A Comparative Study of Information Literacy Skill Performance of Students in Agricultural Sciences

The aim was to assess the information literacy (IL) of 310 first- and second-year students enrolled in nine different study programs at the School of Agriculture (Faculty of Agriculture), Novi Sad, Serbia, using an adapted version of a validated IL test (ILT) in an e-environment. Because the school does not provide systematic IL education, another purpose was to raise awareness of the importance of such instruction. ILT results were assessed according to five ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) standards, as well as three cognitive levels adapted from Bloom's taxonomy. The mean ILT score was 46.35%. Students were most successful in information evaluation and information need identification, and least successful in legal/ethical issues and information use. As expected, IL skills increase from the first to second year of study. Cognitive skills also increase, except for the highest level (applying knowledge), where all student groups are weak. Different study programs attract students with disparate knowledge/skill levels gained during secondary education, where some groups of first-year students may outperform second-year students in both IL and cognitive abilities. It is thus important to offer IL education to all students in order to provide a basis for more balanced academic progress.     

Locked out,locked in and stuck: exploring migrant academics’ experiences of moving to the UK

Current understanding of international academic mobility tends to view migrant academics as career-oriented actors who can follow opportunities across borders with relative ease. This paper offers a more nuanced reading of international mobility in academia by analysing how the professional context influences migrant academics’ decisions to come to and remain in the United Kingdom (UK). Drawing on data from 62 semi-structured interviews with foreign-born academics employed in the UK, the paper argues that the availability of (relatively) good-quality employment shapes international academic mobility more than country preferences. However, academics may become ‘stuck’ in the country of residence even when employment conditions deteriorate, not only because they are gradually tracked into country’s higher education system and culture but also because they lose the credentials, work experience and networks that may be needed to make another international move. This paper therefore shows that ‘stickiness’ in international mobility involves not only being ‘locked into’ a country but also being ‘locked out’ of another, and in so doing contributes to knowledge about the ways in which migrant academics become stuck whilst working abroad.

     

Intergroup resource allocation among children from minority and majority groups in three settings of former conflict

Intergroup resource allocation was examined among 333 children aged 7–11 (51.9% female) within three settings of former intergroup conflict (January–June 2021). Children represented both ethno-religious minority and majority groups (Republic of North Macedonia: Albanians, Macedonians; Croatia: Serbs, Croats; Northern Ireland: Catholics, Protestants), from predominantly White and middle-class families. Ingroup bias in average resource allocation amounts was demonstrated by both minority and majority children, across settings, in the context of novel targets (historic conflict rivals). Majority children were also more likely to give equally (which maintains the status quo) than minority children. Giving equally increased with age for both minority and majority children, despite being in “zero-sum,” conflict settings. Equitable intergroup resource allocation in such settings has implications for conflict transformation.     

INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND STUDENT COLLEGE CHOICE: Exploring the Impact of Championship Seasons on Undergraduate Applications

Among large universities, success inhigh-profile intercollegiate athletics appears to be onefactor among several in the college choice process foraspiring undergraduates. Winning a national championship in one of the two most visible college sports— football and men's basketball — isroutinely accompanied by significant positive attentionfor an institution. That attention appears to translateinto increases in applications received for undergraduateadmission in subsequent admissions cycles. We comparedyear-to-year and multiyear changes in the number ofapplications submitted following winning a national championship with changes in parallel sets ofdata from peer institutions that did not experience achampionship, thereby isolating athletic success as afactor in the college choice process. We found that notable increases generally occurred inadmissions applications received-both in absolute termsbut more importantly relative to peer schools — inthe years following the championship season.     

UNDERSTANDING WHY SCHOLARS CHOOSE TO WORK IN ALTERNATIVE INQUIRY PARADIGMS

With the rise of alternative inquiry paradigmsacross academic fields, faculty within the same academicdepartments choose to ground themselves within different intellectual traditions and distinctacademic cultures, not simply those parallel to thepositivist tradition. One illustration of the emergingparadigmatic pluralism across academe is the actual paradigm choice by individual scholars.Appreciating these paradigm choices is critical if weare to interpret the faculty work and faculty culturethat shape institutional culture and influence resource allocation at universities and colleges. Usingqualitative methods, I focus upon a single discipline inmy exploratory study, law, but extend these concepts andissues in analyzing and interpreting my findings to how they might apply to faculty working inother academic fields.     

Making citizens,being European? European symbolism in Slovenian citizenship education textbooks

Citizenship education has been an important part of the European Union’s (EU) agenda to integrate a European dimension into schools’ curricula. The usage of European symbolism in citizenship education curriculum material has been an especially important (yet understudied) means not only to promote a distinct European identity and increase knowledge on EU-related topics, but also to regulate (young) EU citizens and population. The paper analyses the content related to the EU and European dimension in citizenship education textbooks and workbooks at the lower-secondary school level in Slovenia. It demonstrates that, through diverse symbolic displays, which are understood as a specific governmental technique, the idea of a European community as a site of opportunities is promoted while students are stimulated to understand themselves as subjects who must be active and responsible EU citizens. Moreover, European symbolism is employed to nurture and promote Slovenian identity as being purely European and, as such, distinct from earlier Balkan-situated, Yugoslav and socialist forms of identity and belonging.     

Development of Art Appreciation in 11–14 year‐old Students

Modern art curricula derive from the assumption that visual arts education can be of a high quality only if productive and receptive artistic activities are implemented. In art education practice, we are able to follow incentives for artistic expression but pay less attention to developing art appreciation that is based on developing as subtle perceptions of artwork as possible. Students have few opportunities to observe, enjoy and understand artwork. This discussion presents the results of a study that monitored the development of art appreciation abilities of 11–14 year‐old students in Slovenian compulsory education. The level of art appreciation abilities is rather average and more developed with older students and girls. There were no statistically significant differences with regard to school stratum.