Attitudes of female students in the Department of Education and Psychology at the Faculty of Education in Zawiya towards their academic specializations

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the attitudes of female students in the Department of Education and Psychology at the Faculty of Education, Al-Zawiya, toward their academic specializations. It also sought to examine differences in students’ attitudes toward their specializations according to the variables of marital status, academic specialization, and semester. The study adopted the descriptive approach. To achieve its objectives and answer its research questions, the researcher developed a 29-item questionnaire to measure attitudes toward academic specialization. The questionnaire was administered to a randomly selected sample of 174 female students from the Department of Education and Psychology at the Faculty of Education, Al-Zawiya, drawn from a study population of 868 students during the 2025–2026 academic year. The collected data were coded and statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that the participants held positive attitudes toward their academic specializations, indicating that their choice of specialization was largely based on personal interest and a genuine desire to pursue the academic field they preferred. The findings also showed no statistically significant differences in students’ attitudes toward their academic specializations attributable to marital status, academic specialization, or semester. In light of these findings, the researcher recommends several measures aimed at strengthening students’ positive attitudes toward academic specializations that are compatible with their interests and preferences.