UNDERGRADUATES' INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY POST COVID-19

UNDERGRADUATES' INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY POST COVID-19
Charlene Desir, Nova Southeastern University, United States of America / Georgina Arguello, Nova Southeastern University, United States of America
(Presented at the International Conference on Social and Education Sciences (IConSES), which took place on October 17-20, 2024 in Chicago, USA. (www.istes.org/..., and at the nternational Conference on Engineering, Science and Technology (IConEST) (www.istes.org/...) organized by the International Society for Technology, Education and Science (ISTES) www.istes.org).
In the last decade, college enrollment in the United States has seen a consistent decline, influenced by factors such as decreasing birth rates, escalating tuition fees, and the comprehensive impacts of the pandemic, as detailed by Welding (2022). Additionally, some theorists like Marche (2022) argue that advancements in digital technologies and artificial intelligence might threaten the future of traditional academia, pointing to a purported decline in intellectual curiosity among younger generations. Despite these trends, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has experienced enrollment growth even as nationwide college enrollments dropped by 7% from 2019 to 2022 (Welding, 2022). Notably, many of these educational predictions are made by older generations observing shifts in student learning methods. This study aims to explore how undergraduate students at NSU cultivate and maintain their curiosity and learning through their interactions in classrooms, within their families, and via digital technologies. This research introduces a novel approach by collaboratively assessing the roles of both faculty and students in fostering university student curiosity and learning, contributing to the fields of educational psychology, and composition and rhetoric. Aligned with NSU's student-centered values, this project endeavors to refine educational methods that effectively integrate family support, academic environments, and technology into student learning processes. This is especially pertinent as it also considers the alterations in student curiosity and learning methods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the study will involve both qualitative and quantitative data collection from NSU students. Students will participate in surveys and may opt for further in-depth interviews. Analysis of the interview transcripts will utilize Phenomenology and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), while survey data will be analyzed to produce both descriptive and inferential statistics.