Prerequisites for the successful group mentoring of first-year university students: a case study

In this article we present a case study on a group mentoring practice proven successful in earlier studies in terms of student self-regulation and collaboration. The purpose of our study was to uncover the factors behind the success by interviewing the mentor teachers. The findings showed that the group mentoring focused on four main themes: (a) promoting social relationships, (b) providing personal support, (c) providing study guidance, and (d) strengthening the agency of students. The findings suggest that the leading ethos of group mentoring was related to a humanistic approach to mentoring. However, successful mentoring also seemed to require both situated apprentice and critical constructivist perspectives in addition to the humanistic approach. It is concluded that the combination of multiple goals and contents in group mentoring is the main contributing factor behind the success of the mentoring model examined. Additionally, the teachers reported a variety of positive impacts of group mentoring on teachers’ work.     

英国提升职业教育吸引力的主要举措探析

近年来,英国在职业教育与培训领域采取的一系列措施取得了初步的成效,其职业教育与培训的重要地位得到法律法规和相关政策的保障,重要性得以凸显;职业教育与培训的改革方向和具体建议与措施也得以明确;并确保人们获得更多的职业教育与培训机会,促使职业教育的咨询与指导体系更加完善。本文主要对英国提升职业教育吸引力的有效举措进行探讨,以期对我国职业教育吸引力的提升予以参考和借鉴。     

Curriculum homeplacing as complicated conversation: (re)narrating the mentoring of Black women doctoral students

ABSTRACT

Through personal and dialogical narratives, we explore the ways Black women mentors (do not) reveal to their mentees their lived-experiences and the personal pain associated with the pursuit of careers in higher education; how and why their narratives of pain and pursuit are negotiated, sanctioned, and/or strategically altered; and the impact these decisions have on the development of Black women graduate students. Drawing on hooks’ notions of ‘imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy’ (2015), ‘radical honesty’ (2004), and ‘homeplace’ (1990), we deploy the concept of curriculum homeplacing to more critically examine Black women’s mentoring relationships.     

The internationalisation of higher education provision in the United Kingdom: Patterns and relationships between onshore and offshore overseas student enrolment

This is the third of three articles which review recent developments concerning the internationalisation of higher education provision in the United Kingdom. The first two articles focused exclusively on offshore provision (i.e. transnational education) (see Bennell, 2019a; Bennell, 2019b). In this article, key patterns and possible inter-relationships between the numbers of onshore and offshore overseas students studying at British universities are examined. The three main conclusions are (i) the most dominant pattern is the inverse relationship between the status and ranking of a university and the relative importance of offshore enrolments; (ii) direct substitution effects between the two forms of provision are generally quite limited; and (iii) articulation and progression offshore enrolment is likely to be the only significant complementary relationship with onshore provision.     

中英地质工程专业本科课程体系对比研究

本文对上海同济大学与英国埃克塞特（Exeter）大学地质工程专业课程体系进行了比较研究,从人才培养目标、理论及实践课程设置、理论及实践教学时间比例安排等方面分析了中欧两所代表性高校在地质工程专业本科人才培养方面的异同点。结果表明,随着我国基础建设的逐步完善,高等学校需要进一步调整现有的人才培养目标,改革课程设置体系,加大力度培养具有创新能力的卓越工程师人才,以适应社会经济建设的发展需求。     

大学生求学满意度影响因素及其程度的实证研究

对某省12所省属高校1500名学生求学满意度的调查表明:影响求学满意度的因素按其对总体评价影响大小的顺序依次为知识因子、教学环境因子、培养因子、服务因子、教学组织因子和管理因子;学生性别差异对满意度单项要素的影响基本是随机的;不同生源地的学生对教学计划和管理制度两个要素的评价有差异,但不显著;不同年级的学生对教学设施和知识掌握程度的评价具有显著性差异。     

The continual need for improvement to avoid derailment: a study of college and university administrators

Understanding what relates to the behaviours associated with derailment (i.e. failure or burnout in managerial positions) may prevent costly outcomes of derailment for the manager, co‐workers and the organization. The outcomes of derailment are especially pertinent with those working in college and university administration as many, including faculty, other staff and students, depend on these administrators. Data collected about 173 middle‐ and top‐level college and university administrators from 88 different colleges and universities across the USA revealed that self‐ and observer‐ratings (peers and direct reports) of willingness to improve negatively related to boss ratings of derailment. Specifically, the more administrators were willing to improve (and the more others believed those administrators were willing to improve), the less likely it was that bosses believed those administrators displayed the characteristics and behaviours associated with derailment. We conclude with a discussion of our findings including guidance for college and university administrators.     

Self-esteem and academic achievement: a comparative study of adolescent students in England and the United States

Utilizing mixed methodology, this paper investigates the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement for young adolescents within two Western cultural contexts: the United States and England. Quantitative and qualitative data from 86 North American and 86 British adolescents were utilized to examine the links between self-esteem and academic achievement from the beginning to the end of their academic year during their 11th–12th year of age. For both samples, quantitative results demonstrated that fall self-esteem was related to multiple indicators of later year academic achievement. While country differences emerge by the end of the year, math appears to have a consistent relationship with self-esteem in both country contexts. Qualitative analyses found some support for British students’ self-perceptions as more accurately reflecting their academic experience than the students from the United States.     

Unlocking the potential of the Internet to improve college choice: a comparative case study of college-access Web tools

Students and parents rely on Web-based tools to navigate the college-choice process, yet little research has been done to understand this environment. While this shift has made the process easier to navigate for some, we contend that the move will grow an already large digital divide in the USA. We use Hossler and Gallagher's college-choice framework to examine the substance and function of three college-access Web portals. Our findings suggest these tools are likely to serve many students well in the process, but may exacerbate the digital divide with consequences for low-income students.     

Sexual maltreatment of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors from the Horn of Africa: A mixed method study focusing on vulnerability and prevention

ObjectivesThe study described in this paper sought to identify the social, cultural, and political factors that effect African unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors’ (UASM) vulnerability to sexual maltreatment in England. It aimed to illuminate how child protection measures could be strengthened for this highly marginalized group.MethodsA mixed method approach was used. Former UASM from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia who had been sexually maltreated in the UK were interviewed in-depth. Prior to the interviews they all completed a questionnaire which captured their biographical details as well as sensitive but factual information.ResultsOf the 53 (N = 53) former UASM who participated in the study only 2 were males. Most arrived in the UK aged 15–17. A range of sexual maltreatment, from sexual harassment to rape was reported. Three quarters experienced more than 1 incident. Most initial incidents happened in the first 12 months of their arrival in the UK. Two perpetrators were female carers. Many participants reported being groomed and sexually maltreated by people from their own country. Many described being seriously sexually maltreated, particularly by groups of young males living in the same accommodation or nearby, some reportedly also asylum seekers. Participants that had been warned of the dangers of sexual maltreatment were more likely to both disclose and to seek professional help.ConclusionsProfessionals should assume that UASM will suffer sexual maltreatment in their host country if not protected adequately, which they are unlikely to disclose. They are likely to need more protection from outside sources and help to develop their personal resources than many have received in the past.Practice implicationsPreventative measures include provision of safer environments, ideally single sex housing; more monitoring and supervision; more opportunities to develop trustworthy relationships and have emotional needs met; greater opportunities to develop language skills/access to interpretation; early information regarding the social system, culture, and sexual maltreatment; and improved professional awareness and competence in dealing with minors from other cultures.     

The impact of religion on the educational achievement of Black boys: A UK and USA study

Black boys in the United Kingdom and the USA have almost become synonymous with the concept of ‘underachievement’. However, many Black boys are achieving against the odds. Whilst the possession of a high degree of dominant cultural capital is widely recognised as a key contributory factor to academic achievement, the contributory role of other forms of non‐dominant capital is often overlooked. This qualitative study of educationally successful Black males in the United Kingdom and the USA, involving 40 Black male students from both new and ancient universities, set out to establish whether religion was a contributory factor to the educational success of Black male students. The study found that most of these students were religious and that their church community engineered cultural and social capital and their belief in God engineered religious capital, all of which made significant contributions to these Black male students' academic achievement.     

谈交通院校的大学生思想政治教育

针对目前交通类专业技术人才需求和素质要求,分析阐述加强交通类院校大学生思想政治教育的特殊意义,研究提出进一步加强和改进交通院校大学生思想政治教育的对策,促进交通院校培养出更多的高素质创新型交通事业的建设者。     

The way collaboration benefits vocational students: a case study of a joint venture college in China

International collaborations in the vocational and training (VET) sector have grown significantly in the past three decades in China as well as in other parts of the world. Despite its growing prominence, it remains a largely under-researched field compared to the large volume of research on universities’ internationalization. In particular, it is unclear how internationalization practices improve vocational students’ academic and social competencies and readiness for employment. This case study was intended to fill this current gap in the literature by investigating a selected joint venture VET college in China. This study employed a wealth of data as evidence that international programmes could benefit vocational students in their English skills, professional knowledge, intercultural competence, and personal and career development. In additional to the opportunities created for vocational students, international programmes are expected to offer workplace experience and design a curriculum that suits students with different future plans. The findings of this study indicate that international collaborations in the VET sector have the potential not only to better prepare vocational students for life and employment, but also to address the challenges facing the VET system in developing economies.     

十七大报告对拓展当代大学生修养内容的启示

十七大报告对拓展当代大学生思想道德修养的内容使人们得到许多重要启示，新世纪青年一代应当并且必须加强创新精神、民族精神、奋斗精神、时代精神的修养。     

超越文理分科:美国高中课程和大学招生的专业分化

美国高中课程设置和大学招生要求,既不是文理不分、也不是文理分科,而是通过学生选修选考,进行更为深入的、专业导向的分化。在该制度下,共同基础课程的修读学分要求和考核要求较低,专业导向课程的内容难度、考核难度较高。相比较而言,选择性高校更加重视考生在专业导向课程上的学业成绩。     

The International Baccalaureate Career Programme: a case study of college and career readiness policy goals

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is noted in school reform policy circles as the gold standard of academic excellence. While the presence of IB as a sought-after education vendor has grown in the past decade, the organization has attempted to shake off its image as an elite agency serving only private international schools with its longstanding liberal arts curriculum. As such its turn toward the public sector in the United States with a credential for vocational students appears perplexing and out of step with its product brand, but the newer Career Programme (CP) is marketed as meeting the needs of applied learners in secondary schools. This paper offers a case study of two schools in one US state that adopted the CP, generating IB school enrollments from among talented vocational students while elevating its ranking on the college and career readiness (CCR) score, an annual assessment of postsecondary success. The CCR policy reformers advocate curricular improvements so that all students receive the academic foundations and employability skills needed to thrive in the new economy. Yet the egalitarian discourse of CCR could not be attended to using the CP. In this case study only high-achieving students were advised to participate and enroll in the program.     

The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy

We present findings from a study that prohibited computer devices in randomly selected classrooms of an introductory economics course at the United States Military Academy. Average final exam scores among students assigned to classrooms that allowed computers were 0.18 standard deviations lower than exam scores of students in classrooms that prohibited computers. Through the use of two separate treatment arms, we uncover evidence that this negative effect occurs in classrooms where laptops and tablets are permitted without restriction and in classrooms where students are only permitted to use tablets that must remain flat on the desk.     

西方文化思潮影响下的大学生思想特点及其对思想政治理论课教育教学的要求研究

在"欧洲中心论"的我向思维下,西方政客乃至学者、艺术家通过不同途径向我国兜售着西方普适价值观。这种价值观念天然与商品经济相融合,从而便能迎合部分青年人的口味。作为青年人中先进代表的大学生群体,必然在自我价值取向逐步建立的同时,在思想领域被无形的侵蚀。通过将政治理论课教学覆盖到课堂和课后领域,将有效抵御西方不良文化思潮的侵袭。