Why Does Someone Choose to Study Something?
There are many reasons for study; and often many different people can have an interest (and influence) upon what a student ends up enrolling in and studying.
One would assume that the choice of what to study is the student's alone; but that is a simplistic assumption.
Student Perspective
Students do not always know their needs. To know what is needed in a particular discipline, one first needs to understand that discipline. If a student does not understand the discipline, their understanding of their needs in a course will necessarily be limited. If they do understand the discipline, there may well be little reason for them to undertake a course.
Students will inevitably have wants and expectations that relate to a course they undertake. Every student is likely to have a different set of priorities and expectations, and those expectations are likely to change as they progress through the course.
What will have changed when a student comes to the end of a course?
Their Perceptions
The course should have enlightened them and, with greater understanding and awareness, they may appreciate needs they didn’t see when they started.
The World
The community, industry and the value of knowledge and skills can be very different at the conclusion of a course, compared with what it was at the beginning. Politicians and bureacrats can often influence what is studied, but controlling the funding and political decisions about what is offered to students.
Educator’s Perspective
An effective educator should be empathetic, and have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of the student, not just while the student is studying, but also when they have completed the course. The educator can however see things about what a student needs to achieve; which the student might not be able to see.
Family Perspective
Parents and/or families want to see value for education. Unfortunately, families can sometimes dictate (overtly or subtly) what a student enrols in.
Community and Industry Perspective
Community and employers are motivated by their work and profit (or in the case of government or non-profit organisations, achieving more value for the money spent). Some employers will be concerned with-long term benefits from training, but often employers only worry about the short term. Employers may demand certain things be studied, or at least strongly influence what is chosen.
