Role of yoga on the psychological profile of emerging adults studying engineering

Abstract

BACKGROUND India is the world's largest engineer-producing country. Every year, around 1.5 million students in India get enrolled in engineering programs, 7.7 lakh students complete their under graduation, and 3.7 lakh students get placement. Enrollment in engineering colleges, however, has been steadily declining at a rate of roughly 4.9 per cent each year during the last five years. Similarly, the number of engineering colleges has decreased by roughly 2.15 per cent per year over the last five years. This alarming decline in the intake and institutional strength suggest that there is a need to look at the contributing factors that may be influencing this observation. The contributing factors can be attributed to both external and internal causes. This is a threat to the sustainable growth of technical education in India. In India, every year there is a 3.4 per cent increase in placements for engineers in the last five years. However, employability skills/competency deteriorated to a great extent and in a report by industry bodies, only 20%-30% of engineering graduates are employable. Education in India needs to be more skill-oriented―both in terms of life skills as well as livelihood skills. This being an important issue, we attempted to study the psychological profiles of engineering students regarding their engineering career choice. Apart from that, the parental role in shaping children’s psychological makeup is crucial. In India especially, the majority of emerging adults depend on their parents for their college education. Hence, we can expect a more involved role of parents in children’s education and career choices. From the literature review, we observed that the inherent attitude towards engineering and other social determinants, like parents’ influence, etc., contribute to the engineering career choice of emerging adults. However, we did not find any studies in the Indian context using implicit measures to evaluate engineering career choices. Hence, this study attempts to study the implicit attitude of engineering students towards joining engineering. Nowadays some school managements in India are introducing yoga to their students. As yoga grooms overall personality, yoga practice may influence the students’ choice of engineering. Hence, we conducted another study to find whether yoga practice influences engineering choices. Another three studies aimed to measure psychoth variables before and after the intervention of Simplified Kuëòaliné Yoga (SKY). These studies will provide insight into the interacting factors influencing the choice of joining engineering and further help in developing sustainable methods to foster higher quality technical education in India. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The present study is aimed at assessing the effect of yoga on psychological factors related to emerging adults and finding its implication on implicit and explicit attitudes towards technical education. The objectives of the current research are the following: • To study the effect of yoga on psychophysiological variables, among yoga and sports groups. • To study the effect of yoga on internal attributes like self-concept, personality, and dimensions of emerging adults, among yoga and sports groups. • To study how internal attributes, influence the inherent interest of engineering students towards engineering courses, among yoga and sports groups. METHODS Participants For study one, 238 participants; for study two, 314 participants; for study three, 86 participants, for study four, 407 participants and study five, 389 participants were recruited from Dr Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology and their ages ranged from 18 to 19 years. They all belonged to the same academic year. Design Study 1 and study 2 are survey designs. Study 3, study 4 and study 5 are pre-post designs. Assessments The selected psychological variables were assessed using Inquisit software. The test consists of a demographic profile and other psychological variables. Psychological variables measured were the Revised Adult Attachment Scale-Close Relationships Version (RAAS), the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale-13-Item Short Form, the 12 items General Health Questionnaire, the Engineering Implicit Association Test (EIAT), the Reasons for Learning scale, the Perceived Competence Scale (PCS), the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale (PPASS), Freewill and determination scale, Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood (The IDEA), the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Feeling Thermometer, and ‘G’ Inventory of Personality. Physiological variable measured weas Electroencephalaogram (EEG). Intervention Yoga group, students underwent three days (21 hours) orientation programme at the beginning of the semester in which they learnt Simplified Kuëòaliné Yoga and Sports group students underwent one and half a day (12 hours) orientation program at the beginning of the semester in which they learnt general sports. Both Yoga group and Sports group students had 30 hours (20 weeks x 1.30 hours/week) of follow-up classes after the orientation programme. RESULTS Study 1: The results suggest that positive and negative implicit attitudes towards engineering have distinct trends. Positive self-esteem, autonomous style of learning, and higher learning competencies are associated with a positive implicit attitude toward engineering. Study 2: There are a few dimensions of emerging adulthood that have desirable outcome trends, both in yoga and non-yoga practitioners. Distinct features of yoga practitioners are students with close attachment styles, those who exercise inner free will, and with autonomy supportive parenting style tend to have a positive outlook. Study 3: Pre-test and post-test results showed significant differences within sessions in EEG meditation state and Low Alpha state in both groups. After the intervention, the sports group showed a significant difference at the end of the session, whereas the yoga group showed a significant difference at the beginning of the session. Study 4: The results showed that Perceived Competency for learning has decreased in the yoga group than in sports group; Guëa and Self-focused have decreased in the yoga group, Negativity and Instability have incrased in the sports group. Study 5: The pre-test and post-test comparative study results showed that Identity Exploration has increased in the sports group and decreased in the yoga group; Experimentation and possibilities have increased in the yoga group, and Self-focused has decreased in the yoga group. CONCLUSION Positive and negative implicit attitude towards engineering have distinct trends of relationship. Having positive self-esteem, an autonomous style of the reason for learning, and higher learning competencies are associated with fostering a positive implicit attitude towards engineering. Yoga may promote self-regulated ways of inner growth and learning in emerging adults. The SKY meditation technique can influence the state of mediation, low alpha, high gamma, and mid gamma EEG bands. Sports can influence perceived competency. Yoga can influence self-focused, experimentation and possibilities.