Insight #2: Personal Image of IT Personnel
This blog article is intended to provide some insight on short items gained from the current research. It is hopeful that these insights will help both business and academic leaders on the various influences associated with selecting IT as a college major.
If you want to read an introduction of this research project, please click here.
Personal Image -- A Four Year Trend Analysis
Objective The survey data analyzed the students' perception of personal image associated with information technology careers. Two survey questions were asked to gain the social image construct using a Likert Scale (1-7).
These questions are different than the social image questions (discussed in Insight #1). These questions focus how they would may appear or are /perceived as an IT professional. The analysis was completed using two questions for personal image as follows:
- Choosing an information technology major would not make me appear to be a nerd or not cool while I am in college.
- As an information technology major, people would not perceive me as anti-social or boring.
Response Analysis Responses from first-year college students in Fall 2016 and 2020 were identified consisting of 293 responses. The analysis was completed finding 19 records invalid (gender) for a net total of 274 responses.
Statistical Analysis For those that love statistics (yes more haha!). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was completed with the following results:
The results of the statistical analysis show that there are no significant differences between the means of the two survey years (2016 vs. 2020) (p>.05) for either question. The various group means, as well as the grand mean (for 274 responses), do not have enough variance between the means to provide significant differences for both social image questions.
What Does This Mean? In plain terms, the perceptions of the personal image of IT careers over four years have no differences. If the average of question #1 in Fall 2016 was 6.80 instead of 5.52 (the grand mean would also change), then it possible that there are differences in personal image (personally perceived as nerds, introverts) over four years. Using the Fall 2020 mean, the trend would then show a declining trend in perceived personal image.
For the first question, the results clearly indicate that students somewhat agree (5.66) that their perceived personal image with an IT career is not nerdy. OK, that's great! So there are no deep negative impediments about perception of personal image.
In the second question, students somewhat agree that the image with an IT career not perceived as anti-social (5.44). Good, I guess. Let's peel the orange.
Final Thoughts The various insights on students' personal image clearly indicates that there is no significant movement in the averages during this four-year period (p>.05).
However, it is intersting that the anti-social question tracks lower in both semesters (.31 and .24). While not monumental, students are perceiving their personal image in an IT career as a bit more anti-social than nerdy. These are minimal changes, but still track as declining.
Ultimately, the results of the previous results associated with social image, nothing significant to conclude. No change either in a positive or negative direction.
The television show teaser ... Intent to major by four year trend!
I already know the results! Cannot wait to write this post!