Higher Education Studies; Vol. 3, No. 2; 2013
ISSN 1925-4741
E-ISSN 1925-475X
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

The Current Situation of Learning and Life of Students Changing
Majors in Universities under the Multi-Campus University Mode and
Existing Problems – Taking Students Changing Majors in Sichuan
Agricultural University as a Case Study
Yu Li1 & Weibin Li2
1

The Student Work Department, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

2

College of resources and environment, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China

Correspondence: Yu Li, The Student Work Department, Sichuan Agricultural University, No. 211, Huimin Road,
Wen jiang region ,Chengdu 611130, China. Tel: 86-182-0288-0056. E-mail: liyuxtw@163.com
Received: January 22, 2013 doi:10.5539/hes.v3n2p96 Accepted: February 16, 2013

Online Published: March 25, 2013

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/hes.v3n2p96

This paper is supported by instructor job innovation research and support plan project in Sichuan Agricultural
University “Study on Existing Problems in Major Changing in Sichuan Agricultural University and
Countermeasures”.
Abstract
This paper makes a survey on the subjects of undergraduates changing majors in Sichuan Agricultural University who entered the university respectively in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and comes to a basic conclusion on the learning and life condition of students changing majors, that is, good overall adaptation yet low excellence rate; difficulty in taking a course and too heavy pressure in learning; relatively too disperse accommodation and bad sense of belonging in class; a series of problems in unblocked information acquisition, especially prominent problems existing in students who change majors in different campuses.
Keywords: changing majors, current condition of learning and life, cross-campus
As the event of 244 university students in Fudan University were approved to change majors in 2003 went the air, changing majors among university students in the recent years has increasingly become a common phenomenon.
The system of changing majors among undergraduates has, indeed, provided an opportunity of re-selecting an appropriate major after they get familiar with the majors in the university. This has well satisfied students’ interest and their requirements based on such elements of employment and personal development, so it has received general popularity among university students (Ge, 2003). Nevertheless, it has been seldom researched by existing studies what kind of problems exist in the adaptation of learning and life of students changing majors when they are faced up with a brand-new and strange environment after they change their majors.
1. Purpose and Method of the Survey
This study takes students changing majors in Sichuan Agricultural University as the survey object and makes an overall survey on the condition of learning, life and growth of students before and after they change their majors.
The object of the questionnaire survey was mainly undergraduates changing majors in Sichuan Agricultural
University who entered the university respectively in 2009, 2010 and 2011. According to a defined proportion, a stratified sampling was taken from all campuses, grades and colleges and schools and 370 questionnaires were sent out, among which 353 questionnaires were taken back and 340 questionnaires were effective, with an efficiency rate of 91.9%.
The questionnaire for students changing majors was classified into three parts. The first part was a summary of the basic information, including gender, grade, political status, whether students changing majors hold a position as the student cadre, the source of birth and colleges and schools before and after they change their majors. The second part was confirmation of majors after college entrance examination, relevant preparation prior to changing of majors, the source of information acquisition of majors, information about the backdrop of the
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