Relation of gender,course enrollment,and grades to distinct forms of academic dishonesty

A thorough understanding of academic dishonesty and the students who engage in it is necessary to develop appropriate policies and educational interventions to discourage such actions. The present study examines the frequency of academic dishonesty and the characteristics (i.e. gender, course enrollment, and grades) of students who engage in distinct forms of the behavior by surveying undergraduates at a large public university in the USA. Of 292 students, 57.19% reported some form of academic dishonesty in the previous six months, with cheating on a test being the most frequent form (51.71%). Men and students in a study strategies course had a significantly higher report rate for both plagiarism and making false excuses in comparison to women and students in a science course, respectively. Low grades corresponded with high rates of academic dishonesty, specifically in terms of having provided false excuses. Implications for college teaching settings are discussed.     

Changing course: the gender gap in college selectivity and opportunities to learn in the high school curriculum

Gender gaps in learning and education outcomes have changed dramatically over the last few years. However, researchers have not adequately assessed how the high school learning environment differentially affects boys and girls. An important component of the learning environment in US secondary school is the opportunity to learn in an Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum, which allows high school students to do college-level work. Using the US National Education Longitudinal Study 1988–2000, we explain how high school AP curriculum interacts with gender to predict the selectivity of colleges that students attend. The results show that girls and boys who attend high schools with a larger percentage of students in AP curriculum attend more selective colleges (that require higher standardised scores for admissions); yet the positive effect of the opportunity to learn in an AP curriculum is greater for girls than for boys. This research furthers the debate about the effects of school structure on gender stratification.     

High school employment,school performance,and college entry

The proportion of U.S. high school students working during the school year ranges from 23% in the freshman year to 75% in the senior year. This study estimates how cumulative work histories during the high school years affect probability of dropout, high school academic performance, and the probability of attending college. Variations in individual date of birth and in state truancy laws along with the strength of local demand for low-skill labor are used as instruments for endogenous work hours during the high school career. Working more hours during the academic year does not affect high school academic performance. However, increased high school work intensity raises the likelihood of completing high school but lowers the probability of going to college. These results are similar for boys and girls, and so working during high school does not explain the widening gap in college entry between men and women.     

关于发挥高校学生在学籍管理中的主观能动性的浅析

从2005年国家教育部颁布新的《高校学生管理规定》以来,各高校的学籍管理工作都开始进行一些新的探索和改革,以适应我国高等教育事业的迅速发展。本文主要从发挥学生在学籍管理中的主观能动性与学籍管理效果关系入手,从学生对学籍的认知、学生参与信息维护、学生进行电子注册信息核对三个方面探讨了问题产生的原因并从实践角度分别分析得出了有效的解决方法,这也正是我校"以生为本"的指导思想的体现。     

Mathematical self-concept: How college reinforces the gender gap

Research in the past decade suggests that persistent gender gaps in math achievement may be rooted in gender differences in math self-concept. Yet, limited research exists on how students' math self-concept develops, and whether this differs between men and women. Using a sample of 8,997 women and 6,053 men, this study examines the factors associated with the development of women's and men's mathematical self-concept during college. Findings reveal a number of student background characteristics and college environments and experiences that contribute to an overall decline in math self-concept during college, and show how college reinforces the gender gap in math confidence. Additionally, in an attempt to answer the perennial question of whether it is “better to be a big frog in a small pond or a small frog in a big pond,” the study pays special attention to the relationship between institutional selectivity and math self-concept. Although institutional selectivity is correlated with declines in math self-concept, results show that specific aspects of selective environments, rather than selectivity itself, are more important predictors of math self-concept. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 1992 Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education in Minneapolis.     

The gender gap in college major choice in Chile

This paper studies gender differences in college applications in Chile. We use the revealed preferences of students for college major choice by taking advantage of Chile’s Centralized Admission System, and estimate a nested logit model to predict the first preference of applicants. We find that males apply to selective programs even when they are marginal candidates, while equally qualified female candidates tend to apply less often to these programs. Using counterfactual exercises, we conclude that to successfully address the gender gap, along with promoting females’ participation in STEM careers, we must increase males’ willingness to consider non-STEM fields. Closing the gender gap does not imply a loss in terms of talent distribution by area of knowledge.     

High school science enrollment of black students

How can the high school science enrollment of black students be increased? School and home counseling and classroom procedures could benefit from variables identified as predictors of science enrollment. The problem in this study was to identify a set of variables which characterize science course enrollment by black secondary students. The population consisted of a subsample of 3963 black high school seniors from The High School and Beyond 1980 Base-Year Survey. Using multiple linear regression, backward regression, and correlation analyses, the US Census regions and grades mostly As and Bs in English were found to be significant predictors of the number of science courses scheduled by black seniors.     

30余年来我国高校招考政策价值取向的转变及其反思

自1977年恢复高校招考政策制度以来,我国高校招考政策始终处于不间断变化之中,这其中既有诸如考试时间、考试科目、命题内容和形式等枝节性改革的探索,更有在政策价值目标取向方面呈现出由关注公平性向优先考虑科学性、多样性、自主性的转移。虽然这些改革政策在克服原有高考招录中存在的某些缺陷方面曾发挥过一定作用,但由于我国高校招考政策的改革缺乏整体性设计,理想与现实之间存在差异,同时各项招考政策在价值目标之间又有着一定的矛盾与冲突,尤其是公平性原则在各项招考政策改革中的被边缘化,导致绝大多数考生成为利益受损体。脱离社会大系统制定的高考改革政策,势必遭到大多数群体的反对,"公平优先,兼顾科学"理应成为高校招考政策改革的核心价值取向。     

The redistributive equity of affirmative action: Exploring the role of race,socioeconomic status,and gender in college admissions

This paper contributes to research on affirmative action by examining issues of equity in the context of racial quotas in Brazil. We study the experience of the University of Brasilia, which established racial quotas in 2004 reserving 20% of available admissions slots for students who self-identified as black. Based on university admissions data and a student survey conducted by the authors, we find evidence that race, socioeconomic status, and gender were considerable barriers to college attendance and achievement. For example, first-difference regressions involving pairs of siblings indicate that black identity and gender had a negative effect on entrance exam scores. Moreover, we compare displaced and displacing applicants and find that racial quotas helped promote equity to some extent. Nevertheless, the scale and scope of redistribution were highly limited, and the vast majority of Brazilians had little chance of attending college, suggesting that more still needs to be done.     

High school grades and university performance: A case study

A critical issue facing a number of colleges and universities is how to allocate first year places to incoming students. The decision to admit students is often based on a number of factors, but a key statistic is a student's high school grades. This paper reports on a case study of the subsequent performance at the University of Winnipeg of high school students from 84 Manitoba high schools. By tracking the university performance of students admitted for the years 1997–2002, we are able to estimate the likelihood of success of subsequent students based on their characteristics as well as their high school grades. In doing so, we use a number of alternative estimators including a Least Squares Dummy Variable Model and a Hierarchical Linear Model. The methodology should be of interest to admissions officers at other universities as an input into estimating the subsequent performance of first year students.     

Where the boys aren't: non-cognitive skills, returns to school and the gender gap in higher education

Nearly 60 percent of college students today are women. Using longitudinal data on a nationally representative cohort of eighth grade students in 1988, I examine two potential explanations for the differential attendance rates of men and women—returns to schooling and non-cognitive skills. The attendance gap is roughly five percentage points for all high school graduates. Conditional on attendance, however, there are few differences in type of college, enrollment status or selectivity of institution. The majority of the attendance gap can be explained by differences in the characteristics of men and women, despite some gender differences in the determinants of college attendance. I find that higher non-cognitive skills and college premiums among women account for nearly 90 percent of the gender gap in higher education. Interestingly, non-cognitive factors continue to influence college enrollment after controlling for high school achievement.     

A college of science: Bridging the gap between school and university

Many tertiary institutions in South Africa have implemented schemes to help redress the unfair school educational system. This paper describes one such initiative to increase access and success of educationally disadvantaged students in science. The background of the College of Science and the success of its first intake of students is described with an emphasis on the physics component of the physical sciences course. Sixty six percent of the students passed all three courses in their first year with the most educationally disadvantaged showing the greatest gains. Specializations: physics education, language and communication. in science. Specializations: meta-cognition and conceptual development in physics, qualitative research in physics education.     

Exploring gender gap and school differential effects in mathematics in Chilean primary schools

ABSTRACT

Despite the systematic recognition of large gender gaps in favour of boys in mathematics performance in Chile, the role of schools in explaining this gap has been comparatively underresearched. This paper analyses a longitudinal dataset to explore within- and between-school variation of Chilean primary schools in promoting attainment and progress of girls and boys. In order to reflect the hierarchical nature of the educational data, multilevel modelling is used, with 163,044 students, nested within 3,355 schools, within 310 municipalities to fit raw, contextualised attainment, and value-added models. The weak evidence indicative of gender differential school effect in progress in Chilean primary schools was interpreted as non-substantive. However, differences in effectiveness played a significant role, as girls progressed more than boys in less effective schools, but the opposite was true in more effective schools. Finally, the study concludes that the Chilean gender gap needs to be addressed mainly beyond schools.     

Discrepancies between school grades and test scores at individual and school level: effects of gender and family background

The purpose of the study was to use multivariate multilevel techniques to investigate whether it was possible to separate different dimensions in grades that relate to subject-matter achievement and to other factors. Data were derived from The Gothenburg Educational Longitudinal Database (GOLD), and the subjects were 99,070 ninth-grade students born in 1987. The analyses were based on subject grades and scores on national tests in Swedish, English, and mathematics. The results showed that, at both individual and school levels, the greatest part of the variance in grades was due to achievement in the different subject areas. At both levels, it was possible to identify a dimension that cut across the grades in all 3 subjects, which suggests that grading is influenced by factors other than achievement. One of the most interesting results concerns the relation between parental education and the common grade dimension at the school level.     

Cohort crowding and nonresident college enrollment

This study uses a fixed effects panel data framework to examine the effects of cohort crowding and other variables on nonresident enrollment at four-year public colleges and universities. The results suggest that larger cohorts of resident students crowd out nonresident students at flagship universities, but there is inconsistent evidence of crowd out at non-flagship schools. Additionally, larger cohorts of resident students result in increased nonresident tuition at flagship universities but not at non-flagship schools. When faced with larger cohorts of resident students, flagship universities lower the numbers of nonresident students enrolled and raise the price for nonresidents.     

High school preparation for college biology in Israel

The study reports the results of a questionnaire on the opinions of biology, medical and agricultural students regarding the nature of the contribution of high school biology to their study of biology in the university. It was found that most students value the contribution of high school biology to their learning, understanding and retention of new material. Students who specialized in high school biology and who studied an inquiry-oriented program in high school had definite advantages over the others. High school experiences were found to influence achievement in college biology to the extent to which the university courses were based upon prior knowledge.     

Effects of curricular emphasis in college on the GRE and its impact on the gender gap in performance

Previous research has indicated positive relations between a curricular emphasis during college and improvements in GRE performance for content that matches that emphasis. However, measurement issues and a lack of a theoretical approach have contributed to a lack of precision and detail in the estimates of the relation between college experiences and performance for relevant content. In the current study, we hypothesized that differences in training between students majoring in math related majors and students majoring in reading and writing related majors would be differentially related to the size of the changes on GRE performance. Further, we hypothesized the gender gap in GRE-Quant performance would be reduced when the higher likelihood of males majoring in math related majors was modelled. The expert performance approach was used to develop three path models (including curricular emphasis, college grade performance, previous performance on the SAT, and gender) to compare the effects of the relation of a curricular emphasis in math on GRE-Quant performance to the effects of the relation of an emphasis in reading and writing on GRE-Verbal performance. The results indicated support for our predictions that a math course emphasis was related to larger GRE performance gains and that gender differences in curricular emphasis during college partially mediated the large gender gap in GRE-Quant performance. Additionally, higher grade performance average was found to positively predict GRE performance with college experiences and previous performance statistically controlled. Implications for the relation between training accrued during college courses and changes in GRE performance are discussed.     

Household characteristics and delayed school enrollment in Malawi

Malawi was the first country after the Jomtien conference to offer free primary education. Despite this policy, universal education has remained elusive. Many children do enroll in school, but not at the official/recommended age and drop out before completing school. Understanding these transition points – entry and completion – is critical to the achievement of universal education. This paper focuses on one of these transition points – entry. Since households determine the timing and duration of schooling, this study examines 3290 households to explore the characteristics associated with delayed school enrollment. The study finds that the survival of the mother, female headship, and the head's level of education, are associated with a lower probability of delayed enrollment.