Aim of the whole study in the BMBF-supported joint project You(r) Study is to capture university students' media behaviour starting from the assumption of obstinate (german word: ‘eigensinnig’) studying. Focusing on obstinate behaviour in terms of academic studies and different media types takes students’ active and creative possibilities i. e. self-determination within their course of studies into account.

Object of the sub-project under the direction of the chair of economic education in Tübingen is to develop a quantitative instrument to capture self-efficacy expectations among students, their ability to organize themselves as part of academic studies, and media usage as well as their assessment of self-determination during their main study period. The survey is going to be performed at six universities and will provide the basic data material for the further inquiries of the overall study.

In particular, results are expected in terms of the relationship of academic self-efficacy and media usage. Furthermore, emotions and motivations regarding the individual course of studies and other individual factors potentially related to the students’ obstinate media usage are going to be explored.

Basing on the results of the quantitative survey, during the course of the ongoing research project subjective media actions of students will be reconstructed in several (mobile) ‘You(r) Study Labs’ by means of qualitative research methods. The outcomes will be used to identify students’ social action practices as well as action patterns and finally, these will be interpreted and analysed to systematically deduce a recommended course of action in digital higher education.

Funding Body: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF); funding line „zur Förderung von Forschung zur digitalen Hochschulbildung“ (additional information)

Joint Partners: Jun. -Prof. Dr. Sandra Hofhues (project leadership, University of Cologne), Prof. Dr. Sandra Aßmann (Ruhr University Bochum), Prof. Dr. Taiga Brahm (University of Tübingen), Jun.-Prof. Dr. Mandy Schiefner-Rohs (University of Kaiserslautern)

Cooperation/Practice Partners: Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Gerholz (University of Bamberg), Jun.-Prof. Dr. Robert Kordts-Freudinger (University of Paderborn), Dr. Arne Hendrik Ruhe (Institut für Informationsmanagement Bremen (ifib))

The project was completed in 2020 with Marina Pumptow's doctorate. The cumulative dissertation was published under the title "Digital Media in Higher Education - The Use and Importance of Digital Media in Contemporary University Studies" (http://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-52191).