atmosphere also has direct effects on ones personality. The difference between the social class between the first generation students and the continuing generation is also believed to influence academic performance (Phinney and Haas, 2003). Induction experience and points for improvement When I was inducted in Wolverhampton College, I found out that the social atmosphere was quite different from my former university, in America where I studied my undergraduate degree. Firstly as a student I came to know communication between the campus people in Britain was a lot. The university pushed students to talk to each other and develop friendship which gave me a sense of belongingness as soon as I started my program here. Secondly, I came to the university with the notion that it was a very serious institution of learning. To my disappointment I found out that most the university students preferred partying more than studying. Unfortunately, trying to beat this will only make one to lose friends, and consequently, one has to manage to cope with such a situation. Subsequently, due to time consumed in partying and actually, to adapt to these changes my overall performance was actually affected in by first year in college. Another significant transformation that I was forced to go through is associated to the educational style. While in my undergraduate degree, the lecturers were more available, and there were chances of redoing classes, however, in Wolverhampton, the situation was different. Specifically, educational, classes and papers are given and to remain competitive a student needs to work extremely fast which is why during classes you cannot leave your mind somewhere else for even a second as you lose focus of what’s happening and for me this is the only main problem that I have experienced. The educational style in graduate school is more independent where the students are actually required take the responsibility together with ownership of their own learning (Böhm, et al., 2004). Moreover, they need to come up with their own strategies that will improve their performance in the future. On the other hand, the undergraduate education was more dependent learner with the instructors providing most of the instructions on what needs to be done. Moreover, the undergraduate education system expects that students should be helped even without asking, which is contrary to the college level, where one is expected to participate fully in all stages (McKenzie and Schweitzer, 2001). When I joined the graduate school, I was actually expected to choose my program together with the course to study and moreover, to engage the coordinators along with the lecturers and students throughout my study. Actually, a master’s degree is more research based as compared to the undergraduate education. Consequently, there is a need for universities and colleges such as Wolverhampton to control the independence of the learners. This should be so especially for the first generation students, who always have difficulties in adapting with sudden changes in their life. Proper guidance on the choice of the program and course to study should be instituted to help the students to go through the change very well. Moreover, there is a need for universities to adopt systems that will encourage the first generation students to adapt easily with the changes. This should be systems such as trainings and counselling sessions to enable the students obtain the necessary skills regarding college social life and academic style (Misra, Crist and Burant, 2003). Overview of personal and institutional issues around the past learning style and gaps Graduate school exposes one to a longer reading list together with extensive studying more than one encountered during college education. Inherently, one is expected to have initiative for learning along with demonstrating commitment to ones study above providing your own motivation. Moreover, the education does not only train students information and skills needed in ones professional, but also it gives one a chance to interact and socialize with faculty together with other students. Consequently, this is crucial in developing ones career. However, graduate schools expect students to be work harder and be ready to juggle life issues and be in a position to focus on work. This can be overwhelming to a number of people and subsequently, there is need for programs that will assist the students to adapt to the new environment. Data analysis Actually, from the results of personal evaluation on my progress on learning goals, indicates that the university social setting has contributed greatly to my improvement. Initially, my participation in group work was low but through interaction in the university my participation has also improved. Despite this, the education style as well as some aspects of social atmosphere has hindered my progress in developing teamwork and presentation skills. Chapter 2 team work and presentation skills Theories and concepts of teamwork and presentation skills Inherently, Fredrick (2008) looks at the social motivation theory of team learning and found out that the experience of being a team member is encouraging to the rest of the team. Actually, according to the theory, a successful team project needs team member commitments together with individual accountability. More importantly, Gueldenzoph and May (2002) found out that team spirit among the students is directly associated to the academic achievement by the individual group members. This is because the team spirit does not only encourage the team members to work towards achieving the team goal, but also it provides an avenue where students can interact and share their minds concerning a particular academic issue. Research by Freeman (1996), and Gueldenzoph and May (2002) suggest that teamwork and presentation skills is one of the crucial attributes that a university student may need in his/her studies. This is because other than providing valuable opportunities that enable the student to achieve high quality learning results; it also fosters collaboration together with competition among the students. Moreover, teamwork and presentation skills instil confidence and allow active participation of students in learning. Consequently, the studies prove that teamwork and presentation skills are important in enhancing high student performance. Evidently, a team is characterised by a shared vision with clear priorities and targets. The team is in a position to make clear decisions, and despite the fact that it has members who have different strengths, they all count and have a chance of making contribution (Cottrell, 2012). Actually, in order to have a strong team, there is a need to organise the group and come up with rules that will guide the group. More importantly, it is also important for students to acquire excellent personal skills (Emden and Becker, 2012). This will call for students preparing well for the presentation, keeping the audience in mind, use of aids such as visual aids during presentation, managing time well and allowing the audience to ask questions. These skills are very important even after schooling in a work environment. Residential and learning experience During my undergraduate education, I attended a residential school. Actually, this has given me a number of experiences, most of which supports the academic program and provides integrated quality environment for both learning and growth. On average, the personal experiences in colleges and universities not only enable a student to gain knowledge, but also it enhances social maturation, autonomy together with personal competence. Actually, while in a residential school, one gets a chance to meet various students from diverse backgrounds and settings. Evidently, the diversity in culture also affects the social atmosphere in such schools, and the fact that one spends more time with these students, and then it is easy to be affected by them. Actually, the effect is both positive and a negative one. While the positive effects include the fact that one has more time for studying, cultural and social diversity makes one to mature socially and students achieve personal competence (Terenzini, et al. 1996). This is because students in residential schools are more independent and most make many decisions on their own. Some learn from mistakes and improve and in the end they emerge more competent. The students are also advantaged by the fact they spend more their teachers together with other learning activities (Richardson and Skinner, 1992). Evidently, therefore, I can attest that residential school experiences offer one a strong learning experience. Chapter 3 reports and academic journal comparisons What works for students? Inherently, the findings for what works for students include cultural recognition and support, adequate levels of participation together with development of requisite skills (Slavin and Madden). Actually, according to the report, cultural support recognition together with acknowledgement is achieved through active along with effective relationships between the indigenous communities together with the school staffs. Likewise, development of requisite skills evolves from the instructors high expectation of student’s, as well as the instructor’s skills, and moreover, the sensitivity that the instructors approach their work. In addition, support from home, even if limited will also aid the cultural support recognition and development. The partnership of the three components is believed to derive success in the educational process. In addition, other than the three, comprehensive approaches need to be integrated. For instance, for students to leap maximum benefits, then they need to attend school regularly, together with be engaged through quality teaching while in school. Bridging the gap According to Leese (2010), most of the students tend to spend less time in campus whereas most of the students combined their studies with work, as most support the concept that there are new students in higher education. This was in accordance to the research Leese (2010) carried out which focused on the experiences of students as they enter undergraduate course in a university aiming at widening participation. Leese (2010) found out that perception regarding student transition varied with a greater number of students expressing concern of the need to become independent students. Moreover, they claimed that they require more structured activities that will encourage them to fit in during the transition, in addition to support from academic staff together with clear instructions concerning what is to be expected. Actually, the two studies identify major personal experiences that are evident in most of the first generation students in the institutions of higher learning. The main issues that the two articles agree on include the need for a more structured activity plan, together with counseling sessions for the new students. Moreover, there is a need for support from the institution and the community in general. Chapter 4 Personal development plan Target Milestone to be taken By date By whom Evidence that milestone is completed Done Improving academic performance Attend classes 15th Nov me Attendance sheet Yes Engage lecturers 15th Nov Lecturers Me Reading more 4th Dec Me Librarian Text books Regulate partying 20th Nov Me Attending very few parties Team work skills Organise the group 15th Dec Group members Group formed Develop the ground rules 15th Dec Group members Ground rules in place Presentation skills Learn to prepare 16th Dec Me Able to prepare presentations for different audience Learn to manage time 17th Dec Me Presenting adequately in the stipulated time. Improving personal performance One instance, which portrays my personal improvement, is when decided to improve my academic performance (Cottrell, 2003). Evidently, my performance was not pleasing and therefore I really needed to ensure that it is I am performing well to achieve my goals. The issues that I identified at the time included lack of attending classes regularly and I was also involved in a lot of partying. This was actually a priority to me owing to the fact that my future banked on my academic performance and therefore, if I have a dream of excelling in my life, then my academic performance also needs to excel. Consequently, I decided to improve performance by ensuring that I attend classes regularly, engaged the lecturers exhaustively, together with reading extensively. Moreover, there was also need to improve my social life since it had some direct effects on my academic performance. Consequently, I decided to reduce my partying rates in addition to dropping bad friends who had a negative influence in my life. Gladly, I have started on the process, and up to now I have been able to attend classes regularly, although not as expected. Moreover, I have been engaging the lecturers and visited library often to ensure I read more extensively. More importantly, I have decided to deliberately fail to attend some parties and I am still trying to drop my friends. On the other hand, although I have been able to attend classes more often and engage lecturers, I have been having difficulties in dropping the bad elements. This has not yet worked out, and therefore, I need to incorporate another strategy. Evidently, I have seen some improvement in my performance as evidences by the continuous assessment results. This is highly associated to the fact that I have been engaging my lecturers consistently, and have improved my class attendance, in addition to reading more extensively. However, I still need to improve my social life in order to realise my full potential. The experience has been very helpful to me and owing to the truth that I have witnessed some major improvement in my academic life. This is because there has been proper planning, as recorded in the action plan. Moreover, from experience, it is quite clear that the proper preparation, together with planning is inherent in achieving the results of such a plan. The experience also demonstrates the need to incorporate an action plan in personal development plan. Chapter 5 Conclusion and reflection After coming to Wolverhampton and looking at the educational situation I have realized that as an individual student I need to fasten my pace. All my classmates are quite fast when it comes to grasping concepts and getting their assignment done and hence to remain in the competition I need to increase my speed which has developed me into a better student. In a short pace of time I have designed my own routine which helps me relax and also study and make sure that I remain in line with my instructors and in the long run this will give me a positive advantage during both tests and exams. The paper has adequately discussed issues that are necessary for developing a personal development plan. Actually, most of the challenges faced during my first year, together with the need to develop skills inherent in my future are key in the development of personal development plan. More importantly, there is a need to evaluate personal performance in regard to the PDP. References Böhm, A., Follari, M., Hewett, A., Jones, S., Kemp, N., Meares, D., et al. (2004). Forecasting international student mobility—A UK perspective. London: British Council, Universities UK and IDP Education. Cottrell, S. (2012). Working with others. The study skills handbook. Retrieved from http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/personal/working.asp Cottrell, S. 2003. Action plan. Skills for success. Retrieved from http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/pdp/forms/p102.pdf David Taylor, David Edge, (1997) "Personal development plans: unlocking the future", Career Development International, 2 (1), 21 – 23 Emden, J. and Becker, L. (2012). Presentation skills for students. Retrieved from http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/personal/presentation.asp Fredrick, T. A., (2008). Facilitating Teamwork: Analyzing the challenges and strategies of classroom-based collaboration. Business Communication Quarterly, 71(4), 439-455. Freeman, K. A. (1996). Attitudes toward work in project groups as predictors of academic performance. Small Group Research, 27, 265-282. Greenfield, P. M. (1994). Independence and interdependence as develop-mental scripts: Implications for theory, research, and practice. In P. M. Greenfield & R. R. Cocking (Eds.), Cross-cultural roots of minority child development (pp. 1–37). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Grossmann, I., & Varnum, M. E. W. (2011). Culture, social class, and cognition. Social Psychological & Personality Science, 2, 81– 89. Gueldenzoph, L. E., and May, G. L. (2002). Collaborative peer evaluation: Best practices for group member assessments. Business Communication Quarterly, 65(1), 9–20. Leese M (2010) Bridging the Gap: Supporting Student Transition into Higher Education. Journal of Further and Higher Education 34(2), pp 239-251. McKenzie, K. and Schweitzer, R. (2001). Who succeeds at university? Factors predicting academic performance in first year Australian university students. Higher Education Research and Development 20: 21-33. Misra, R., Crist, M., and Burant, C. J. (2003). Relationships among life stress, social support, academic stressors, and reactions to stressors of international students in the United States. International Journal of Stress Management, 10: 137–157. Ostrove, J. M., & Long, S. M. (2007). Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment. The Review of Higher Education, 30, 363–389. Phinney, J. S., & Haas, K. (2003). The process of coping among ethnic minority first-first generation college freshmen: A narrative approach. The Journal of Social Psychology, 143, 707–726. Richardson, R. C., & Skinner, E. F. (1992). Helping first-generation minority students achieve degrees. In L. S. Zwerling & H. B. London (Eds.), First-generation students: Confronting the cultural issues: New Directions for Community Colleges Series (No. 80, pp. 29 – 43). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Slavin, R and Madden, N (1989). What works for students at risk: A research synthesis-ASCD. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Stephens, N. M., Fryberg, S. A., Markus, H. R., Johnson, C. S., & Covarrubias, R. (2012, March 5). Unseen Disadvantage: How American Universities' Focus on Independence Undermines the Academic Performance of First-Generation College Students. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P. M., Pascarella, E. T., & Nora, A. (1996). First-generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Research in Higher Education, 37, 1–22. Appendix A Questionnaire Evaluating progress on learning goals 1. Current learning goals Currently I am in the process of developing my teamwork and presentation skills 2. Targets and milestones Develop teamwork and presentation skills 3. Action taken to achieve the goal (‘What have I done so far?’) I have organized a group and we have developed ground rules to guide the group. Moreover, I am learning how to prepare and manage my time while presenting. 4. Evaluation of performance so far (‘How well am I meeting my targets? How sensible were the targets? I have started all the required processes 5. Do they need to be changed?’) No 6. What feedback have I received from others? I need to participate fully in group work 7. How have I made use of this feedback? Yes I have made use of feedback through putting more effort in my participation 8. Things I have learnt about myself, other people or the task so far. I have come to understand my weaknesses in participation, which I have worked out 9. Strong points about my attitude, approach and performance. I do not only listen to others but also I manage my time well 10. Things I could improve about my attitude, approach and performance. One of the main things to do is to continue improving my participation 11. How I have changed? Actually, the social setting in the university has also greatly improved my participation Read More