Perceived rates of return to higher education: Further evidence from Cyprus

The paper provides new estimates of the perceived rates of return to higher education in Cyprus and compares them to previous estimates for the year 1994 in the same country. Both the elaborate and the short-cut methods are used in the estimation of rates of return. The estimated rates are entered as independent variables in logistic regression analysis in order to study the effect of economic considerations on the decision of secondary school students to pursue higher education. The findings show an increase in the perceived rate of return for both higher education and labour market entrants. In agreement with human capital theory, the mean rate of return to higher education expected by higher education candidates is considerably higher than that expected by labour market entrants. In two logistic regression models, the perceived rate of return to higher education, as estimated by both the elaborate and the short-cut methods, has a significant effect on the students’ intention to pursue higher studies.     

Perceived Rates of Return to Higher Education: an international review and comparison

The present paper attempts to assess the link between economic factors and the private demand for higher education through an investigation of the findings of relevant studies. After an examination of the various methodologies adopted by different authors in the estimation of the perceived rate of return to higher education, the main findings of available studies conducted in several countries (UK, the Philippines, Egypt, Hong Kong, and Cyprus) are discussed and compared. The main conclusions drawn from this comparison are the following: First, the perceived rates of return to higher education are, for the most part, very realistic, indicating an accurate perception of the economic benefits of higher education on the part of students. Second, non‐economic factors, such as gender, ability and socio‐economic background, appear to constitute strong influences on the private demand for higher education, which educational policy makers should take into account, along with the economic variables. Finally, it is suggested that the methodology discussed in the present paper can be used in the future to estimate the perceived profitability of higher studies at different institutions and countries offering higher education.     

社会资本对美国少数民族参与高等教育的影响

美国高等教育入学机会中存在明显的种族差异 ,白人的中学毕业生比黑人和西班牙裔的中学毕业生更容易进入大学。对于影响高等教育入学机会的因素 ,教育经济学集中研究家庭收入和政府财政支持对入学机会的影响 ,把高等教育看作一种投资来分析投资回报率、大学学位的收入等对学生入学选择的影响。本文以社会资本理论为框架 ,提出家庭内部及家庭与学校之间的社会关系和社会网所产生的资源 ,对美国少数民族学生高等教育入学机会产生显著影响。笔者以长期跟踪调查研究的美国两万多名学生为样本 ,运用因素分析法测定社会资本的各个指标 ,同时分别从学生和学校两个维度进行多层次分析。多层次分析结果表明 :在学生水平上 ,家庭的社会经济地位、中学的专业成绩和中学选修的课程对美国少数民族学生的高等教育入学机会产生显著影响。在学校方面 ,学校社会经济地位的平均水平、教会学校以及家庭的教育期望也深刻影响着美国少数民族学生的高等教育入学机会。     

Teacher education graduates’ entrance into the teaching profession: Development and test of a model

This study aims to advance insight into the relationship between teacher education and graduates’ intended and actual entrance into the teaching profession. Moreover, it indicates how this relationship varies between teacher training for primary education (i.e., programs for class teachers-to-be) and teacher training for secondary education (i.e., programs for subject teachers-to-be). A hypothetical model of graduates’ entrance into the teaching profession comprising empirically grounded variables was developed. Besides teacher education related variables, other factors (e.g., motivation and labour market) were included. Data for this study were collected based on a sample of 301 teacher education graduates. Logistic regression analysis shows that intention to enter teaching is a valid predictor of actual entrance. Path analysis was applied to test the hypothetical pattern of (inter)relationships between the variables. For graduates from teacher training for pre-school and primary education, the path model accounts for 33% of the variance in intention to enter teaching. For teacher training for secondary education the explained amount of variance is 44%. Results are largely consistent across the two types of teacher training showing a small, although statistically significant, contribution of teacher education above other antecedents of graduates’ intention to enter teaching.     

Perceived rates of return to higher education in Cyprus

The paper estimates perceived rates of return to higher education in Cyprus and uses them in logistic regression analysis in order to study the effect of economic considerations on the decision of secondary school pupils to pursue higher education. Unlike earlier studies, the data used in the computation of these rates are based wholly on the pupils' subjective estimates. The results are supportive of human capital theory: The mean rate of return to higher education estimated by higher education candidates is considerably higher than that perceived by labour market entrants. Logistic regression analysis shows the percieved rate of return to higher education, as estimated by both the elaborate and the short-cut methods, to have a significant effect on the pupils' educational intentions.     

Teacher training for secondary education and graduates’ entrance into the teaching profession

This study focuses on the relationship between teacher education and graduates’ intended and actual entrance into teaching. Moreover, it explores how this relationship differs for two types of initial teacher training for secondary education. A hypothetical model of graduates’ entrance into the teaching profession comprising empirically grounded variables was developed. Besides teacher education related variables, other factors (e.g., motivation and labour market) were included. Data for this study were based on a sample of 370 graduates qualified for teaching in secondary education. Logistic regression analysis indicates that intention to enter teaching, preparedness for teaching, employment opportunities and type of teacher training explain 43% of the variance in actual entrance into teaching. Furthermore, path analysis was applied to test the hypothetical pattern of (inter)relationships between the variables. Results are largely consistent across the two types of teacher training showing a small, although statistically significant, contribution of teacher education above other antecedents of graduates’ intention to enter teaching.     

The economic benefits of higher education in Cyprus: The expectations of prospective students

The paper investigates the economic benefits and costs of higher education as these are perceived by higher education candidates and labour market entrants in Cyprus. It provides further evidence on the topic after a similar study which preceded the present project by 10 years. Perceived rates of return to education are presented for two points in time, namely, 1993 and 2003. The findings point to an increasing awareness of the link between education and earnings on the part of young people, which can be linked to the country's economic development. The main influences on the respondents’ expected lifetime earnings are examined through multiple regression analysis. Gender and ability are found to be significantly related to expected earnings.     

我国职业教育之生源衔接研究——基于美国社区学院双学分运动的思考

职业教育的健康发展需要中等职业教育与高等职业教育实现有机的衔接,而生源衔接是其中至关重要的一环。目前,我国中等职业学校尤其是职业高中的毕业生升学＂无门＂就业又比较困难,而高职院校的招生比较困难同时生源处于错位状态。实际上中等职业学校与普通高中的毕业生各有优劣,而职业高中毕业生既有较好的文化基础又有一定的职业技术,是高职院校的最佳生源。美国社区学院通过开展双学分运动促进了综合高中与社区学院的衔接,对我国职业教育的生源衔接有着重要的借鉴意义。     

Student expectations of the financial returns to higher education in the Czech Republic and England: Evidence from business schools

In this paper, the short-cut method is used to estimate expected rates of financial returns to higher education in the Czech Republic and a modified version of the method is used to suit the current English system of deferred tuition fees. First year university students were asked to estimate their expected earnings with and without a university degree at two points in time. The findings show that students perceive higher education to be a profitable investment and that rates of return vary by gender as well as by country and place of study. We conclude that the current level of tuition fees in England does not act as a disincentive for students to enter higher education.     

教育对经济增长作用：基于中国省际面板数据EBA模型的实证研究

依据内生增长理论,运用极值边界模型（EBA模型）,采用中国30个省2000年～2010年省际面板数据,实证研究教育对经济增长的“稳健性”的显著关系。研究表明教育支出、每百人大学生人数和中等专业学校毕业生人数对于经济增长具有抗干扰的“稳健性”显著影响;而特殊教育毕业生、普通小学毕业生、普通高中毕业生、普通初中毕业生与经济增长没有“稳健性”的显著关系,依据实证结论提出加大教育投入促进经济可持续发展的相关政策建议。     

中职生的升学选择及影响因素研究——基于全国10660名中职生的调查

基于中等职业教育基础性转向的政策背景,通过对全国10660位中职生的问卷调查,研究了影响我国中职生升学的若干因素。研究发现：中职生具有很高的升学意愿,且以本科为主要期望学历;毕业班和学习自我效能感强的中职生更可能选择升学;学生干部身份和学校生涯教育质量会影响中职生升学意愿;家庭对中职生升学与否的影响主要体现在经济、文化和社会资本,但影响方式和程度与普高生存在差异;对省域中职升学政策的了解和认同会促进学生升学,而对就业市场和本科招生政策的了解和认同会削弱中职生升学意愿。基于此,未来应从职教本科办学规模、高等职业教育招考机制、央地项目设置、公共财政兜底、生涯教育和升学指导等方面优化中职升学环境。     

Factors influencing the demand for higher education: The case of Cyprus

The proportion of young people opting for third level education in Cyprus is exceptionally high, currently about 60% of the relevant age group. This has caused concern among the country's policy makers who are aware of the limited capacity of the Cyprus economy to accommodate the increasing supply of higher education graduates. In the present study, an attempt is made to identify and examine the factors influencing young Cypriots to select higher education over direct employment at the end of their secondary education. A survey was conducted among 811 final form secondary school students in Cyprus in the academic year 1993/1994. Through factor analysis, seven factors with a potential effect on the students' educational and occupational intentions were identified. They were the following: Psychological/Individual, Occupational I, Occupational II, Economic, Consumption, Secondary School Subjects, and Significant Others. These factors, along with a number of student background characteristics (gender, socioeconomic status, ability, and secondary school specialisation) were used as explanatory variables in a logistic regression model with the student's educational intentions serving as the dependent variable. The psychological/individual factor, the second occupational factor, and secondary school specialisation were shown to have a significant effect on the intention to pursue third level education. The paper points to the importance of analysing and examining student characteristics and motivational patterns in the effort to understand, and, if possible, influence trends in the demand for higher education.     

An analysis of the determinants of the demand for upper secondary education in Portugal

This article uses individual data from a 1979 random sample of 3,300 Portuguese students in their final year of lower secondary eduaction to anlyze the determinats of their plans regarding further study. Labor market expections are related to the student's socioeconomic characteristics and checked against the actual labor market performance of graduates from other surveys. Ex ante privates rates of return to upper secondary education are estimated, and the categorical dependent variable of further study plans is analyzed by means of maximum likelihood. The results indicate a high degree of realism of student expectations regarding their future economic role. Also, age (repetition), family income, school grades, and school type are found to exert a sizeable influence on the decision to continue to upper secondary education. The results of the empirical analysis are given a policy interpretation.     

我国高职创业教育在新形势下的发展对策

受全球金融危机冲击的影响,我国大学生就业形势十分严峻,高职院校毕业生就业工作也面临挑战.鼓励和支持高校毕业生自主创业,是做好高校毕业生就业工作的重要举措之一.为此,高职院校应切实加强创业教育工作,积极促进毕业生自主创业,以保障学生的就业权益.     

新形势下中等职业教育功能定位研究

现阶段经济社会发展处于转型期,同时,随着高等职业教育扩招的推进,服务面向应届初中毕业生,以培养初、中级技术技能型人才为主要目标,以就业为主体功能的中等职业教育面临重大生存危机和发展危机,究其原因是中等职业教育功能定位失调。基于此,从中等职业教育功能定位的逻辑起点“整合”入手,对中等职业教育功能定位失调进行现状分析,进一步整合国家需求和个体需求,明确新形势下中等职业教育功能定位的应然样态:中等职业教育的民生功能占据主导地位;中等职业教育服务面向广大平民;中等职业教育定位于促进个体职业生涯发展的职业基础教育。     

Determinanten der Studierbereitschaft unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Studiengebühren

Even more than other European countries, Germany must fear a serious future skills shortage and lack of experts. Therefore, increasing the proportion of high school graduates who wish to study at a university is a clear political objective. The aim of this paper is to identify variables that hinder or support the decision to pursue university studies. We used longitudinal data of 23,000 graduates of upper secondary school of the years 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 to analyze how tuition fees (which are charged only in some of the German federal states), family status, and students?? own cost-benefit analyses impacted their decision in favor or against taking up university studies. Results showed that the subjective costs of higher education were highest for persons of low social economic background, and for women. Also, the introduction of tuition fees in some federal states in the year 2006 lowered the percentage of students who wanted to enter higher education. Contrary to our expectations, however, this effect was observed in all federal states, irrespective of whether they had introduced tuition fees or not. Our results suggest that participation in higher education can be increased by both lowering (social and psychological) costs and raising (social and psychological) benefits of higher education.     

Private Returns to an University Education: An Instrumental Variables Approach

This article examines the determinants of the salaries that Spanish university graduates earn on the labor market. Different earnings equations are estimated that allow us to measure the economic returns to investment in human capital at the university level, demonstrating that: on the one hand, considering schooling to be an exogenous variable gives a downward bias to the estimations of the private rates of return to an university education; on the other hand, not taking into account the aspects of the demand-side of the labor market in the traditional Mincerian earnings function, even though schooling is considered as an endogenous variable, the rates of return estimated for an university education would be given an upward bias. The problem concerning the endogeneity of schooling has been corrected in this article by using the instrumental variables technique.     

金融危机下河北省大学生就业服务体系探讨

金融危机造成了世界范围内的金融动荡和经济萧条,同时也使高校毕业生就业所面临的形势日趋严峻,已引起各级政府和各类高校的普遍重视。如何有效和更快地建立基于市场机制的大学生就业服务一体化体系具有重大的现实意义。应通过社会、政府、学校教育、企业、大学生的共同努力,科学发展。     

Teacher education and the choice to enter the teaching profession: A prospective study

This two-wave survey study aimed at testing a hypothetical model of teacher education graduates’ decisions about whether or not to take a teaching position upon graduation. The model focuses on the relationship between teacher education and graduates’ choice on job entrance. Using path analysis and logistic regression, this model was tested in a sample of student teachers (n = 436), subsequently graduates (n = 251) of teacher training for secondary education. The results validate the relationship between teacher education variables and nearly graduates’ intention to enter the teaching profession. Furthermore, this intention proves an imperative predictor of graduates’ actual entrance.     

Productivity as an indication of quality in higher education: the views of employed graduates in Greece

The paper investigates the views of Greek university graduates on the link between higher education and productivity in order to determine the extent to which productivity can be considered to be an indication of quality in higher education. It also investigates the perceived effect of the type and content of higher education on productivity; factors limiting the positive impact of higher education on productivity; and ways of reducing the influence of these factors. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 employed university graduates in Greece. Respondents generally considered higher education to have a productivity-enhancing effect, in disagreement with the screening challenge to the human capital interpretation of the link between education and productivity. The findings also suggest that respondents embraced specific conceptualisations of quality in higher education.