An empirical analysis of borrowing behaviour of higher education students in the Netherlands

Many higher education students combine their study with a job on the side instead of taking up a loan. This paper examines the factors underlying this apparently myopic behaviour. We find that standard economic factors explain observed borrowing decisions to some extent. Students with easier access to financial resources borrow less often. Students with good earnings prospects and/or a high discount rate borrow more often, as do students who are prepared to take risks. An important non-standard factor affecting borrowing choices is debt aversion. We also find that a reduction in working hours will only have a limited positive impact on the time spend on studying.     

An investigation of citizenship construction among students in higher education: a Foucauldian perspective

Higher Education - This study, adopting the Foucauldian lenses of citizenship, investigates how a group of students understand the prevailing social discourses and how such understanding and...     

高校网络英语教育学生情况调查与分析

本文基于对中国八所开办英语专业学历学位教育的高校网络教育学院261名学生的问卷调研,对网络教育英语专业学生的个人情况、以往学习经历、电脑和网络技能以及网络学习状况等信息进行了总结和分析,并提出这一调研结果对网络教育在资源开发、助学服务和课程考核三个层面所带来的思考.     

关于我国高等学校学费标准的实证分析

在公共资助紧约束条件下 ,学费水平确定对高等教育的简单再生产和扩大再生产具有重要影响。当前 ,我国大学学费标准确定应综合考虑学生家庭的支付能力、学校简单再生产和扩大再生产的需要等因素。同时 ,应建立贫困生助学基金、奖学金、助学贷款、校内勤工助学等机制 ,以解决高等教育的公平问题     

The other voices of international higher education: an empirical study of students' perceptions of British university education in China

Against a backdrop of globalised higher education (HE) – one in which a number of British universities are setting up campuses overseas – China represents a vast and lucrative market. This paper presents data on the perceptions and experiences of 20 Chinese students who are currently studying at a British university's campus located in China. Drawing upon theoretical and empirical linkages between the expansion of British HE into overseas markets and neo-colonial (or imperialist) activities, this paper discovers that sociocultural perceptions and ideological constructs such as ‘creativity’ and ‘value’ form a vital basis for the exchange of knowledge in transnational HE.     

关于大学师生交往状况的实证研究

本文采用多元回归分析的方法,对大学师生交往的有关问题进行了实证研究。研究表明,大学生的年龄、性别、成绩以及学生父母的受教育程度对大学师生交往有重要的影响;师生交往对大学生的发展有积极的促进作用。但是,由于种种原因,大学师生之间的交往频率不高,在有限的师生交往过程中,男女大学生所获得的成就存在着一定程度的差异。     

Peer learning in international higher education: the experience of international students in an Irish university

Some of the main concerns in international higher education are the feeling of isolation among international students and their inability to adapt to the host environment, which may result in sub-optimal academic performance. Theoretically, peer learning can be an effective method to reduce these problems since it has the capacity to address isolation and adaptability issues among international students in a way that improves their learning experience and outcomes. Given the above, our study was designed to investigate this topic, focusing on the experience of international students. In this exploratory case study of a leading Irish university, we adopted a survey method via questionnaire to quantify and compare the experiences of a sample of international students at the said university. Five aspects of peer learning were explored, namely usage rate, current practices, outcomes, challenges, and coping strategies. We also included an open-ended section in the survey instrument for respondents to offer qualitative suggestions to the host institution. Through methodological triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative data, we discovered diverse practices, challenges, and outcomes of peer learning across different groups of international students in this university. The paper concludes with a discussion of research implications and suggestions for future studies.     

Talking of students: Tensions and contradictions for the manager-academic and the university in contemporary higher education

The paper examines data on references tostudents made by manager-academics in 16 UKuniversities whilst giving accounts of theircareers and practices, and reflecting onaspects of the current roles and priorities ofhigher education institutions. The issuesraised are of wider interest than the UK, sincethe contradictory pressures of teaching andresearch and learning versus seeking newsources of funding are common to highereducation in many countries. The focus andmethodology of the Economic and Social ResearchCouncil funded project on which the paper isbased are outlined, before discussing how thetheoretical interests of the project relate tothe student, the ways in which the student is asignificant aspect of current higher educationpolicies, and the contested status and identityof the student in higher education discourseand research. The changing nature of thestudent population, the relationship betweenmanager-academics' concerns with the studentand their institutional context, their majorpreoccupations in their roles, and how thesepreoccupations relate to level of seniority inmanagement are also considered. We concludethat whilst current UK higher education policyemphasises the student, responses atinstitutional and individual levels focus onorganisational, resource and time implicationsof the student body, rather than the studenthim/herself. Furthermore, it is noted thatsenior manager-academics roles tend to removetheir incumbents from contact with students. It is suggested that manager-academics needboth more contact with students and moreunderstanding of their situation andconcerns.     

Teaching teachers: An investigation of beliefs in teacher education students

Influenced by work on learner-centred education, teacher efficacy and teachers’ concerns, we conducted an investigation of the influence of 185 preservice teachers’ teacher efficacy and concerns on their learner-centred beliefs. Learner-centred beliefs were selected for the purposes of this study as the best indicator of future teaching actions because these preservice teachers had not yet entered the classroom or engaged in teaching practices. Preservice teacher efficacy and concerns, individually and collectively, significantly influenced learner-centred beliefs. These findings indicate that teacher education can facilitate the development of learner-centred beliefs by addressing these trainable characteristics and demonstrate the need to further explore both teacher efficacy and concerns as they relate to learner-centred education within teacher education programs.     

The relationships between research and decision making in education: An empirical investigation

Chapter 5 of DETYA’s volume The Impact of Educational Research (Selby-Smith 2000) begins with an examination of the peculiarity of decision making in the VET sector, followed by an examination of the idiosyncratic consequences for the function of research in the sector. Having established the distinctiveness of VET in relation to these two key factors (decision making and research), the chapter then proceeds to explore the linkages between them. The study on which the chapter is founded identified a complex research culture, in which overt forms of impact are difficult to detect, yet where, it is concluded, research nonetheless plays its part. The research which is likely to impact most heavily is that which is conducted around the practical issues with which VET must deal, preferably with a heavy on-site component, and which is carried out by researchers who are prepared to engage most fruitfully with the VET culture, ideally with a long lead time and maximum follow-up to the actual research phase.Chapter 5 contributes to the overall Impact volume in a variety of ways. First, it offers an insight into the enigmatic nature of educational research in general, and especially as it relates to the VET sector. Second, it makes it clear that educational sectors like VET are likely to be affected by research only when its application to their practical needs is clear and it is carried out by people who are committed to working with their realities. Third, there are broader lessons to be taken from the chapter, especially for university researchers who are imputed by the chapter to be among the least likely to effect research that impacts on practical policy and decision making. While unrelated to the main body of The Impact of Educational Research project, Chapter 5 contributes to the overall work through exposing the real world of research impact in what is very likely the least understood of the educational sectors.     

Contemporary trends in East Asian higher education: dispositions of international students in a Taiwan university

This article details a mixed methods study conducted during the 2007–2008 academic year at the National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taipei Taiwan. It contributes to discourse examining the opportunities and challenges of international student enrollments in institutions of higher learning around the globe. In scope it details an empirical study exploring the dispositions of NCCU international students in terms of their academic and social spheres. Trends in Taiwan reflect traditional East Asian patterns; substantial numbers of university students from Taiwan studied in the United States and Britain while very few incoming international students chose the island nation as a host destination. In recent years the influx of international students to Taiwan has increased significantly, rising from 6,380 in 2001 to 21,005 in 2007 (Ko, , 2008). The use of both quantitative and qualitative methods provided clarity and extended critical interpretations of the issues and dilemmas surrounding the international student experience in Taiwan. Results indicate that the capability of the NCCU as a host institution to sustain and attract increasing numbers of incoming international students is linked to factors such as the unique opportunity to study traditional as opposed to simplified Chinese characters, the availability and accessibility of Taiwan government sponsored scholarships, and the high standard of the NCCU Mandarin Studies program. Implications suggest that universities committed to internationalization are called to address the realities—both positive and negative—of operating as globally competitive institutions. As such, attracting the right kind of international students at the NCCU and determining standards for their contribution to campus life are more important goals than the total number of international students.     

成人高等教育规模效益的实证分析——以广东佛山地区为例

提高成人高等教育的办学效益,需要考察成人高校办学规模及教育资源的利用率。文章结合市场经济特征,以广东佛山地区2008年教育统计数据为例进行分析,认为要提高成人高等教育办学效益,必须通过坚持以政府部门主导、市场合理调节和调整教育布局、扩大整体效益来实现。     

Institutional support for peer contact in distance education: An empirical investigation

Two hypotheses derived from Keegan's theoretical framework of reintegration in distance education formed the focus for this investigation. Opportunities for peer contact and support were re‐integrated into an existing distance education program for the purpose of affecting achievement, self‐perception of learning achievement, final academic standing (including non‐completion), and attitudes. The analysis was conducted in two parts; one based on an experimental sample and the other based on a larger general sample. No significant differences were found between levels of the experimental variable, but peer contact was found to significantly discriminate between levels of both course completion and final academic standing in one of the targeted courses based on the general sample.     

Engaging students in higher education through mobile learning: lessons learnt in a Chinese entrepreneurship course

This evaluative?Cexploratory case study reports pedagogical experiences with using mobiles phones, wikis, and other mobile learning approaches such as podcasts and walking tours as educational tools in the context of an undergraduate course on Chinese Entrepreneurship and Asian Business Networks taught at a university in Singapore. Conceptualized as mobile learning, the paper argues that information and communication technologies (ICT) devices used by Gen Y students as part of their everyday life such as hand phones in combination with social media platforms such as course wikis and other proven pedagogical methods such as mini lectures, field visits, and walking tours can greatly enrich learners?? experience and produce valuable learning outcomes on the basis of blended learning provided their usage is easy and effectively integrated into the respective instructional strategy.     

手机禁忌语使用研究——大学生手机禁忌语使用态度调查

禁忌语是语言的一部分,它因语言的发展而产生。对禁忌语的研究不仅在语言学上而且在文化上都有重大意义。语言禁忌反映的是社会禁忌。对于禁忌语使用的态度反映及影响着禁忌语的现状及发展变化。     

Being highly internationalised strengthens your reputation: an empirical investigation of top higher education institutions

In an educational context characterised by globalisation, reputation constitutes a crucial issue for today’s higher education institutions. Internationalisation of higher education is often seen as a potential response to globalisation and, consequently, higher education has become increasingly internationalised during the past decade. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between internationalisation and reputation in top higher education institutions. Results reveal that internationalisation positively influences a university’s reputation but also moderates the relationship between the institution’s reputation and its institutional performance with regard to research quality, teaching quality and graduate employability.     

高等教育对河北省经济增长贡献作用的实证研究

以罗默和卢卡斯的内生经济理论为理论依据,以柯布-道格拉斯生产函数为基础,运用时间序列回归法,借助EViews6.0统计工具,通过对大量数据的检索和处理,得到河北省产出的劳动弹性系数β=0.79。以此为基础,测算出1996-2009年高等教育对河北省经济增长的贡献率为4.08%,低于全国平均水平8.15%。为此,提出促进河北省高等教育事业发展的对策及建议,供高校和教育部门参考。     

高职大学生价值观问题的调查研究

当代高职大学生的价值观在日趋激烈的就业压力和多元化思想冲击下已发生了巨大的变化,这对我国高校价值观教育来说是一个巨大的冲击和挑战。文章突出微观研究,采用问卷调查和个案访谈相结合的方法,以调查数据为依托,分析高职院校大学生价值观的表现及形成原因;以社会主义核心价值体系为指针,结合高职院校办学特色和教育理念,探讨高职院校大学生价值观教育的实现路径。     

An empirical analysis of the performance of Vietnamese higher education institutions

This article provides an analysis of the academic performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Vietnam with 50 universities and 50 colleges in 2011/12. The two-stage semiparametric data envelopment analysis is used to estimate the efficiency of HEIs and investigate the effects of various factors on their performance. The findings reveal that HEIs in the surveyed sample show that there are still potential avenues to improve their existing performance. There appears to be a difference in the efficiencies of public and private HEIs in the reported year. It is noted that the inefficiency of HEIs are not entirely a result of managerial performance, but also influenced by other factors such as location, age and the contribution of tuition fees. Our results are expected to provide more understanding of the operational efficiency of HEIs for educational managers and policymakers to find possible solutions to improve the performance of Vietnamese higher education.