Rita Takács - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Rita Takács

Research paper thumbnail of Successful Steps in Higher Education to Stop Computer Science Students from Attrition

Interchange

Currently, the dropout rate is crucial in the field of Computer Science (CS) higher education. In... more Currently, the dropout rate is crucial in the field of Computer Science (CS) higher education. In CS education it is usually the mathematically oriented subjects that are blamed for the high dropout rates. Implementing a theoretical framework into practice, we have been able to prevent 28% of our students from dropping out in the last 2 years due to our education reform. The aim of the present study is to analyse the results of the students through the curriculum of the CS program by factor analysis. Nearly 4000 first-year students’ results were analysed. One of the most important steps of the education reform was that all of the lectures became compulsory to attend. Another step was the introduction of a prevention and skills-training program for every first-year student in order to develop their study skills. Our findings highlighted that as a consequence of the education reform, more students stayed until the end of the first and second semesters and try taking exams in the exam ...

Research paper thumbnail of Oktatási reform hatékonyságának vizsgálata – Tantárgyak nehézségi elemzése IRT-modell segítségével programtervező informatikus hallgatók körében

Magyar Pszichológiai Szemle

A felsőoktatási képzéseken megjelenő nagyarányú (általánosságban véve 30–40%-os) hallgatói lemorz... more A felsőoktatási képzéseken megjelenő nagyarányú (általánosságban véve 30–40%-os) hallgatói lemorzsolódás súlyos problémákat okoz. Különösen érintett az informatikaoktatás, a legtöbb ország alapképzésének első két féléve a legkritikusabb: az intézmények elveszíthetik hallgatóik 60%-át. Vizsgálatunk célja annak feltárása, hogy a lemorzsolódás megelőzése érdekében bevezetett oktatási reform 2016 óta milyen mértékben befolyásolja a hallgatók egyetemen történő bennmaradását. Programtervező informatikus hallgatók tanulmányi eredményeinek mintáját elemeztük 2010 és 2017 között az IRT-modell segítségével. A vizsgálatban 3673 egyetemi hallgató adatai szerepelnek. Eredményeink szerint az oktatási reform után a legtöbb tantárgy teljesíthetőbbé vált, és az alacsonyabb képességű hallgatók is megpróbáltak vizsgát tenni. A matematikai témájú tantárgyak alacsonyabb nehézségi szinten is teljesíthetővé váltak, illetve alacsonyabb képességszintű hallgatók is vállalták a vizsgák megpróbálását, nem látt...

Research paper thumbnail of What Kind of Personality Traits Computer Science Students Have and How Can We Improve Them to Increase Their Success at University

Research paper thumbnail of Applying the Rasch model to analyze the effectiveness of education reform in order to decrease computer science students’ dropout

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2021

Attrition is an important issue in higher education, especially in the field of computer science ... more Attrition is an important issue in higher education, especially in the field of computer science (CS). Here, we investigate to what extent an education reform affects the attrition of students by analyzing the pattern of grades of CS students’ academic achievement from 2010 to 2018 by IRT, based on Rasch-model analysis. We analyze data from 3673 undergraduate students of a large public university. In 2016 an education reform—as an intervention—was added to our BSc program: all theoretical lectures became compulsory to attend and we introduced a learning methodology course for all first-year students. According to our results, after the education reform most subjects became accomplishable, and students with lower levels of ability also tried to take exams. We succeeded in retaining 28% of our students. Analyzing students’ results could help administrators develop new programs in order to increase retention.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring Coping Strategies of Different Generations of Students Starting University

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting ... more Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting to university challenges. Coping skills are an essential part of the Psychological immune system, which leads to successful adaptation. Due to COVID-19 most universities have changed their face-to-face teaching for online education. Nevertheless, there is little concrete empirical evidence on how this generation of students with the ongoing impacts of disruptive changes can cope with it. Colleges and universities need to make changes in order to retain this new generation of students. Our aim was to explore the characteristics and changes in coping skills of university students from three different age groups.Method: Psychological coping skills were measured by the Psychological Immune Competence Inventory (PICI). Differences were detected between generations. Group comparisons (pre-2004, pre-Covid, and post-Covid) groups were compared) using PICI subscales using independent sample analy...

Research paper thumbnail of Dropping-Out Prevention of Computer Science Students: Developing Studying, Thinking, and Soft Skills Among Students Using Training Programs

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of the first wave of COVID-19 on students’ attainment, analysed by IRT modelling method

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Universities around the world were closed for several months to slow down the spread of the COVID... more Universities around the world were closed for several months to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, a tremendous amount of effort was made to use online education to support the teaching and learning process. The COVID-19 pandemic gave us a profound insight into how online education can radically affect students and how students adapt to new challenges. The question is how switching to online education affected dropout? This study shows the results of a research project clarifying the impact of the transition to online courses on dropouts. The data analysed are from a large public university in Europe where online education was introduced in March 2020. This study compares the academic progress of students newly enroled in 2018 and 2019 using IRT modelling. The results show that (1) this period did not contribute significantly to the increase in dropout, and we managed to retain our students.(2) Subjects became more achievable during online education, ...

Research paper thumbnail of Successful Steps in Higher Education to Stop Computer Science Students from Attrition

Interchange

Currently, the dropout rate is crucial in the field of Computer Science (CS) higher education. In... more Currently, the dropout rate is crucial in the field of Computer Science (CS) higher education. In CS education it is usually the mathematically oriented subjects that are blamed for the high dropout rates. Implementing a theoretical framework into practice, we have been able to prevent 28% of our students from dropping out in the last 2 years due to our education reform. The aim of the present study is to analyse the results of the students through the curriculum of the CS program by factor analysis. Nearly 4000 first-year students’ results were analysed. One of the most important steps of the education reform was that all of the lectures became compulsory to attend. Another step was the introduction of a prevention and skills-training program for every first-year student in order to develop their study skills. Our findings highlighted that as a consequence of the education reform, more students stayed until the end of the first and second semesters and try taking exams in the exam ...

Research paper thumbnail of Oktatási reform hatékonyságának vizsgálata – Tantárgyak nehézségi elemzése IRT-modell segítségével programtervező informatikus hallgatók körében

Magyar Pszichológiai Szemle

A felsőoktatási képzéseken megjelenő nagyarányú (általánosságban véve 30–40%-os) hallgatói lemorz... more A felsőoktatási képzéseken megjelenő nagyarányú (általánosságban véve 30–40%-os) hallgatói lemorzsolódás súlyos problémákat okoz. Különösen érintett az informatikaoktatás, a legtöbb ország alapképzésének első két féléve a legkritikusabb: az intézmények elveszíthetik hallgatóik 60%-át. Vizsgálatunk célja annak feltárása, hogy a lemorzsolódás megelőzése érdekében bevezetett oktatási reform 2016 óta milyen mértékben befolyásolja a hallgatók egyetemen történő bennmaradását. Programtervező informatikus hallgatók tanulmányi eredményeinek mintáját elemeztük 2010 és 2017 között az IRT-modell segítségével. A vizsgálatban 3673 egyetemi hallgató adatai szerepelnek. Eredményeink szerint az oktatási reform után a legtöbb tantárgy teljesíthetőbbé vált, és az alacsonyabb képességű hallgatók is megpróbáltak vizsgát tenni. A matematikai témájú tantárgyak alacsonyabb nehézségi szinten is teljesíthetővé váltak, illetve alacsonyabb képességszintű hallgatók is vállalták a vizsgák megpróbálását, nem látt...

Research paper thumbnail of What Kind of Personality Traits Computer Science Students Have and How Can We Improve Them to Increase Their Success at University

Research paper thumbnail of Applying the Rasch model to analyze the effectiveness of education reform in order to decrease computer science students’ dropout

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 2021

Attrition is an important issue in higher education, especially in the field of computer science ... more Attrition is an important issue in higher education, especially in the field of computer science (CS). Here, we investigate to what extent an education reform affects the attrition of students by analyzing the pattern of grades of CS students’ academic achievement from 2010 to 2018 by IRT, based on Rasch-model analysis. We analyze data from 3673 undergraduate students of a large public university. In 2016 an education reform—as an intervention—was added to our BSc program: all theoretical lectures became compulsory to attend and we introduced a learning methodology course for all first-year students. According to our results, after the education reform most subjects became accomplishable, and students with lower levels of ability also tried to take exams. We succeeded in retaining 28% of our students. Analyzing students’ results could help administrators develop new programs in order to increase retention.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring Coping Strategies of Different Generations of Students Starting University

Frontiers in Psychology, 2021

Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting ... more Introduction: Coping strategies and adaptation skills are key features in successfully adjusting to university challenges. Coping skills are an essential part of the Psychological immune system, which leads to successful adaptation. Due to COVID-19 most universities have changed their face-to-face teaching for online education. Nevertheless, there is little concrete empirical evidence on how this generation of students with the ongoing impacts of disruptive changes can cope with it. Colleges and universities need to make changes in order to retain this new generation of students. Our aim was to explore the characteristics and changes in coping skills of university students from three different age groups.Method: Psychological coping skills were measured by the Psychological Immune Competence Inventory (PICI). Differences were detected between generations. Group comparisons (pre-2004, pre-Covid, and post-Covid) groups were compared) using PICI subscales using independent sample analy...

Research paper thumbnail of Dropping-Out Prevention of Computer Science Students: Developing Studying, Thinking, and Soft Skills Among Students Using Training Programs

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of the first wave of COVID-19 on students’ attainment, analysed by IRT modelling method

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Universities around the world were closed for several months to slow down the spread of the COVID... more Universities around the world were closed for several months to slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, a tremendous amount of effort was made to use online education to support the teaching and learning process. The COVID-19 pandemic gave us a profound insight into how online education can radically affect students and how students adapt to new challenges. The question is how switching to online education affected dropout? This study shows the results of a research project clarifying the impact of the transition to online courses on dropouts. The data analysed are from a large public university in Europe where online education was introduced in March 2020. This study compares the academic progress of students newly enroled in 2018 and 2019 using IRT modelling. The results show that (1) this period did not contribute significantly to the increase in dropout, and we managed to retain our students.(2) Subjects became more achievable during online education, ...