From departure to arrival: Re-engaging students who have withdrawn from university

Despite institutional strategies to prevent student withdrawal, attrition remains a concern across higher education sectors in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In the case of Australian universities, attrition rates have remained consistently high since 2002. Some level of attrition is inevitable, but universities can influence the circumstances and the consequences of departure. This article draws on two research projects conducted within an Australian institution. The studies confirm that withdrawing students: often leave for personal reasons; are typically young and from under-represented backgrounds; generally remain positive about higher education; and are relatively likely to return to the sector in future. Despite our findings, institutional strategies around the point of departure remain variable and, contrary to their stated intentions, departing students are rarely seen as future students by the institutions from which they withdraw. Preventive strategies need to be combined with broader institutional policies designed to re-engage and re-recruit the cohort of departed students.     

The role of feedback in the under-attainment of ethnic minority students: evidence from distance education

In UK higher education, the attainment of ethnic minority students is lower than that of white students, and this remains the case when differences in entry qualifications have been taken into account. The present study investigated whether the under-attainment of ethnic minority students might be due to the nature of the feedback that they received for their assignments. The assignments submitted by 470 ethnic minority and 470 matched white students taking a distance-learning course were compared using a computer system, Open Mentor, to categorise the feedback given by tutors based on a scheme devised by Bales. Asian and black students and students of mixed ethnicity obtained lower marks for their assignments than did the white students. However, there were only small differences between the ethnic minority students and the white students in terms of the pattern of feedback that they received, and these disappeared when the marks that they had received for their assignments had been taken into account. It is concluded that students from all ethnic groups received feedback that was commensurate with their marks, and that the origins of the attainment gap in ethnic minority students in UK higher education must be sought elsewhere.     

Teaching about homosexualities to Nigerian university students: a report from the field

Nigeria’s diverse cultures, religions and political parties appear to be unified by a strong taboo against homosexuality and gay rights. This has affected academic research, HIV/AIDS programmes, and sexuality education, all which commonly show evidence of heterosexism, self-censorship and even explicit condemnations of homosexuality. Yet a dissident discourse in Nigeria, as well as research from elsewhere in the region, suggests that this appearance of unity may belie greater openness to the issues than assumed. Indeed, research shows that (1) many African societies are traditionally more accommodating toward non-normative sexualities than contemporary nationalist or cultural claims would allow, and (2) secretive ‘bisexuality’ is more common in practice (and tacitly acknowledged) than previously understood. Is it possible then that the presumption of homophobia and the fear of backlash that has clearly contributed to heterosexism and self-censorship in scholarship around homosexualities in Nigeria are exaggerated? Is it possible that Nigerians may be more open to consideration of scientific evidence and international best practices around sexual diversity, rights, and health than is commonly assumed in the literature? A trial intervention at a small state university in a predominantly rural area of Nigeria tested these questions by introducing wide-ranging, frank and non-judgemental (science-based) discussions of same-sex sexuality in several classes. Analysis of the students’ feedback finds that stigmatising attitudes toward homosexuality were indeed present among the students. However, there was also a high degree of curiosity, awareness of the existence of secretive homosexualities in Nigeria, desire for education, and confidence that traditional cultures and Nigerian democracy could accommodate individual freedom and sexual rights. The conclusion is that well-prepared researchers and educators could be less anxious and self-censoring around the topic of homosexuality than prevails at present. Careful attention would need to be paid to local sensibilities, but sexuality and HIV education programmes could probably be brought closer into line with world guidelines on best practices and comprehensive approaches to human sexuality education and sexual health.     

高等教育学的未来:来自妇女学的启示

作为兴起于20世纪60、70年代的跨学科领域,妇女学的历史与高等教育学有许多相似之处。二者的兴起均得益于高等教育的发展与改革,以多学科研究起家,进而强调一种跨学科的研究,并最终凭借不懈的努力在大学里成功获得建制。不过,比较吊诡的是,高等教育学虽然是源于"大学研究它自己"而诞生的一门新学科,但在今天妇女学对于整个大学改革的影响却远比高等教育学的影响要大。究其根本,妇女学在学术目标设定、制度基础构建等方面都较高等教育学要略胜一筹。     

高等院校师范生技能培养策略

教学改革是一个全面的系统工程,使高等院校师范生的技能培养变得更为重要。作为未来的教育者,在学生期间的教育技能培养将影响其未来的教育方式和方法。因此本文探讨师范生技能培养策略,重点围绕现代教育技术的培养,根据对师范生的要求,提出了相关策略以供同行参考。     

The psychological contract of science students: social exchange with universities and university staff from the students' perspective

Considerable research has been undertaken involving the student experience and depicting undergraduate students as consumers of education. This construction of the relationship between students and universities is based primarily on notions of economic exchange. In this paper, using the construct of the psychological contract, we show that social exchanges can also occur. In a study sponsored by the leaders of a university's science faculty, 10 student-researchers recorded their experience of being a science undergraduate student using an innovative video data collection method called VideoVoices. We present a case study using the data recorded by one student-researcher that shows that students can have more complex conceptions of their relationships than that of passive consumer with respect to their reciprocal obligations to their university and lecturers. Psychological contract theory has been widely used in management and organisation studies literature, but the use of this theory in the context of higher education is much sparser. We argue that psychological contract theory, besides encouraging a more useful and complex view of students at university, has the potential to suggest future research directions and strategies to improve relationships between students and universities.     

Faculty qualifications and collegiality: The role of influence in university decision-making

Data on 115 colleges and universities are used to examine the effect of the qualifications of the faculty and decentralization of authority on faculty influence over general educational policy and faculty appointments. The findings suggest that university administrators respond to the presence of highly qualified faculties by allowing them to have more influence which is exercised largely through the formally constituted decision-making bodies of the faculty.     

大学本科低年级学生实行班级导生制的思考

从当代大学的特点、大学本科学生管理工作所面临的实际情况等方面,分析了当前我国大学本科学校低年级学生实行班级导生制的必要性和紧迫性,结合自身实际工作情况阐述了导生的选拔和培养、导生的工作定位及工作内容、导生的工作考评及奖惩措施等问题,对导生中存在的问题和如何解决提出了自己的观点;导生工作需更上一个层次,需进一步锏度化、权威化,导生综合素质有待进一步提升,需加强引导和指导导生处理好与所导班级学生干部的关系及自身学习与导生工作的关系.     

高等教育理论呼唤高等教育史研究

高等教育史是高等教育学科领域的组成部分,是高等教育学的分支学科,更准确地说,是高等教育学与历史学的交叉学科。2003年底出版的两部《外国高等教育史》,是近年来我国外国高等教育研究领域的重要突破。两本外国高等教育史专业著作的体例有各自不同的风格和特点,这为读者提供了更加广域的视角。随着高等教育史研究的逐步深入,该学科对丰富和完善高等教育学科具有积极意义,同时将对进一步推进高等教育理论发展发挥重要作用。     

对高校学科建设有关问题的认识

学校是高校的衡量杠杆和标志，这一特性决定了学科建设是高校发展的关键与核心。学科建设的内容涉及人才培养、科学研究、队伍建设、条件建设等方面，使高校教学、科研两个中心相结合，对高校的全面发展起到有力的促进作用。重视和加强学科建设也是专升本院校获得持续发展的有效途径。     

Associations of epistemic beliefs in science and scientific reasoning in university students from Taiwan and India

The purpose of this study was to compare the associations of epistemic beliefs in science, performance of scientific reasoning in university students from Taiwan and India, and the relations with their science learning experiences. A total of 126 university students including 67 from Taiwan and 59 from India who had science and mathematics backgrounds were involved in the study. Students’ epistemic beliefs in science were assessed by the SEV questionnaire, while their reasoning performance and learning experiences were prompted by open-ended questions and survey items. Content analysis was performed to analyze their scientific reasoning, and correlation analysis, t tests and ANOVA were applied to reveal the associations between variables. The results showed that students from both countries differed in epistemic beliefs in the dimensions of certainty, development and justification. While few students from either country performed successfully in identifying genuine evidence and giving full rebuttals, Taiwanese participants seemed to demonstrate slightly better scientific reasoning. It was found that the Indian students were more balanced in receiving structured and engaged learning experiences. Varying associations for the students from the different countries were found between epistemic beliefs and scientific reasoning performance, and between epistemic beliefs and science learning experiences.     

Longitudinal study of levels of moral reasoning of undergraduate students in an Irish university: the influence of contextual factors

This paper reports a longitudinal study of levels of moral reasoning in a convenience sample of Irish undergraduate university students, using the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT2). The study was timely, as higher education institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the promotion of social capital and the development of the whole person. A total of 259 students completed the DIT2 at the beginning, mid-point and conclusion of their degree course. As with similar international studies, increases in levels of moral reasoning over time were statistically significant. However, Irish students' DIT2 scores were markedly lower than their international peers with 62% of graduating students at the pre-conventional and conventional stages. The paper suggests some context-related explanations for the under-performance of Irish students including the instrumentalist nature of Irish post-primary education, the prevailing culture of consensualism, authoritarianism and anti-intellectualism, the conflation of religious and moral education and the emphasis on economic outputs and contractual accountability.     

对"专升本"政策调整的思考

用限制专升本通道、以堵代疏的方式来规范专升本教育并不能从根本上解决 "专升本"存在的一些问题,理智的态度应是"疏导"而不是"堵塞",即应在提高政策制定的科学化、民主化水平的基础上,既要对现行的"专升本"制度进行改良,克服其问题与不足;又要在时机成熟的条件下,积极探讨其替代或部分替代方案.     

论大学本科教育改革:教育结构的视角

研究国外教育后发现,本科教育的地位与任务取决于它与中等教育、专科教育及研究生教育的相互关系。在教育结构已经发生了较大变化的情形下,必须重建我国大学本科教育。我国本科教育改革要以多样化思想为指导,逐步形成本科教育多元共生的新格局。     

Why university students choose an international education: A case study in Malaysia

Why has Australian offshore higher education become the educational investment of choice for many students? What benefits do students anticipate from this education? What is the relationship between educational goals and educational experience? To address these questions, this paper draws on findings from empirical research conducted with students studying at an offshore campus of an Australian university in Malaysia. It was found that students typically chose to enroll with the Australian university to receive an international education. Reasons offered for seeking an international education effectively delineated two groups of students. For Malaysian nationals, an international education was valued largely as a passport to employment with (Western) multinational corporations operating in Malaysia. Generally the Malaysian students made positional investments in Australian offshore higher education. For non-Malaysian students an international education was typically selected as an aid to procuring a new identity. These students chose an international education with the hope of expunging provincial outlooks. From international education, they wanted new ways of viewing the world, new habits of thinking and new skills and approaches. They sought a personal metamorphosis. These students, therefore, typically made self-transformative investments in international education. The paper further shows that investment choices influenced the way students experienced their education. Of the two populations distinguished by investment type, students who made self-transformative investments were more likely to respond positively to challenging education experiences associated with studying at the campus.     

高校学困生：现状、成因与对策

随着我国高等教育规模的扩大和在校大学生总量的不断增加，高等学校出现了一个不容忽视的学困生群体，学困生不仅给自身的未来发展带来妨碍，也影响了高校的教育教学，已经成为高校学生工作中的重点和难点问题，大学生中的学业困难现象亟待引起高度重视和深入研究。     

Why students leave engineering and built environment programmes when they are academically eligible to continue

The retention of students to graduation is a concern for most higher education institutions. This article seeks to understand why engineering and built environment students fail to continue their degree programmes despite being academically eligible to do so. The sample comprised 275 students registered between 2006 and 2011 in a faculty of engineering and the built environment, who were academically eligible to continue, but failed to register for their studies the following academic year. The sociological notions of structure and agency were used to make sense of the data. The findings suggest that some students had control over their decision to leave and some students’ decisions were dominated by various structural factors. The outcome of the study is helpful in terms of suggesting what actions can be taken in order reduce the number of students leaving in good academic standing.     

Agents of aspiration: the (often unintended) benefits to university students working in outreach programmes

Background: Universities in many countries increasingly deliver outreach programmes to raise aspirations and encourage participation in higher education. At the University of Canberra in Australia, these programmes target schools that have been identified as having a large number of students from rural/regional, financially disadvantaged and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds – groups that continue to be underrepresented in higher education. Involved in the delivery of these programmes are current university students – at the University of Canberra termed ‘Aspiration Agents’ – many of whom come from similar backgrounds to the students with whom they work. Although not the focus of the outreach programmes, the Aspiration Agents themselves also derive benefits from the experience.

Purpose: This research aimed to explore the reasons why students choose to become Aspiration Agents, and the perceived benefits of the mentoring/ambassador role.

Sample, Design and Methods: The data collection comprised two small-scale exploratory questionnaire studies (N = 12; N = 20). Qualitative methods were used to investigate participants’ self-reported motivations for, and experiences of being Aspiration Agents.

Findings: Findings suggest that students perceived benefits in personal, student-related and future professional domains. Dominating all these areas, however, was the recurring theme that the students were both motivated to, and derived satisfaction from, helping others. These findings are discussed in terms of the specific role of the Aspiration Agent and how this form of employment can positively, rather than negatively, impact on the student’s own university experience.     

高师学生职业意识形成与培养研究

高师学生职业意识影响着高师学生在校期间的学习和生活，以及工作后的态度和质量。加强高师学生职业意识教育，培养他们的自我教育能力，是高师教育的主题。文章在调查的基础上概括了高师学生职业意识形成的七个特点，并从社会、高师教育、学生自身等方面提出了培养的建议和对策。