Socialization Patterns and Work Perceptions: Evidence from Programming Students at the University of Malaya

Socialization is an important aspect that shapes values, attitudes, and behavioural orientations of individuals towards work and professional responsibility. In modern knowledge economies like Malaysia, the knowledge of these influences has become of utmost significance especially in students who are about to embark on a career in technology related -industries. The study aims to examine the connection between the socialisation patterns and development of cognitive and social perceptions of work among the students of programming and computer science at the University of Malaya. The research design adopted in the study was quantitative descriptive research design in which a structured questionnaire was used to gather data on a sample of the undergraduate students. The instrument measured the three key patterns of socialization, which include authoritarian, permissive, and democratic, and how these patterns affect the perception of work among students. The relationships between the variables of the study were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis to understand the relationship between the variables. The findings indicated that the most common pattern of socialization was the democratic or balanced one which was related positively to the positive work related- attitudes such as responsibility, independence and initiative. Conversely, socialization patterns such as authoritarian and permissive were linked with relatively unfavourable attitudes towards work, including the limited confidence in decision-making or poor self-discipline. The research has also added to the body of sociological literature by providing insights on how the socialization process of the family can influence the work-related attitude of the university students studying technology-oriented subjects. The findings provide insights that can guide universities, families and policymakers in ensuring that they inculcate positive work values and professional preparedness in future graduates.