Understanding the persistence of inequality in higher education: evidence from Australia

During the latter half of the twentieth century, Australia, like many countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, experienced rapid expansion in participation in higher education which was supported by government through increases in the number of publicly funded university places. However, in spite of this expansion, a disproportionately large share of the undergraduate student population is still drawn from higher socio-economic backgrounds. This paper seeks to understand the persistence of inequality in higher education by examining changes in patterns of participation in Australian universities since the 1970s. Using logistic regressions to analyse data collected by three Australian surveys conducted between 1987 and 2005, the authors examine the influence of having a university-educated parent on an individual’s chances of obtaining a higher education degree. They find that although the expansion of higher education has had some impact in terms of reducing inequality, having a university-educated parent continues to exert a direct effect on an individual’s propensity to graduate from university. The paper draws on the theories of maximally maintained inequality and relative risk aversion to interpret institutional and student behaviour. The policy challenges of addressing structural inequality in higher education are also discussed.     

Towards a general model of quality assessment in higher education

In this article a number of elements of a general model of quality assessment in higher education are presented. On the one hand these elements are put in a historical context of quality assessment in Medieval universities and, on the other hand, deduced from the recent experiences with quality assessment in both North-American and Western European countries. With respect to the historical context a distinction is made between the intrinsic and the extrinsic values of higher education. Two types of quality assessment related to these values are also distinguished. Concerning the recent experiences with quality assessment systems, the practices in the U.S.A., Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are explored. In the final section the general mode of quality assessment is discussed in the context of the distinction between the intrinsic and the extrinsic values of higher education.     

高等教育贡献率研究的理论模型与实证分析

基于高等教育贡献率文献回顾,特别是高等教育经济增长贡献率文献分析,提出高等教育综合贡献率基本概念与模型,定性研究包括高等教育活动导致经济增长、产业结构、科技创新、人力资本、社会进步等5个方面的综合贡献率。在5个方面分别抽取有代表性的量化指标,设计出高等教育综合贡献率指标体系,基于四川2005-2009年高等教育相关数据,实证分析得出,四川高等教育的综合贡献率为7%左右。四川和全国一样,近年来,高等教育得到长足发展,其贡献率逐年有所提高。但是高等教育的综合贡献率不高,高等教育相对于社会发展的需求而言,仍然存在结构失衡、质量不高、与社会发展脱节等问题。为此,最后提出相关建议。     

Research into higher education: an a‐theoretical community of practice?

A database of 406 articles published in 2000 in 17 specialist higher education journals, based outside North America, is analysed in terms of whether a theoretical perspective is adopted. In the majority of cases, any theoretical perspective is only implicit, and broader engagement with theory is absent. Where theory is explicit, the authors appear more likely to be based in a social science department or academic development unit, rather than an education department or higher education research centre. The implications of this analysis for the development of higher education research as an interdisciplinary field of study are explored.     

Dynamics in higher education politics: a theoretical model

This article presents a model for analysing dynamics in higher education politics (DHEP). Theoretically the model draws on the conceptual history of political contingency, agenda-setting theories and previous research on higher education dynamics. According to the model, socio-historical complexity can best be analysed along two dimensions: the political situation and political possibilities. Politics as a situation connotes the idea of an opportune moment when politics can be changed, and political possibilities concern the different alternatives the actors see in different situations. Depending on whether the situation is favourable or unfavourable to change, and on whether the possibilities are politicised or settled, the DHEP model introduces four types of dynamic: reform, gridlock, consensual change and friction. On the empirical level the model has been tested and developed in the context of Finnish higher education by means of interviews and documentary material. It was found, in the Finnish context, that four policy threads functioned according to each of the dynamics. It appears from the empirical findings that dynamics in higher education politics are strongly related to changes that are external to the higher-education system, the changing positions of the actors in different policy threads and the unexpected nature of the dynamics. The DHEP can also be used to shed light on the effects of the silent, settled possibilities that may enable or disable other policy threads within a higher education system.     

A configural analysis of differences among higher education consortia

In order to plan appropriate cooperative programs for particular higher education consortia, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of these organizations. The spatial configuration technique was used to illustrate the impact of eleven variables of the member institutions in differentiating among four consortia. Six of the variables — Control, Highest Degree Awarded, Percentage of Males, Math SAT Scores, Conventional Orientation, Scientific Orientation, and Endowment — were found to be significant in differentiating among the consortia. It was concluded that the spatial configuration technique was an effective way of visually comparing those consortia composed of member institutions, which as groups had similar and dissimilar characteristics.     

School belonging among low‐income urban youth with disabilities: Testing a theoretical model

Positive school environments and school belonging have been associated with a variety of positive academic, social, and psychological outcomes among youth. Yet, it is not clear how these constructs are related, and few studies have focused on urban at‐risk youth with disabilities. This study examines baseline survey data from 136 low‐income African American and Latino students in grades 5 to 12, most of whom have disabilities, recently transferred following a school closure. Using structural equation modeling, we tested a model that examined the relationships among school stressors and resources, school belonging, academic outcomes (school satisfaction and academic self‐efficacy), and psychological outcomes (anxiety and depression). This model was an excellent fit with the data, and findings indicate that school belonging plays a central role in explaining how school context can affect both psychological and academic outcomes. This model has implications for school‐based interventions that can enhance student success and well‐being. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

美国高校组织理论中的学院模型

学院模型是从20世纪60年代起,在美国高校管理和组织理论中兴起的一种理论模型,曾与科层模型和政治模型并列为三种最重要的研究范式。其兴起的理论与社会背景与对科层制的批判、专业主义思潮的涌现和高等教育大众化的难题相关,其组织原型主要包括欧洲传统社区、中世纪大学和美国早期的文理学院。学院模型的主要提倡者和批评者分别从不同视角出发,对模型的特征和缺陷进行了描述和反思。在后科层制时代,虽然使用单一模型来表述大学组织特征,指导大学管理的方式业已过时,但学院模型的理想依然深刻刻画出大学组织的基本特征,启迪着管理者的思维。     

Modeling black student academic performance in higher education

Recent research has noted differences in the predictive efficacy of educational attainment models produced for whites as opposed to blacks; and called for more resolution in the findings on blacks in advance of further comparative analyses. The National Study of Black College Students (NSBCS) is employed to develop a model that distinguishes between high- and low-performing black undergraduates attending public, four-year institutions. In the NSBCS sample (N=695), discriminant function analysis identifies several institutional and student characteristics which are related to black students' educational outcomes. Specifically, students with both high occupational aspirations and high academic performances tend to be male, attend comparatively larger schools, and, to a lesser degree, be relatively well-adjusted upperclassmen. When academic performance is the sole issue, it is positively correlated with institutional quality, but the advantage belongs to black females. Contrary to the suggestions of previous research, black community sentiment did not have relationships with educational outcomes to the extent expected. These results suggest that future models of black educational attainment marry traditional Wisconsin-type measures with institutional and student attributes.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1983 meetings of the American Sociological Association, Detroit, Mich.     

大众化理论视野下澳门高等教育发展的研究

澳门回归十年,高等教育有了很大的发展。如何统计毛入学率是认清其发展阶段的关键,据经过修正以后的毛入学率估算,澳门高等教育已经迈入普及化阶段。澳门的环境影响、借力发展和求实务用、灵活的修读方式、量与质发展的非均衡性等是澳门高等教育由大众化向普及化进程中呈现的特点。在大众化理论的视野下,须对澳门高等教育的布局、理念、经费以及质量作进一步的思考。     

高等教育理论创新的思考

无论是高等教育发展还是高等教育学科发展,都需要高等教育理论有新的突破和创新。因此,高等教育理论创新,不仅有重大的现实意义,也具有十分重要的学科意义。高等教育理论创新有两种趋势:一是通过高等教育学科知识的不断分化,建立高等教育分支学科体系,从而实现高等教育理论创新;二是引入不同学科的理论和方法解决高等教育问题,并从中实现高等教育的理论创新。对于上述两种情况,都采用举例的方式作了详细的说明。     

In search of higher persistence rates in distance education online programs

Tinto's [Rev. Educ. Res. 45 (1975) 89; Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press; Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press] student integration model and Bean and Metzner's [Rev. Educ. Res. 55 (1985) 485] student attrition model have been influential in explaining persistence and attrition in higher education programs. However, these models were developed with on-campus programs in mind and, although they are broadly relevant to distance education programs, their ability to explain the persistence of online students is limited. Distance education students have characteristics and needs that differ from traditional learners and the virtual learning environment differs in important ways from an on-campus environment. This article draws chiefly from Tinto's and Bean and Metzner's models and the results of research into the needs of online distance education students in order to synthesize a composite model to better explain persistence and attrition among the largely nontraditional students that enroll in online courses.     

E-learning in engineering education: a theoretical and empirical study of the Algerian higher education institution

Technology-mediated education or e-learning is growing globally both in scale and delivery capacity due to the large diffusion of the ubiquitous information and communication technologies (ICT) in general and the web technologies in particular. This statement has not yet been fully supported by research, especially in developing countries such as Algeria. The purpose of this paper was to identify directions for addressing the needs of academics in higher education institutions in Algeria in order to adopt the e-learning approach as a strategy to improve quality of education. The paper will report results of an empirical study that measures the readiness of the Algerian higher education institutions towards the implementation of ICT in the educational process and the attitudes of faculty members towards the application of the e-learning approach in engineering education. Three main objectives were targeted, namely: (a) to provide an initial evaluation of faculty members’ attitudes and perceptions towards web-based education; (b) reporting on their perceived requirements for implementing e-learning in university courses; (c) providing an initial input for a collaborative process of developing an institutional strategy for e-learning.

Statistical analysis of the survey results indicates that the Algerian higher education institution, which adopted the Licence – Master and Doctorate educational system, is facing a big challenge to take advantage of emerging technological innovations and the advent of e-learning to further develop its teaching programmes and to enhance the quality of education in engineering fields. The successful implementation of this modern approach is shown to depend largely on a set of critical success factors that would include:

1. The extent to which the institution will adopt a formal and official e-learning strategy.

2. The extent to which faculty members will adhere and adopt this strategy and develop ownership of the various measures in the context of their teaching and research responsibilities.

3. The extent to which the university will offer adequate support in terms of training, software platform administration, online resource development and impact monitoring and assessment.

     

Criticality in international higher education research: a critical discourse analysis of higher education journals

The current study utilizes the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211 Ajzen 1991) to examine an instructor confirmation-interaction model in the instructional communication context to discover a means by which instructors might cultivate positive student attitudes and increase beliefs that interactions with instructors would be beneficial in the future. Specifically, the model examines how teacher confirmation (Ellis 2000) influences students’ behavioral intention to communicate with instructors. Surveys were distributed to 343 college students (41.7% male and 58.1% female) in a basic communication course. Results were primarily consistent with the proposed model; teacher confirmation was significantly related to attitudes toward communicating with an instructor, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were also positively related to students’ behavioral intention to communicate with the instructor. However, results reveal attitudes toward communicating do not predict students’ behavioral intention to communicate with instructors. It is recommended that future models examine a more contemporary, hi-tech representation of attitude toward student-instructor interactions as it may produce a significant association with students’ behavioral intent to communicate with them. The study concludes with theoretical and practical implications to examine student classroom communication via the confirmation-interaction model and the theory of planned behavior.     

追溯传统文化教育之理论模式实现母语高等教育之中国梦想

面对日益严峻的大学语文在高等教育中边缘化的尴尬境遇,研究者们不得不给语文冠以母语这一具有崇高意义的词语来强调其重要性,本文正是在此命题启发之下,追述传统伦理性教育理念,探寻中华审美文化理想,从古代教育文化典籍中探索语文高等教育之价值,获得启迪,并希望在母语高等教育的光环下,能够引发更多的关注与研究,促进语文课程高等教育事业的健康发展。     

Co-creation in higher education: towards a conceptual model

Students have begun to show interest in adopting active and participatory roles that allow them to interact and work collaboratively with educators. One important aspect of students as partners is a process known as value co-creation. Value co-creation is the process of students’ feedback, opinions, and other resources such as their intellectual capabilities and personalities, integrated alongside institutional resources, which can offer mutual value to both students and institutions. This paper presents the first conceptual model of value co-creation in higher education using a lens of co-creation cultivated through business and marketing literature. The model includes key components of value co-creation, co-production, and value-in-use as well as links to the anticipated benefits of value co-creation. The model can be used to inform and guide practice for the faculty and administration within higher education as well as to broaden the foundation of value co-creation literature.     

高等教育利益相关者理论研究的几个问题

利益相关者理论引入高等教育领域以来,学术界已经有了不少关于高等教育利益相关者的研究成果,它正在成为高等教育的重要研究视角和分析框架.笔者从大学利益相关者的概念界定、分类、应用等几方面做一疏理,并提出进一步研究的意见,以更好地推动高等教育利益相关者理论的发展.     

民办高等教育在高等教育体系中的定位

传统的高等教育类型划分影响了民办大学的准确定位 ,对民办高等教育发展产生了消极影响。本文提出民办高等教育应该属于综合类高等教育 ,民办大学有条件办成以全日制本专科教育为主的综合大学 ,而不是高等职业技术学校     

Coping experience among students in higher education

The study examines the coping strategies among 130 undergraduate college and university students with learning disabilities (LD) and 146 students without learning disabilities (NLD). Students completed self‐reported instruments designed to measure stress, support and strategies. The findings revealed that students without LD reported higher work stress, higher combined stress and more social support than did students with LD. Students without LD were more task orientated and perceived more support than students with LD, while students with LD used more emotional coping strategies than NLD students. Differences were also obtained regarding age and gender. The study highlights the importance of further investigations with a larger sample and the support sources of students with LD, and suggests developing task‐oriented coping strategies designed especially for students with LD.

Coping experience among students in higher education

All authors

Tali Heiman Corresponding author: Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University, 108 Ravutski Street, Raanana, 43107, Israel. Email: talihe@openu.ac.il View all notes & Dafna Kariv

https://doi.org/10.1080/0305569042000310354

Published online:

07 October 2010

Background variables of participants

CSVDisplay Table