RESULTS OF THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION DATA SYSTEM EMPLOYER FOLLOW‐UP SURVEY FOR MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY COLLEGES

This article presents the results of the Vocational Education Data System employer follow‐up (EFU) survey for graduates of 15 public community colleges who were employed full time between 1 and 2 years after graduation (N = 588). In general, these community college graduates were rated between good and very good on the quality of work and preparation EFU items. No correlations were found between EFU ratings and average hourly wage, even within program areas, indicating that the average hourly wage of community college graduates is a flawed index of program or graduate quality. No significant differences were found between female and male EFU ratings, but large significant differences in average hourly wage were found, even within program areas. This particular and direct finding tends to support current contentions that women are not receiving equal pay for equal quality or work in the marketplace.     

高校毕业生行业收入差距成因探析

利用2009-2017年全国高校毕业生就业调查数据,采用倾向得分匹配和Oaxaca-Blinder成因分解等实证方法,对高校毕业生行业收入差距的成因进行探析。研究结果表明：毕业生行业收入差距在总体上存在拉大趋势,行业收入差距更多体现在行业间;新兴服务业（金融和IT）既是高校毕业生最热衷进入的行业,又是存在显著收入溢价的行业;行业间的个人、家庭、工作和人力资本特征差异是造成行业间收入差距的重要原因,其中人力资本异质性的贡献度更大;排除以上因素的影响,能力相似的毕业生因为选择进入新兴服务业,起薪至少显著高12%。这意味着新兴服务业从业人员的收入溢价主要源于毕业生选择进入新兴服务业,而不是因为进入新兴服务业的毕业生的人力资本水平更高,家庭背景更好,或者从事的工作岗位级别更高。     

Teacher education graduates’ choice (not) to enter the teaching profession: does teacher education matter?

In an era of recurring teacher shortages, Flanders struggles with a considerable proportion of teacher education graduates who do not enter the teaching profession. This study identifies the predictors of teacher education graduates’ choice on job entry (teaching profession or not). A prospective research design with two data collection phases is adopted. Student teachers (subsequently graduates) (N = 217) of integrated teacher training for secondary education were surveyed shortly before as well as shortly after graduation. Results of chi-squared and t-tests indicate that gender, initial motivation for teaching, mentor support, teacher education preparation, teacher efficacy, learner-oriented beliefs, performance in teacher education, and employment opportunities show differences (at 1% level) between graduates who entered and those who did not enter the teaching profession. Results of the subsequent logistic regression validate the importance of teacher education (i.e. mentor support) – beside initial motivation and labour market factors – to explain graduates’ decision on job entry.     

Does attendance to a four-year academic college versus vocational college affect future wages?

Taiwan is one of the few countries in which bachelor degrees can be earned by attending either 4-year academic colleges or vocational colleges. This paper offers new evidence on whether returns to B.A. degrees are significantly different between academic and vocational 4-year colleges using the 1998–1999 Taiwanese College Graduate Survey. The multinomial logit model is applied to correct self-selection for employment status, and a wage equation is then estimated. The results suggest that the returns to 4-year academic colleges are 6% higher than those to 4-year vocational colleges. We also find a significant effect of college quality on wages. Moreover, public academic college graduates have the highest returns whereas those who attend private vocational colleges have the lowest returns.     

毕业生就业压力与择业效能感探析——以沧州师范学院为例

目的：了解专科毕业生的就业压力与择业效能感的状况及其关系.方法：采用《毕业生就业压力问卷》和《择业效能感问卷》对沧州师范学院465名2011届专科毕业生进行测试.结果：（1）专科毕业生的就业压力较大;不同性别、来源的专科毕业生的就业压力存在显著差异.（2）专科毕业生的择业效能感较高;不同性别、来源、师范生与非师范生的择业效能感存在显著差异.（3）专科毕业生的择业效能感与就业压力呈显著负相关,择业效能感对就业压力具有显著负向预测作用.结论：可以通过调整专科毕业生的择业效能感来缓解其就业压力.     

Holland environments as reinforcement systems

Holland's (1973, 1985) theory of vocational choice stipulates that model environments seek toreinforce the characteristic predispositions and attitudes of their corresponding personality types. The results of this longitudinal study of the self-perceptions of more than 2,000 graduates from eight types of colleges and universities (Carnegie Commission, 1971) generally support the validity of this premise. For example, graduates prepared in investigative environments have higher intellectual self-esteem scores and those prepared in artistic environments have higher artistic self-esteem scores, when pre- and postcollege measures are controlled. These general patterns are consistent for graduates from the eight institutional types. The implications of these findings are discussed for those who study the intra- and interinstitutional diversity of colleges and universities and their differential impact on student developmental patterns.     

Public Versus Private Colleges: Political Participation of College Graduates

Using data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:93/03) of College Graduates, we use structural equation modeling to model the relationships between college major, values held in college, collegiate community service participation, and the post-college political participation of college graduates by public versus private institutions. We use Holland’s Theory of person-environment fit as lens to understand differences in political participation across majors and institutional contexts. Over a 10-year period immediately after receiving the baccalaureate, we find that choice of major and individual values are differentially associated with post-college political participation for private institution graduates when compared to the counterparts at public institutions. We relate our findings to extant literature that highlights the differences in institutional characteristics between public and private colleges and socialization patterns of undergraduates that may inform differences in post-college political participation. Implications for future research are also offered.     

2+2 Statewide Articulation Policy,Student Persistence,and Success in Florida Universities

The reported study in this paper examined the continuing viability of Florida's 2+2 articulation agreement by comparing academic success and persistence among Florida public community college graduates (n = 1,738) and native (n = 874) juniors at three universities. Discriminant analysis yielded statistically significant differences. Transfer students graduated with fewer lower level courses in upper division and fewer cumulative credit hours than native students. Discriminant analysis did not yield appreciable differences in the final grade point averages of student graduates, indicating that community college transfer students performed just as well academically as native students. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that a greater percentage of transfers dropped out prior to graduation. These findings support the conclusion that community college transfers are academically competitive, but they may benefit from retention services and programs that engender student engagement.     

A comparison of first-year,fifth-year,and former teachers on efficacy,ego development,and problem solving

Differences in first-year (N=50), fifth-year (N=49) and former (N=30) teachers on measures of efficacy, ego development, and problem solving were analyzed. The three groups were graduates from the same university who responded to a written survey. ANOVA was used for each variable across all groups, with an alpha level of.05, and the Scheffé multiple range test was used to determine significance between groups. On measures of efficacy and ego development, both first-year and fifth-year teachers scored significantly higher than former teachers, but did not differ from each other. There were no significant differences among the groups on the measure of problem solving.     

高职院校毕业生就业竞争力的分析与思考

高职毕业生的就业问题已成为家庭、学校和社会关注的焦点问题,提升高职毕业生的就业竞争力是高职院校面临的一个重要课题。通过对2009年和2010年中国大学生就业蓝皮书关于高职毕业生的就业状况、工作能力等进行分析得出,高职毕业生的就业率有了明显的增长,2009届高职毕业生的能力满意度普遍下降,高职毕业生认为最有效的求职服务是高校组织的招聘会等。要提升高职毕业生的就业竞争力,高职院校应构建订单式人才培养模式,构建以能力为中心的现代高职课程体系和完善有效的高职毕业生求职服务体系。     

The impact of student academic achievement on graduate salaries: the case of a leading Russian university

This paper analyses the impact of academic achievement on future salaries by looking into the grade point average (GPA)-earnings relationship for graduates of a leading Russian university. The study is based on pooled cross-sectional graduate survey data for 2014–2015. The issue of how student academic achievement impacts future labour market rewards is analysed through academic, demographic and labour market factors. We found that there is a significant positive impact of GPA on salaries of BA graduates (9–12% wage premium for an additional GPA point) and an insignificant or negative impact for MA programmes graduates. The study depicts that this negative effect can be partially explained by employment sector-specific variables. Among the main factors which positively affect earnings of graduates is work experience. Graduates who combined study and work achieve a 30% wage premium. However, there is no evidence that combining study and work affects student academic achievement, even for those who combined studies with full-time job. Despite the higher GPA of female students, male graduates’ earnings are 18% higher. Gender wage differences can be explained by gender distribution by the sector of employment: the over-representation of women in the low-paid education and science sectors and their under-representation in entrepreneurship and corporate sector.     

关于政府在大学毕业生就业市场设立最低工资保障的理性思考

大学毕业生出现低薪现象的原因主要有供求总量失衡、市场歧视等几个方面.尽管在操作过程中会遇到一些困难和阻力,但政府在大学毕业生就业市场设立最低工资保障是完全必要的.因为设立针对这个群体的最低工资保障不仅是反对市场歧视的一种必要手段,而且也是鼓励人力资本投资的必然要求,更是为大学毕业生提供生活保障和发展基础的基本要求.政府应尽快建立分地区分类别的大学毕业生最低工资指导价,对就业市场和高等教育进行必要的监督和干预.     

What Competencies Do Sub-Baccalaureate Degrees Teach? Retrospective Reports from College Graduates

Sub-baccalaureate degrees represent a growing and distinctive sector of American higher education. However, policymakers and community colleges lack a clear understanding of the specific competencies learned in these programs that are useful in graduates’ careers. In particular, they overlook non-academic skills. This study uses qualitative interviews with sub-baccalaureate degree alumni (n = 98) to elucidate graduates’ perspectives on the range of competencies learned in sub-baccalaureate degree programs. Graduates reported learning several competencies that remained salient in the long term: cognitive processes and strategies, content knowledge, work ethic, self-efficacy, teamwork, and professional skills. In addition, this study analyzes whether disadvantaged students were more likely to report learning certain competencies. By describing a fuller range of valuable non-academic competencies, as well as how different student populations may vary in learning these competencies, this study contributes to a better understanding of sub-baccalaureate degrees’ value. These findings also provide insight for community college faculty, administrators, and/or policymakers seeking to build sub-baccalaureate programs that better prepare students for career success.     

Identifying the challenging factors in the transition from colleges of engineering to employment

The transition from university to a career in engineering is a challenging process. This study examined the perceptions of engineering graduates regarding the difficulties they encountered in their transition from the university to the workplace. Lebanese practising engineers (n=217), living around the world, were surveyed to identify their current employment situations and their attitudes toward their academic preparation. Factor analysis revealed three main challenges facing engineering graduates: communication; responsibility; self-confidence. Seventeen interviews were conducted to gather information on ways to facilitate this transition. Comments reflected the need for better collaboration between engineering schools and engineering firms. The results will provide insight for engineering colleges, faculty members and administrators into the challenges faced by graduates and their aspirations for a smoother transition into employment.     

“Where Your Ethnic Kids Go”: How Counselors as First Responders Legitimate Proper Course Placements for Community College Students

ABSTRACT

Previous research on remediation has examined course placement practices, but little is known about first responders and how their beliefs about proper course placements help maintain patterns in course access. This study examined how taken-for-granted racial beliefs were used as legitimate knowledge by community college counselors. Haney López’s (2000) race as commonsense theoretical perspective was used to analyze interview data from 34 counselors in 2 southern California community colleges. Data showed that counselors recreated race categories and racial hierarchy, and they did so by reinforcing beliefs about white students as intelligent and deserving higher placements and Latina/o students as comparatively lower in ability and deserving remediation. The results suggest that counselors begin institutionalizing racial sorting immediately as first-time students begin to enroll. The findings highlight the importance of racial mindfulness in policy, practice, and research.     

What Are Online Teaching Faculty Telling Us About Building Community?

This article describes the results of a mixed-methods study that examined the perceptions of community among online faculty in Washington state community and technical colleges. Twelve community and technical colleges were randomly selected from the 34 colleges in Washington state. Results indicated significant differences between females versus males on questions related to motivators, time, and interactions. A significant difference existed among program area faculty related to regularly scheduled community-building activities. There were no significant differences between responses from full-time versus adjunct faculty or among the responses based on instructors’ number of years teaching online or their age. The results of this study suggest a strong agreement (87%) among all faculty on the value and importance of interacting with other online colleagues regarding effective online teaching practices.     

Beyond graduation: The educational and employment experiences of graduates of an elective studies degree program

This study describes the results of a questionnaire follow-up study of the employment and educational experiences of the graduates of a nontraditional elective studies degree program. Graduates of the experimental Bachelor of Elected Studies (BES) program at the University of Minnesota were compared with regular liberal arts graduates in terms of their postgraduation educational and employment experiences as well as their attitudes toward their undergraduate education. Results showed that although there were some differences between BES and regular liberal arts graduates in their attendance at graduate school, job history, and attitudes, goals, and expectations toward their undergraduate education, there were many similarities between the two groups. In most cases, BES graduates compare rather favorably with regular liberal arts graduates on most of the indicators examined in this study.     

新建本科院校毕业生就业工作的思考

新建本科院校做好毕业生就业工作,既能促进学校自身的发展,又能促进社会的和谐稳定。目前,新建本科院校毕业生就业工作遇到的主要问题包括：供给总量逐年增加,供需矛盾突出;学校自身办学定位不够准确,专业设置不够合理;职业技能教育抓得不够到位,就业指导与服务工作不够完善;毕业生就业理念存在一定偏差。面对以上问题,新建本科院校应准确定位,注重培养特色人才,创新就业工作思路,切实加强思想政治教育。     

Does Graduating from a Private University Make a Difference? Evidence from Italy

The main aim of this article is to explore similarities and differences in the institutional features of private and state universities in the Italian higher education system and to assess whether graduating from a private university conveys advantages in the labour market. In the first part we use administrative data to describe the main institutional features of the two types of university, looking at organisational aspects, enrolments and graduates, financial resources, tuition fees, and teachers' characteristics. In the second part we develop a theoretical framework looking at sociological and economic theories of education and labour market, from which we derive some hypotheses on the expected results. In the last part, we apply a propensity score matching analysis on data from the Italian University Graduates Survey conducted in 2007 by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, which provides information on more than 40,000 graduates who obtained their degree in 2004. The main results indicate that graduates from private universities are younger, have a higher socio-economic background and a slightly better previous school career than those from state universities. Contrary to a widespread belief, once accounted for self-selection into the type of university using a wide range of variables, graduating from a private university has neither a significant nor a substantial effect on employment probability, hourly wage and occupational level three years after graduation.     

Earnings among young and mature Danish university graduates

This paper studies the association between graduation age and earnings among university graduates in Denmark, which is a country with one of the oldest student populations in the world. Exploiting a rich data-set from administrative registers, the current study is able to track labour market career for a longer period of time and to control for more labour market-relevant variables than any previous study of graduation age and earnings. The results show that graduation age has either a slightly positive or an insignificant impact on starting wages within the public sector or a negative impact on starting wages among private sector employees. This applies to both genders, but the differences are stronger among male employees. The analyses of long-term wages reveal a more homogeneous pattern. Mature graduates earn less in all the years investigated. The wage differences are greatest among male graduates employed in private enterprises, and the gap increases throughout their careers.