Dutch Higher Education Research Articles

Income Differences Between PhDs and Masters: Evidence from The Netherlands

In this paper we investigate individual income differences between individuals with Master and PhD degrees over the first 20 years of a career. We compare monthly incomes of Dutch higher education graduates with the same years of experience, gender and field of study. It turns out that over the first 20 years of experience, the average annual return to a PhD education is not significantly different from zero. During the PhD track and the first years after PhD graduation PhDs earn less than Masters, but this is compensated by higher earnings in later years. Income differences differ strongly by sex.

Comprehensive Internationalization at HAN University of Applied Sciences Collaboration and Partnerships

Abstract The Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (Nuffic) conducted a study (van Gaalen, Hobbes, Roodenburg, & Gielesen, 2014) into institutional policy on internationalization in 2014 in the Netherlands. This study included most Dutch Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Of these, 27 (59%) had a central-level plan, eight (17%) were developing such a plan, whilst seven (15%) did not have a separate central- level plan. Only four of the HEIs (9%) in the study did not have a central-level internationalization policy. It can be concluded that the penetration of internationalization in terms of policy is high in the Netherlands. This article is a part of an extensive research project developed by the International Business Centre of Expertise at the HAN University of Applied Sciences and traces the recent institutional developments within the context of its strategic planning and internationalization policies. In particular, this article deals with the “Collaborations and Partnerships” dimension of the CIGE model (CIGE, 2013).

TARGETS FOR HONESTY: HOW PERFORMANCE INDICATORS SHAPE INTEGRITY IN DUTCH HIGHER EDUCATION

Universities across the world have recently experienced a number of serious cases of academic misconduct. In the public and academic debates, one dominant explanation exists for the fraudulent behaviour of university staff. Academic misconduct is considered to be the logical behavioural consequence of output‐oriented management practices, based on performance incentives. This article puts this explanation to the test. Based on our analysis of a dataset of employees in Dutch higher education (N = 4,775) from 2010 and 2012, we argue that performance indicators have a positive impact on higher education professionals' perception of integrity in their work environment.

Revisiting differential grading standards anno 2014: an exploration in Dutch higher education

The role that teachers have in assessing student coursework is crucial. Their ‘determination’ that a particular piece of student’s work is ‘acceptable’ has many serious consequences. With a lack of debate surrounding assessment, practices may become mired in conventions and disconnected from issues such as knowledge, power and social organisation. They may also become divergent between faculties, with majors with academically stronger students grading more stringently and those with academically weaker students grading less stringently. In order to test for potential differential grading standards due to adaption-level, this study examines the relationship of pre-entry secondary school grades (English, Dutch and Mathematics) to first-year average grades in 11 faculties (n = 3080). The results presented demonstrate the presence of differential grading standards among the different faculties within this population.

Going Dutch: higher education in the Netherlands

This article outlines some of the policy issues currently faced by research-based universities in the Netherlands. The focus is on four leading universities (University of Amsterdam: UvA; Free University of Amsterdam: VU; Leiden University; and Delft University of Technology: TUD). The author visited these institutions as part of a Study Tour undertaken by members of the Association of University Administrators (AUA) in November 2015. Following an introduction to Dutch Higher Education (HE) and the historical context, this article discusses: political issues (including the phasing out of maintenance grants and replacement by student loans, and the ‘occupation’ in 2015 of a part of UvA), institutional partnership, academic research (including the status of PhD students), student admissions and the use of English by Dutch HE. Whilst many of the questions being considered in the Netherlands and the UK are similar, some of the answers are very different. In general, the UK has a more market-driven system that fosters competition rather than collaboration. Internationalisation of HE is a pervasive theme of this article. Perhaps because, in the UK, university leaders are so concerned to address the internationalisation of HE by looking beyond Europe, they seem to forget the advantages of working with European institutions. Co-operation within Europe is very much part of the internationalisation agenda for Dutch HE. The most important conclusion from the Study Tour is that all four universities see competitive advantage arising from collaborative partnership.

Crisis in Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences

Universities of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands are facing severe criticism from media and politicians about their performance. The main issues are the quality of their degrees, including accusations of diploma fraud, high dropout rates and poor graduation rates. This negative perception of the current performance of Dutch universities of applied sciences should be understood in the context of reform of Dutch higher education and of the demands of the global knowledge society. In comparison with the universities of applied sciences in other countries, which earlier and more gradually have adapted to the requirements from the professional field, Dutch universities of applied sciences face a difficult time. The danger might be that the distance to the research universities and to the universities of applied sciences in other countries is increasing rather than decreasing, and this might impact negatively the still strong reputation of several of its programs. The sector cannot ignore that there is a serious quality issue, which is difficult to solve due to years of ignoring to address the changes that the knowledge economy requires.

Глобализация и высшее образование в малых странах: пример Нидерландов

The article deals with the current performance and the latest developments of higher education in small and medium Western European countries. It uncovers the core trends on the international higher education market, defines small countries’ place and role in it. It is argued that there is no direct correlation between the size of economy, country’s geography, language spoken, on the one hand, and the share of international enrolments and higher education system’s general performance, on the other hand. However, there are some special moments about the way small developed countries build in their higher education in the global market. The article deals with the Dutch higher education system as a typical case for Western European small countries. It is concluded that the most beneficial category of students for this country are those from non-EEA countries, focusing in several specific areas of the country’s international specialization. A system of measures is being taken to attract such students and to prevent huge number of enrolments from the rest of developing world. This is the way the Netherlands preserve and improve the excellent quality of domestic educational services (which is right for the rest of small Western European countries as well). The group of countries under consideration is also known for their high level of involvement in all kinds of international cooperation in tertiary education. This allows them, on one hand, to further improve the quality of services, and, on the other hand, to minimize the costs of stuff needed for research and innovation. This paper’s findings might be used for further research in this area and taken into consideration by the local authorities dealing with Russian educational system improvement and including it in the global market of education, research and innovation.

The impact of significant others on gender-atypical, gender-typical and gender-neutral study choices

Despite increasing interest in gender-atypical careers, few students actually enter a gender-atypical study field in Dutch higher education (higher professional education and university). For example, few females enter technical and science study fields and few males enter the field of health care. Our main aim was to investigate the perceived impact of significant others, such as parents and peers, on students’ study choices. The study included 2102 students in higher education. They received a questionnaire and indicated in retrospect which studies they had considered, which study they eventually chose, which people had influenced their study choice, and what their advices were. The main finding was that, generally, students’ choices were supported by their significant others (especially parents), regardless whether they chose a gender-typical, gender-atypical, or gender-neutral study field.

Career learning and career learning environment in Dutch higher education

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the effects of career development and guidance among students (age 17-23) enrolled in higher education in The Netherlands. First the paper explores whether the development of career competencies contribute to career identity, learning motivation, certainty of career choice and drop out, and also whether the learning environment affects these variables. In the study, four career competencies are identified: career reflection (reflective behavior), work exploration (exploring behavior), career action (pro-active behavior) and networking (interactive behavior). Aspects of the learning environment that are taken into account are practice- and inquiry-based curriculum and career guidance conversations.Design/methodology/approach– A questionnaire-based study was carried out among 4,820 students and 371 (school) career counsellors in 11 universities.Findings– The results show that career competencies are related to learning motivation, career identity, certainty of career choice and drop out threat. The learning environment also contributes to these outcome variables. Students who participate in a practice-based and inquiry-based curriculum, and who have helping conversations about their study with their teachers, feel more motivated for learning, are more certain of their career choice and are less likely to quit their study.Research limitations/implications– A limitation of this study is that, due to the cross-sectional design with no control group, no strong evidence for effectiveness can be presented. Moreover, the lack of well validated instruments limits the value of the results. The explained variance of the outcome variables, however, does indicate that there are relationships between career competencies and career learning environment on one hand, and career identity, learning motivation and certainty of choices on the other.Practical implications– Constructing and attributing meaning when engaging in these dialogues is of central importance; the development of personality traits and qualities only takes place when those learning find the content meaningful (and that is something quite different than content being considered “necessary”). In order to achieve such a learning environment within the dominant educational culture, transformative leadership is essential. Such leadership, however, is rare in Dutch universities of applied sciences until now.Social implications– Universities are increasingly acknowledging that they have a strong responsibility to guide students not only in their academic growth, but also in their career development. Universities – and especially universities of applied sciences – cannot leave this task to the public or private sector for two key reasons. First, universities are funded by the government and are therefore expected to prepare their students adequately for life in our individualized society as well as for the labor market. In the second place because organizations in the private and public sector often lack the knowledge and the motivation to guide young people on their career paths.Originality/value– A limitation found in the research, as well as in actual career interventions in schools, is that they focus on change in students’ knowledge, attitudes and decision-making skills, while students’ behaviors are not examined. Hughes and Karp (2004) maintain that research should focus on exploring the relationships between guidance interventions and positive students’ behavioral outcomes. Therefore, the paper concentrates – in search of the influence of school-based career interventions – not on decision-making skills, attitudes or knowledge but on actual career behavior, i.e. career competencies of students.

Enhanced Publications in the Netherlands

One of the subjects of the SURFshare programme of SURFfoundation - started in 2007 and ending this year - were Enhanced Publications (in Dutch: 'Verrijkte Publicaties'). The first projects of the programma started with experiments on how to create, store, and access Enhanced Publications. Together with Dutch higher education and research institutions in the next years tools were developed, such as an OJS plugin and a visualizer; 2011 saw several smaller projects were researchers themselves made Enhanced Publications. This presentation will give an overview of these developments of the SURFshare programme.

Enhanced Publications in the Netherlands

One of the subjects of the SURFshare programme of SURFfoundation - started in 2007 and ending this year - were Enhanced Publications (in Dutch: 'Verrijkte Publicaties'). The first projects of the programma started with experiments on how to create, store, and access Enhanced Publications. Together with Dutch higher education and research institutions in the next years tools were developed, such as an OJS plugin and a visualizer; 2011 saw several smaller projects were researchers themselves made Enhanced Publications. This presentation will give an overview of these developments of the SURFshare programme.

Development of an engineering identity in the engineering curriculum in Dutch higher education: an exploratory study from the teaching staff perspective

How do engineering students develop a professional identity during the course of the curriculum? What are the development mechanisms and important conditions? In an exploratory study among teachers the authors tried to find out whether the development of engineering identity can be understood by using the theoretical models of Ibarra and Sullivan. The results showed that the development of engineering identity is boosted during the internship in industry in the third year. Furthermore, the theoretical models could be recognised in the findings and four interaction types in internships, with significant differences in effect on identity development, could be identified if two dimensions were used: (1) industry supervisors’ perception of students; (2) the professional responsibility awarded. Some recommendations for curriculum improvement could be made; for example, introducing projects into the curriculum to stimulate identity development from the start. Further research is required on students’ preparation for internships.

Governance and funding reforms in Dutch higher education: past, present, and future

This article reviews the history of higher education governance and funding in The Netherlands, generalising when possible to other European countries. It finds that governance reforms and the funding of higher education appear to be driven by economic and demographic factors, including massification. Furthermore, the Bologna Process can be considered a new, vital driver of change as it paves the way for an open European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

Two-Level Effects of Interorganizational Network Collaboration on Graduate Satisfaction

In the public management literature, network effects are studied primarily at two levels: (a) the level of the interorganizational network as a whole and (b) the level of individual organizations’ networking behavior. This article combines the two levels within one theoretical framework and derives hypotheses about network effects on organizational performance for each level of analysis. The hypotheses are tested on a data set of five interorganizational networks in Dutch higher education. Within these five intercollege networks, we study graduates’ satisfaction with the educational program offered by 91 colleges for cohorts in the years 2002 to 2005 ( n = 18,159). The results show that intercollege networks with clear patterns of coordination have significantly more satisfied graduates than networks of colleges characterized by either highly dense or sparse relations. For individual colleges, the results indicate that colleges’ participation in subnetworks positively affects graduate satisfaction, whereas colleges’ networking activity (the number of relationships with other colleges) does not affect graduate satisfaction.

Initial investigation of Hong Kong post‐secondary students’ learning patterns

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to report the initial analyses of relationships between various components of the learning patterns exhibited by a group of 1,572 post‐secondary students in Hong Kong as operationalized via the Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS), a quantitative instrument developed by Vermunt originally for the Dutch higher education context.Design/methodology/approachThe ILS was adapted and translated into Chinese for the new response‐context. After validation of the ILS scales (results reported in another paper), the possible direct, indirect, or spurious effects among the learning constructs operationalized by these scales were explored using a general theoretical model proposed by Richardson, according to the exhibited statistical significance and magnitude of the beta weights derived from multiple regression analyses.FindingsEmpirical support was found in this new Chinese response‐context for the theoretical model that underpins the ILS. In particular, the findings confirm the central explanatory role of regulation strategies in students’ learning patterns, as originally hypothesized by Vermunt.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the ILS literature by expanding the application of the instrument to a new Chinese response‐context. It is also believed to be the first attempt to adapt Richardson's general theoretical model to analyse the relationships between the ILS components.

Reviewing the need for gaming in education to accommodate the net generation

There is a growing interest in the use of simulations and games in Dutch higher education. This development is based on the perception that students belong to the ‘gamer generation’ or ‘net generation’: a generation that has grown up with computer games and other technology affecting their preferred learning styles, social interaction patterns and technology use generally. It is often argued that in education this generation prefers active, collaborative and technology-rich learning, i.e. learning methods that involve extensive computer use and collaboration among students. Gaming is then proposed as a new teaching method which addresses these requirements. This article presents the results of a survey which studied whether this discourse is also applicable to higher education students from the Netherlands and whether games, considered as active, collaborative and technology-rich learning experiences, are of greater importance in the formal education of today’s students. Of 1432 respondents from eight Dutch institutes of higher education surveyed between 2005 and 2009, about 25% fit our criteria of being a clear representative of the net generation. Furthermore, our analysis shows that there is little difference, and no statistically significant difference, in active, collaborative and technology-rich learning preferences between the representatives and non-representatives of the net generation. Furthermore, no large or statistically significant differences were found between representatives and non-representatives of the net generation with respect to the value they accorded to gaming in education. Overall our dataset did not fit the expectations raised by the net generation theory, with the percentage of students who fit the criteria being much lower than expected. However, regardless of whether they represented the net generation or not, in general our respondents preferred collaborative and technology-rich learning and deemed games a valuable teaching method.

The Effects of a Dutch High School Curriculum Reform on Performance in and After Higher Education

This paper investigates the effect of a major reform in the final years of the two highest levels of Dutch secondary education. The reform focused on increasing active and independent learning and aimed to improve the match between secondary and higher education. We use data from six graduation cohorts from Dutch higher education and exploit the fact that two recent graduation cohorts contain both students that were treated with the new curriculum and students that were treated with the old curriculum. The effects of the curriculum change have been estimated by using a difference-in-differences approach for matched samples of treated and untreated graduates. We find that the reform had no effect on student performance and labour market outcomes.

A scoring rubric for performance assessment of information literacy in Dutch higher education

The main purpose of the research was the development and testing of an assessment tool for the grading of Dutch students’ performance in information problem solving during their study tasks. Scholarly literature suggests that an analytical scoring rubric would be a good tool for this.Described in this article are the construction process of such a scoring rubric and the evaluation of the prototype based on the assessment of its usefulness in educational practice, the efficiency in use and the reliability of the rubric. To test this last point, the rubric was used by two professors when they graded the same set of student products. ‘Interrater reliability’ for the professors’ gradings was estimated by calculating absolute agreement of the scores, adjacent agreement and decision consistency. An English version of the scoring rubric has been added to this journal article as an appendix. This rubric can be used in various discipline-based courses in Higher Education in which information problem solving is one of the learning activities. After evaluating the prototype it was concluded that the rubric is particularly useful to graders as it keeps them focussed on relevant aspects during the grading process. If the rubric is used for summative evaluation of credit bearing student work, it is strongly recommended to use the scoring scheme as a whole and to let the grading work be done by at least two different markers

Explaining Participation Differentials in Dutch Higher Education: The Impact of Subjective Success Probabilities on Level Choice and Field Choice

In this article we examine whether subjective estimates of success probabilities explain the effect of social origin, sex, and ethnicity on students’ choices between different school tracks in Dutch higher education. The educational options analysed differ in level (i.e. university versus professional college) and fields of study (i.e. science versus non-science). First we analyse students’ self-assessed success probabilities for specific tracks in higher education. We hypothesize that differences in demonstrated academic ability explain these perceived success probabilities. Next, we test whether these success probabilities contribute to explaining educational decisions and differentials herein with respect to social background, sex, and ethnicity. We use the Dutch Participation in Higher Education dataset wave 1995 and 1997 to answer our questions. Success probabilities differ across social origins, between men and women, and across ethnic groups, even after controlling for ability differences. Success probabilities contribute to the explanatory model for school transition decisions which differ by field of study and level of schooling. They also help to explain social origin and sex-based differentials in field choice, but not in level choice. Ability is not a sufficient indicator for self-perceived success probabilities: success probabilities explain educational differentials better than ability.

Professionals freaking out: the case of accreditation in Dutch higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define what factors cause willingness and/or resistance among lecturers in universities towards external evaluation systems, especially accreditation.Design/methodology/approachA model has been designed to describe possible factors of willingness and/or resistance towards accreditation based on Ajzen and Metselaar. A literature review has been undertaken on the effects of external evaluation like ISO 9000 as well as accreditation systems such as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and European Quality Improvement System. A questionnaire has been administered to a group of 63 lecturers from three departments at Fontys University in The Netherlands. The results of this preliminary survey have been presented to 1,500 academics in The Netherlands and Flanders to collect empirical data.FindingsResistance to accreditation can be found in the consequences of accreditation for the work of the lecturer (workload), negative emotions (stress and insecurity); the lack of knowledge and experience (help from specialists is needed); and lack of acceptance (other paradigm).Originality/valueThe paper provides more insight into the difficulties that organizations, especially universities, have to commit their employees to external evaluation. It might be possible to generalize the findings to other professionals in other organizations. Little research in this field has been undertaken so far.