Over the past forty years, scholars have been studying students’ choice of higher education programmes to unravel the complexity of the choice process. Recent studies have shown that students may... Show moreOver the past forty years, scholars have been studying students’ choice of higher education programmes to unravel the complexity of the choice process. Recent studies have shown that students may commit to a programme, i.e. they make a choice to enrol in that programme, when they find a programme that attunes well with their interests. Students may nonetheless decide to switch from one programme to another before final enrolment and research has not yet sufficiently explained why they do that. The present study therefore focused on the mechanisms underlying students changing their minds after they had previously committed to a higher education programme. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with Dutch pre-university students in their final year at school were held just before final enrolment: students retraced their higher education programme choice process over time with the help of a timeline and a storyline. Interviews were thematically analysed. We identified two mechanisms whereby students, sometimes quite suddenly, switched in their commitment from one programme to another and two mechanisms that could hold them back from committing to another programme despite having doubts. This paper provides detailed theoretical insight into how students make higher education programme choices over time and concludes with practical recommendations on how to support students. Show less
This dissertation moves beyond the usually imposed representative nature of Palestinian literature by taking the works of the Palestinian author Hussein Barghouti (1954- 2002) as a case study. Many... Show moreThis dissertation moves beyond the usually imposed representative nature of Palestinian literature by taking the works of the Palestinian author Hussein Barghouti (1954- 2002) as a case study. Many of Barghouti’s writings were seen as detached, individualistic, and unrelated to the harsh and pressing realities of Palestinian life. The argument that is proposed in this dissertation, however, is that Barghouti’s works exemplify a disruption of familiar expressions regarding notions of political engagement, illness and death, and literary innovation. The dissertation adopts the body as a thematic trope and a methodological framework for conceptualizing Barghouti’s calls for creative modes of writing and cross- generic experimentations Show less
In this dissertation I investigate how individuals respond to collective disadvantage from the perspective of regulatory focus theory. Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between two motivational... Show moreIn this dissertation I investigate how individuals respond to collective disadvantage from the perspective of regulatory focus theory. Regulatory focus theory distinguishes between two motivational systems: promotion focus, the system in charge of the approach of positive end-states, and prevention focus, the system in charge of the avoidance of negative end-states. In 7 studies I investigate the effects of promotion and prevention focus on 1) low status group members’ choice between seeking individual or group status improvement, 2) their level of commitment to collective status improvement and 3) the extent to which they see hostile forms of collective action (e.g. riots, sabotage) as justified. The results showed that activation of the prevention system (compared to activation of the promotion system) causes members of low status groups 1) to prefer collective status improvement over individual status improvement, 2) to commit to collective action when they value its goal, even when the likelihood of achieving this goal is low and 3) to come to see hostile forms of collective action as justified in order to reach group status improvement. I conclude that activation of the prevention system is more conducive to collective action than activation of the promotion focus. Show less
The making of commitments is often used as an intervention aimed at increasing pro-environmental behavior. Research shows that when people commit to changing their environmental behaviors, they... Show moreThe making of commitments is often used as an intervention aimed at increasing pro-environmental behavior. Research shows that when people commit to changing their environmental behaviors, they tend to adhere to their commitments. In this dissertation it is investigated whether commitment making is effective in improving agricultural nature conservation and with that, environmental quality of farm lands. Furthermore, a conceptual review is offered, as well as an experimental investigation of the conditions under which people are willing to make such commitments. Results show that commitment making combined with tailored information is indeed effective in improving farmers’ nature conservation. Several explanations of the effect of commitment making on behavior are offered. Also, it is shown that that the willingness to invest in commitment making is contingent on the interplay of dispositional trust and situational expectations. Taken together, this dissertation aims to provide the reader with a perspective on the entire process of commitment making: under which conditions people engage in it, if it is successful in altering behavior, and how it is successful. Show less
