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The skill of discipline – measuring F.I.R.S.T discipline principles in higher education

Hana Krskova (Department of Marketing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia) (With Focus Consulting, Sydney, Australia)
Chris Baumann (Department of Marketing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia) (Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea) (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan)
Yvonne Breyer (Department of Marketing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)
Leigh Norma Wood (Centre for Workforce Futures, Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia)

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning

ISSN: 2042-3896

Article publication date: 12 June 2020

Issue publication date: 2 February 2021

291

Abstract

Purpose

Human capital theory suggests that any increase in skills translates into greater productivity of the workforce. Non-cognitive skills, in particular, play a critical role in many domains in life. The aim of this study is to gain a greater understanding of one such skill, discipline. Viewing discipline as a tool for enhancing learning, personal development and increasing overall achievement, this study offers an alternative way to measure discipline in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the results of an online survey of 537 current students and recent graduates from the United States, South Korea and China. Principal component analysis was used to test the overarching assumption that student discipline is composed of five dimensions. Multiple analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc analyses and t-tests were applied to test for country and gender-related differences between the three country groups. Cluster analysis was used to profile the respondent groups based on similarities across the samples.

Findings

The results confirm that student discipline is a construct comprising five discipline dimensions – focus, intention, responsibility, structure and time (F.I.R.S.T). In addition, the identification of low, medium and high discipline levels among the respondents provides support for the recently introduced concept of a layered “threshold of Discipline”.

Originality/value

A F.I.R.S.T. discipline measurement questionnaire for capturing student discipline – underpinned by a conceptual model encompassing self-determination, goal setting, self-efficacy, self-regulation and time management principles – was developed and tested. Suggestions for enhancing graduate work readiness through increasing levels of the skill of discipline are outlined.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this article formed part of a thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Macquarie University. The authors wish to thank the editor of Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning for his kind guidance, and the authors wish to acknowledge the generous input from the anonymous reviewers. The authors would also like to thank the survey respondents for helping them to gain a greater understanding of their levels of discipline and also Glyn Mather and associate professor Peter Petocz, from the department of statistics, for their support and help.

Citation

Krskova, H., Baumann, C., Breyer, Y. and Wood, L.N. (2021), "The skill of discipline – measuring F.I.R.S.T discipline principles in higher education", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 258-281. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-10-2019-0128

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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