Choosing the right major in university for high school students before they enroll themselves into the university is very crucial. However, a survey conducted by Indonesia Development FLexibility (IDF), stated that there are approximately 87% of students in Indonesia who enrolled in a wrong major in the university. Logic models can be used to solve this problem.
It can be used by constructing a good education system that will provide the students with help and training to choose the right major in the university.
This paper used some various forms of data & information such as news articles, books, video, etc. that is necessary to help the writers to make this paper. This paper was written as a final test assignment for the course in order to emphasize the importance of using logic models.
Introduction
Choosing the right and suitable major for university is very crucial for all students. Because, there are a lot of different challenges faced by students during university.
One of the problems is when the challenges start to get really tough, some students might realize that they are enrolled in a wrong major that is not suitable for them, thus they cannot enjoy the process during their study in university.
Based on research conducted by Educational Psychologist, Irene Guntury of Indonesia Development Flexibility (IDF) stated that there are approximately 87% students in Indonesia who choose the wrong or unsuitable major in the university. There are several factors that contributed to how a student can choose a wrong major for their study in university, such as:
Following Friends
A lot of high school students did not want to be separated from their colleagues in high school. Thus, instead of choosing a university major that is suitable for them, they choose the same major as their colleague without noticing that the major might not be suitable for them.
Excessive amount of suggestions
In this era, accessing information is very easy. A lot of students nowadays try to absorb as much information as possible regarding the university in hope that they will have sufficient information to choose the major which is suitable for them. Turns out, too much information might lead the student to be confused about what major they want to choose.
Scholarship Proposal
This is more of a financial factor problem, some students do not want to put a heavy financial burden on their parents to pay the tuition fee. That is why some students accept the scholarship even though the major is not suitable for them.
Parental Factor
It is very understandable that some parents put some hopes or dreams on their children. However, this might lead the children to also have a very heavy burden to realize their parents' hope. In Indonesia, choosing a university major based on what their parents want is very common.
If we take a look at those four factors, that contributes to students choosing the wrong major of university. We can imply that our high school student is some sort of having a lack of confidence and independence. High school students in Indonesia tend to let external factors decide who they are rather than properly understand themselves and make decisions on their own. There are a lot of students who are afraid that the major that they want in university is not a popular choice or will not provide good job opportunities once they graduate.
Based on Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System:
“Education is a conscious and planned effort to create a learning atmosphere
and the learning process so that students actively develop their potential
to have religious spiritual strength, self-control, personality, intelligence,
noble character, as well as the skills needed by himself, society, nation and state”
In order to solve the problem of students choosing the wrong majors, there should be some sort of changes in Indonesia’s education system according to Law Number 20 of 2003. Changes should be oriented to produce students that understand themselves better, have confidence, and are independent. These changes can be achieved by using the theory from Ki Hadjar Dewantara which is balancing between Rasio, Rasa, and Raga.
Rasio (Intelligent Quotient) is some sort of measurement of human’s intelligence. To be more specific Intelligent Quotient is the human’s ability to understand, think critically, reasoning, and thinking logically. Rasa (Emotional Intelligence) can be defined as a human's ability to properly manage and understand their emotions. Raga can be defined as a condition when humans have a good physical condition to live daily life without any physical obstacles.
When it comes to creating a student to have the confidence, intelligence, and strength to choose their own major in university, having a balance between Rasio, Rasa, and Raga is very important. However, there are several steps that should be taken in order to achieve these objectives. This can be achieved by implementing a good logic model with the goal of creating a balanced Rasio, Rasa, and Raga of a student, so that they can choose the university major that is suitable for them. The logic model is a tool that allows the government and other stakeholders to build a master plan with enough information to focus on the end goal.
Logic models are a type of visual representation of an idea. They provide a means of describing and sharing an understanding of the linkages (or connections) between the many pieces required to run a program or change attempt. A bounded project or initiative is described by logic models, which include both what is intended (the doing) and the expected outcomes (the getting). They lay out a clear path to a specific goal. The modeling process (or the process of developing models) allows you to assess the strength of the link between activities and outcomes. Models can reflect participants' learning about what works under what situations through the process of critical evaluation and development.
In the planning process, planners usually set some sort of specific objectives or in a longer run it can be stated as the ultimate goal of the plan. The next step that the planner should do is create the timeline or time frame of their plan. It could be short-term (up to 1 year), Medium-term (5-10 years) and long-term (>10 years). This is because, in most cases, an impact is formed over time as a result of a collection of accomplishments divided into time segments. These goals can be divided into two categories: project objectives and project benefits.
Output that should be produced is the next step that the planner should be thinking about after determining the objectives. The tangible and intangible results that come from a process or series of activities are known as outputs. Meanwhile, activities are the methods by which planners put their 'input,' or resources, to use. In the Theory of Logic Model, the components of what are called 'Do' or strategies are inputs, processes, and outputs (Knowlton & Phillips, 2013).
Planners, investors, managers, and program evaluators employ logic models to design, discuss, implement, and evaluate programs. It's been employed all around the world, particularly in government organizations and the public sector. On a national scale, the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia has pushed the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) Number 143 of 2015 concerning Guidelines for the Compilation and Study of Work Plans and Budgets of State Ministries, which uses the logic model as a standard tool for setting up work plans in state budgeting since 2015.
Wrong Major Problem
Every 3rd grade high school student in Indonesia usually felt some sort of confusion or anxiety to choose what major that they want in the university. Choosing the university to go to is relatively easier because there are a lot of options available both in public and private universities. However, choosing the major, based on the writer's experience, is more difficult because a lot of students in Indonesia do not really know about what they are interested in and what they are capable of. No wonder that almost 87% of the students in Indonesia choose the wrong major in university.
The problem of choosing the wrong major usually occurs during high school. It happens because mostly both schools and students tend to be more focused on what university the student will go to. It can be seen on the SNMPTN system, a lot of schools will guide their students to choose the university with higher probability to be accepted and choose the major with less competition. From this system we can see that the high school priority is for their student to be accepted in the university, without actually paying attention to what the student is interested in and capable of.
As mentioned in the introduction, there are four factors that contribute to the problem of choosing the wrong major. According to an article by goodside.id, there are two more factors that contribute to the problem of choosing the wrong major. First, choosing a major based on the passing grade, this is exactly what happened in SNMPTN system or possibly SBMPTN system as well. Second, students think too much about the work prospects of the major. This can happen to students who already know their talent and what they are interested in. But, once they found information about the major that they felt suitable does not have a good work prospect in the future, some of the students decided to make a turn and choose a major with a good work prospect.
If we take a look at the Rasio, Rasa, and Raga theory. It is clear that choosing a wrong major is not following the Rasa aspect. In order for students to be able to enjoy and achieve their maximum potential during their study in university, students must feel comfortable with their major. Once students ignore the Rasa aspect then they might not be able to enjoy their study in university and fail to fulfill their potential.
In order to reduce the problem of students choosing the wrong major in university, there should be a program in high school that will discover the talent and interest of students. This program will become one of the considerations for students to choose the major for university. This program will be deeply focused on the Rasa aspect of the students to discover their talent and interest.
In summary, there are several factors that contribute to the problem of students choosing the wrong major, such as, Following Friends, Excessive amount of suggestions, Scholarship Proposal, Parental Factor, The passing grade of the major, and The working prospect of the major.
Implementation of Logic Model
Program 1
Improvement of the student intellectuality (Rasio)
This logic model focused on the Rasio aspect of the students. The objective of this logic model is to increase the intellectuality of the student. There are two activities in this logic model. The first activity is to familiarize the students with the questions on the university entrance exam. The second activity is extracurricular activities, which give the students time to look away from their academic items and find the non-academic interest in themselves. Balancing between academics and extracurricular activities will hopefully increase the students' intellectuality and help the student to find the university major that they are interested in.
Program 2
Improving the student’s mentality and confidence (Rasa)
This logic model focused on the Rasa aspect of the students. The objective of this logic model is to increase the mental health and confidence of the students. The process of entering university can be very rough for students mentally. That is why this logic model is very important, because nowadays there are still a lot of high schools in Indonesia that do not really pay attention to the mental health of the students. The first activity of this logic model is the psychological test. This test is very important because from this test the student can find out more about themselves. The second activity is the continuation of the first activity. If the students are still unsure about the result of the psychological test, then they can conduct a consultation with the “Bimbingan Konseling” in school and hopefully find the answers about their doubts.
Program 3
Improving the physical fitness of the students (Raga)
This logic model focused on the Raga aspect of the students. During the process to enroll to university it might take a huge physical toll on the students. This logic model is created in order to increase the physical health of the student to avoid getting sick during the crucial process of university enrollment. The first activity is the extracurricular activities, the recommendation is the sport extracurricular activities, in order to make sure that the students do enough exercise. The second activity is more like recreational activities, it is better that this outbound activity is conducted in the natural environment together. The benefit of these two activities is that the students will become physically healthier and fresh in mind.
In conclusion, this logic model is focused on how to help the student to choose the right major in university through the Rasio, Rasa, & Raga aspects. This logic model can be implemented as early as the first year of high school. The short-term aim can be accomplished in the first year of high school. The mid-term result can be accomplished in the sophomore year of high school, and the long-term result in the senior year. The ultimate goal of this logic model is to help the student academically, psychologically, and physically to choose the right major in university and help them to enroll to the university.
When to Implement This Logic Model
Before implementing this logic model, there should be proper and adequate preparation. Because this logic model might involve a lot of resources. However, once the preparation is done, this logic model should be implemented as soon as possible. Because, the current survey of 87% students in Indonesia choosing the wrong major is quite worrying.
However, this logic model might not deliver instant results. This logic model will need some time before it can reduce the number of students who choose the wrong major in university. With government support and supervision this logic model has the high possibility to reduce this problem.
Conclusion & Recommendation
The rate of 87% students in Indonesia choosing the wrong major in university is very concerning. There should be a massive change in the education system in the high school. Because, students started to think about university in high school. High school should provide guidance for students to find out their talent and interest, then guide the students to choose the suitable major for them. High schools should not pay too much attention to guide their students to enter the famous public universities in Indonesia and forget about the major.
This logic model has high possibilities to solve this problem. It provides high schools with the program to find out the talent and interest of the students. Implementing this logic model will help the school to guide the students from the first year of high school until the last year before the university enrollment.
For recommendation, this logic model would be easier to implement when the government involved funding and resources. Government has the ability to fund this program and spread this logic model across every high school in Indonesia.
References
Zulfikar, F. (2021b, November 26). 87 Persen Mahasiswa RI Merasa Salah Jurusan, Apa Sebabnya? detikedu. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.detik.com/edu/detikpedia/d-5828770/87-persen-mahasiswa-ri-merasa-salah-jurusan-apa-sebabnya
Khairunnisa, S. F. (2022, June 13). Marak di Kalangan Mahasiswa, Ini Penyebab Fenomena Salah Jurusan Kuliah. GoodSide. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://goodside.id/article/penyebab-fenomena-salah-jurusan-pWUEF
Suryanto, A. (2020, December 15). Membangun Karakter Siswa yang Memiliki Keseimbangan Rasio, Rasa, dan Raga. Radarlampung.co.id. Retrieved June 7, 2022, from https://radarlampung.co.id/membangun-karakter-siswa-yang-memiliki-keseimbangan-rasio-rasa-dan-raga/
Knowlton, W. L., & Phillips, C. C. (2012). The Logic Model Guidebook: Better Strategies for Great Results (Second ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
