STUDY DISCIPLINE AND STUDENTS' MOTIVATION DISPERSION

This paper analyzes the success of the students who went for the examination “Communication Systems and Networks” in the academic year 2008/2009 and shows that a great number of students did not pass that examination, not because their academic performance was bad, not because they “flunked” but because they just did not go for an examination. By comparing the two earlier years with 2008/2009, the students’ examination absenteeism is evident; it has even increased in the past few years. Moreover, their lecture and/or exercise absenteeism has increased as well.

The questionnaire carried out among the students has shown that the students live rather comfortably in their caring family environment in which they feel safe and protected. Most of them, i.e. 61% is optimistic, based on their self-confidence (24%) or just because they are lucky (37%). The number of those more cautious, skeptics and pessimistic is smaller (39%). However, one expects that from young people. The questionnaire and discussion with students after their examinations show the scatter of students' motivation. A large number of students, 70% of them do not see their study as their life-long orientation to which they have decided to dedicate their personal mental, physical and time resources. Only 30% students are going to focus on their study seriously!

Initial changes have been carried out in order to make subject contents and their performance more interesting to students, replacing less popular lectures by exercises, and practical drills. Suggestions for further improvement of subject contact hours and psychosocial adjustment to actual students’ population are given in the conclusion. Changes in resources applied are presented in order to evaluate the economics of the suggested changes.