Higher Education Factors Research Articles

Quality Instruction as a Motivating Factor in Higher Education

The importance of quality instruction in motivating students in higher education cannot be overemphasized. Without quality instruction, students’ motivation to learn recedes. Five focus groups of graduate students aided the data collection for this study. More than one-third of the 119 participating graduate students involved in this study claimed that quality of instruction was the raison d’être for their motivation in higher education. The implications of quality instruction for practice (i.e., andragogical competency, adequate preparation and organization, content and currency of knowledge, technological competency, resourcefulness, and dispositional attributes), institutional policy, and further research are also discussed.

Quality Assurance Driving Factors as Antecedents of Knowledge Management: a Stakeholder-Focussed Perspective in Higher Education

Similar to many other types of organisations, the successful development of higher education institutions generally depends on proactive multi-stakeholder management strategy. As a social responsibility of universities, quality assurance (QA) of higher education is already an established research domain. However, the issues that serve as driving factors in higher education’s quality are acknowledged in this vast knowledge stream in a dispersed way. An objective of this paper is to provide a quick snapshot of the major QA driving factors in higher education. Another objective here is to discuss the significance of these existing QA driving factors in higher education as prospective antecedents of knowledge management among the key stakeholders in the higher education sector and beyond. An inductive constructivist approach is followed to review the relevant QA driving factors from the extant scholarly views. A number of relevant factors are precised from the literature that would be instrumental to uphold quality in higher education. The discussion demonstrates that these factors are also significant to transfer and share knowledge between the key stakeholders not only for universities, but also for businesses, governments and other organisational stakeholders. The paper proposes a framework of the QA drivers’ application for meaningful knowledge transfer between diverse stakeholders and clarifies the framework’s managerial implications. This conceptual framework specifies different scenarios and perspectives of QA drivers’ application in the global education sector. The academic novelty is based on the inductive approach applied in the paper. QA practitioners will be able to follow these factors as steering phenomena to effectively assure quality, in relation to their multi-stakeholder relationships in higher education and beyond.

ANALISIS STATUS SOSIAL EKONOMI, CITRA PERGURUAN TINGGI DAN KESEMPATAN KERJA TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN STUDI LANJUT KE PERGURUAN TINGGI PADA SISWA-SISWI KELAS XII MAN JOMBANG TAHUN PELAJARAN 2015-2016

<p>The purpose of this research is: (1) to know the influence of the following factors, namely socio-economic status, the image of College and employment opportunities of further studies into college. (2) to know the most dominant influence toward the decision for knowing some factors further studies into college. For achieving that goal, the researcher used quantitative methods to analysis of the factors. The object of this research is the students of class XII MAN Jombang Lessons year 2015-2016. The data collection techniques used are observation, question form/questionnaire, interview and documents. The data were analyzed by means of test validity, reliability test, test and test the assumptions of classical hypothesis. The results of the reserch showed that: (1) the socio-economic Status of the Factor (X1) influence of 69,3%, Image Factors of higher education (X2) influence of 0.9% and employment opportunities (X3) exert influence by 4% against the decision of further studies into College on students of class XII MAN Jombang Lessons Year 2015-2016. (2) The most dominant factor of its influence on the decision of further studies class XII students MAN Jombang Lesson Years 2015-2016 is a factor of social economic status (X1) and its influence of 69,3%.</p><p><strong>Keyword</strong>: Socioeconomic, The College, Employment</p>

Quality Function Deployment: An Application on Determining the Quality Factors in Higher Education

 Abstract—Quality Function (QFD) is a method developed in the 1970's in Japan by Dr. Yoji Akao and with later contributions of Shigeru Mizuno. QFD is adopted all over the world following a number of successful applications in Japan and has been applied very widely until today. This term has been translated to English as Function Deployment from original Japanese name Ten Kai Hin Shits Ki No. The most basic purpose of QFD is to design the functions which product performs according to the needs and requirements of customers. The aim of this study is to apply QFD in a university in Turkey in terms of service quality in higher education in order to determine needs and requirements of internal and external customers consisting of university academic and administrative staff, students and students' families. The House of Quality tool is used to assess the Voice of Customer about the quality of higher education. The study is based on an empirical analysis on a survey which was conducted among 100 students, 30 students' family members, and 30 academic and administrative staff of a university in Konya, Turkey. The analysis shows that student family members have the highest importance scores among the stakeholders and competence of academic staff has the highest scores among the quality factors.

How to Survive the Harsh Reality of Grading in Ballet

How to Survive the Harsh Reality of Grading in Ballet Advice from a graduating dance major to an incoming freshman by Janine Montag White knuckles grip the wooden barre, beads of sweat line the curves of your cheeks. You stare anxiously at your reflection hoping not to mess up the combination. You take a quick nervous glance at the professors, hoping for a second that they might smile back. They stare back at you with blank faces. Winter break anxiously awaits, and thoughts of this past quarter rush through your head—I hope I was good enough. College is known to be a time of growth, experimentation, and self-awareness. You step into a new environment and constantly meet new people. Your mind is like a sponge, soaking in every opportunity. You’re a student, same as everyone else, but there is one difference that separates you from the rest: You are a Dance Major. You’ve grown up learning time management because of your busy rehearsal schedule, teamwork due to your dance collaborations, and accepting criticism from the countless times your teachers have told you to “hold your core!” Like many of your fellow dance majors you’ve probably chosen to come to this university because you know you will graduate with a well-rounded education both academically and in the performing arts. Something that you may not know yet, however, is how much a grade is going to affect the very thing you love the most: dancing. My university program gears students to become professional dancers, which is great, but students routinely believe that you have to be good at ballet to succeed as a dancer. The department systematically favors ballet by having five levels of ballet, with a minimum three-day-a-week requirement—more resources than in any other form. Four out of the seven full-time faculty for technique classes are ballet instructors. For those dancers, like myself, who know they will not become professional ballerinas, this can be very difficult. Before becoming a dance major at university, you probably have never received a letter grade for dancing, and you assumed that if you did, it wouldn’t be hard to get an A. You also know that after these four years you probably won’t ever be graded in dance again. Still, these years are crucial, and although artistry is very important, grades can be the defining factor in higher education and lead to paying positions afterward. Receiving a letter grade in ballet may restrict dancers to their professor’s ideals of perfection and may stifle the kind of artistic growth specifically beneficial for them. In consequence, students’ motivation to go to class decreases; lack of feedback leads to less effort, and those with “natural” ballet talent continue to reap the benefits. If you are anything like me—the future big booty, flat-footed, muscular try-hards out there that will continue getting Bs—this one is for you. Graduation can seem far away but will come soon enough, so I hope my advice and a few tips will ease your time here as artists in this rigorous yet rewarding program. For many, the fact that attendance dictates a grade weighs heavy on a dancer’s mind. Our attendance has a direct correlation to our grades, which makes sense, since the professor can’t grade your capabilities in your absence. There's also an untold reality of attendance: much of the time the dancers who have the ballet body and come with good

Indigenous Knowledge Realized: Understanding the Role of Service Learning at the Intersection of Being a Mentor and a College-Going American Indian

The article explores the experiences of 13 undergraduate American Indian college students who served as mentors through a service-learning course while attending a 4-year, predominantly White institution (PWI). This chapter elucidates how serving as a mentor allowed participants to draw on three culturally-relevant persistence factors in higher education: relationship, community, and power. Previous research demonstrates that service learning actively involves college students and encourages them to build a connection and a sense of commitment to the community (Lee & Espino, 2011; Rhoads, 1998). Through a Tribal Critical Race Theory lens, the purpose and function of service learning is deconstructed and redefined to fit the needs of North American Indigenous college students. This article reveals that Indigenous undergraduate students tapped into their own supply of Indigenous knowledge in relating their mentoring experience to building meaningful relationships, to being a positive influence in tribal communities, and to recognizing that service is a cyclical power that positively impacts their collective role in society. The article details how relationship, community, and power from Indigenous perspectives are sources of persistence for American Indian students and how social justice-based, service-learning courses provide safe spaces for students to realize their Indigenous knowledge while attending PWIs.Keywords: American Indian college student; service learning; Indigenous knowledge>

English

This article is just an attempt to deeper penetrate the complex phenomenon of changes in the Romanian high educational system. This paper emphasizes the role of the emotional intelligence as a key element of changes in education. Emotional intelligence is one of the most important tools to realize a better intercultural communication in universities. Young people need motivation, confidence, trust and a better inter-cultural communication. Culture is a key point of international higher education and it plays a critical role for learners, teachers and students in the ongoing process of nowadays changes. Studies and researches about emotional intelligence and culture are important and current because they strongly influence organizational behavior. This study suggests reconsidering cultural elements and emotional intelligence as important behavioral factors in higher education. Culture influences educational practices, communication, relations between individuals and institutionalized groups. The objectives of the present study, respectively identifying the role of emotional intelligence in a better inter-cultural communication in Romanian universities have been achieved. The research covers the period October 2013 – October 2014 and the sample investigated is made up of 374 respondents, learners, teachers and students from 24 universities. The results, in conjunction with others, may be used in international comparisons and for better understanding of emotional intelligence and inter-cultural communication.

The Delphi Method for Internationalization of Higher Education in Pakistan: Integrating Theory of Constraints and Quality Function Deployment

Improvement of workforce quality is a major concern for the developing countries like Pakistan. Country’s higher education standard determines the quality of their workforce. Developing countries are continuously experiencing different methodologies for the improvement in the higher education standards and to meet the international standards. This study provides a roadmap for improvements in the higher education quality to meet international standard. The study used Delphi approach for the processes of internationalization of higher education. A Delphi panel of 20 educationists participated in the study having minimum 15 years of experience and 3 years in any international institution of higher education. A road map for the internationalization of higher education in Pakistan has been developed from the outcomes of the Delphi panel. In addition, this study used Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as a tool for analyzing the relationship between quality factors of higher education and technical constraints of the higher education institutions. The results show that managerial support and commitment is a key to success in the internationalization of higher education.

Who's marking my essay? The assessment of non-native-speaker and native-speaker undergraduate essays in an Australian higher education context

Assessment is a crucial factor in higher education where marks gained can determine future study and career options. Increasing student numbers, and an increasing proportion of international students, raises concerns regarding marking practices, and whether the same criteria are used to mark both native-speaker (NS) and non-native-speaker (NNS) essays. This paper examines the essays of five native and five non-native speakers written in English for the same undergraduate subject. The essays were marked by 10 experienced assessors. Results reveal distinct differences in the approaches taken by the assessors resulting in, in some cases, the same NS essay being awarded every grade level from the highest possible grade, to a failure. Similar results were found in the NNS essays although the variability was somewhat less. The paper examines reasons for this and discusses its implications for assessment in higher education and for potential approaches which might mitigate against this outcome.

Foreign Language Learning Motivation in Higher Education: A Longitudinal Study of Motivational Changes and Their Causes

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a study involving first‐year modern foreign languages students enrolled in German degree courses at two major universities in the United Kingdom. It explores the experience of these students from a motivational angle. A longitudinal mixed‐methods approach was employed in order to address the time‐ and context‐sensitive nature of motivational attributes. The data suggest that despite students' increasing wish to become proficient in German, their effort to engage with language learning decreased over the course of the year. This change occurred in conjunction with decreasing levels of intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy beliefs. The relationships between motivational changes and contextual factors in higher education are discussed against the backdrop of students' transition experience from school to university. The article concludes by outlining pedagogical suggestions for how to counteract decreasing motivation of modern foreign languages students during their first year university studies.

Behind the Boom: What is Leading the Entrpreneurial Fire and its Nature in India

This case study is meant for discussing emergence, growth and characteristics of the New Age Indian Entrepreneur.Since time immemorial, the Indian business segment has been dominated by family-run businesses, with most of them hailing from traditional, money-lending or trading communities, known for their sharp business acumen. But over the past 18 years the number of new generation entrepreneurs is mushrooming. The young are engaged in varied form of small and medium enterprises varying from paper to electronics, engineering to electrical, textile to metal, construction to food processing, education to handicrafts. Considering this trend, on the basis of qualitative data generated through the case studies of Indian entrepreneurs, this articles makes an effort to report on the characteristics of new generation entrepreneurs and explores the motivational factors and importance of other factors such as educational qualification, role of mentoring, prior experience. The article also brings out comparative study of new entrepreneurs and first generation entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that prominent ‘Motivation Triggers’ are ‘Independence’, ‘Market Opportunity’, ‘Family Background’, ‘New Idea’, ‘Challenge’, and ‘Dream Desire’. Motivation triggers vary according to parameters such as gender, family background, and market opportunity. This new wave of entrepreneurship in India is more dominated by factors of higher education, training and incubation, work experience prior to opening a new venture.

Savimoka ir savarankiškas mokymasis aukštojoje mokykloje: kritinė diskurso analizė

El. paštas: m.tereseviciene@smf.vdu.ltEl. paštas: l.kaminskiene@pvt.vdu.ltEl. paštas: v.zydziunaite@kic.vdu.ltEl. paštas: g.gedviliene@smf.vdu.ltStraipsnyje bandoma aptarti savimokos ir savarankiško mokymosi sąsają aukštojo mokslo kontekste. Aptariant šių dviejų konceptų skirtybes ir ryšį, išryškinami pagrindiniai juos apibūdinantys elementai (motyvai, gebėjimai) ir situacijos, kuriomis jie reiškiasi. Taip pat diskutuojama, ar išskirti savimokos ir savarankiško mokymosi bruožai leidžia juos sutapatinti ir vartoti kaip tapačius konceptus, ar vis dėlto išlieka tam tikri skirtingi šių reiškinių aspektai. Kritiškai vertinant Lietuvos ir užsienio tyrėjų aprašomas savimokos ir savarankiško mokymosi sampratas, taip pat atsižvelgiant į šios srities tyrimus, bandoma nustatyti, į kokius veiksnius nepakankamai atsižvelgiama skatinant studentų savimoką ir savarankišką mokymąsi aukštosiose mokyklose. Taip pat aptariamos efektyviausios savarankiško mokymosi strategijos ir dėstytojo vaidmuo, ugdant studentų mokymosi savarankiškumą.

Reforming U.S. Education for the Academic Study of Religion

Religion and spirituality are gaining renewed appreciation as key elements of the cultural milieu. Yet there has been an inattention to the academic study of religion and spirituality in U.S. education due to several contributing causes. Central to remediating this deficiency is an understanding of these causes and how the reform of key factors in higher education may play a part. This article outlines several conditions contributing to this “failure to engage” the ideas of religion and spirituality in the academy and notes some encouraging trends that may provide opportunities for progress.

Success Factors in Higher Education–Industry Collaboration: A case study of collaboration in the engineering field

This paper addresses the question of what potential success factors are relevant when developing and managing higher education–business partnerships. To shed light on this question, the paper presents a review of research literature on the possible success factors in university–industry relations. To shed further light on the factors identified in the literature, this paper reports on an empirical study of cross‐sector collaboration between four regional universities and energy firms in Norway. The empirical study should be seen as a “relevance check” of the factors identified in the extant literature on university–industry collaboration, within the particular context of education‐related partnerships. Based on the review and case studies, implications for management and further research are discussed.

Reflection of higher education aspects in the conception of national competitiveness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to synthesize higher education (HE) elements as expressed in competitiveness literature and provide a comprehensive list of HE aspects found in the conception of competitiveness. In order to achieve this goal, the most acknowledged conceptions, including definitions and measurements, of competitiveness are overviewed and HE components reflected in them are depicted.Design/methodology/approachIn order to achieve the article goal, the most acknowledged conceptions, including definitions and measurements, of competitiveness are overviewed and HE components reflected in them are depicted.FindingsThe reviewed measurements of competitiveness have provided a comprehensive list of HE elements. After reviewing a combination of literature on national competitiveness, it is stated that the following HE elements appear in the conception of national competitiveness – preparation for the HE (as reflected in quantity and quality of secondary education), tertiary education quantity and quality, funding of HE system, quality of scientific research institutions and links of the HE system with the labor and business sectors.Practical implicationsThe article has a practical value for HE policy makers since it detects key HE factors that are included in the most acknowledged competitiveness measurements which means that these factors have been identified to be the most influential for the growth of a country's prosperity. It is important for HE reformers to understand the underlying dynamics of the competitiveness process and factors that drive it so that they can contribute in the most effective ways.Originality/valueThe article provides a comprehensive list of HE aspects found in competitiveness definitions and measurements. This can be useful for researchers in comparative HE research field. They are constantly seeking for common grounds of comparison of HE systems. The article provides the list of HE characteristics that can serve as basis of comparison. It is a complicated task to study similarities and differences between HE systems because it is difficult to find a joining point. In the article, this joining point has become national competitiveness. Thus, the article contributes to the quest for adequate theoretical approaches for HE system analysis, putting forward a list tailored to the study of HE systems in the context of national competitiveness.

Measuring students’ information skills through concept mapping

This paper seeks to develop a methodology that will discover, specify and measure students’ abilities and skills in creating concept maps. Because competencies are the key factor in higher education, the paper analyzes the role of concept maps as a tool to diagnose and improve information analysis, synthesis, organization and representation skills and competencies. We propose a methodology that enables these skills to be evaluated by observing, analyzing and measuring the stages involved in creating a concept map: identification of the main and secondary subjects; subject codification by concepts; grading of concepts; and representation of the concepts and their relationships with labels. A case study using action research methodology tests its usefulness on a group of university students of library and information science. The method proposed provides information on the strengths and weaknesses of the students’ skills, thus enabling their training to be improved by means of specific actions.

"대학 교육에서 e-러닝의 학습효과와 관련된 변인들의 관계 분석"

"대학 교육에서 e-러닝의 학습효과와 관련된 변인들의 관계 분석"

Business process reengineering: critical success factors in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the critical success factors of business process reengineering (BPR) in higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachEmpirical case studies collected from three private higher education institutions in Malaysia, which have embarked on BPR successfully.FindingsSeven factors were found to be critical to BPR implementation success. The factors are teamwork and quality culture, quality management system and satisfactory rewards, effective change management, less bureaucratic and participative, information technology/information system, effective project management and adequate financial resources.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a framework for future research to explore organisational development in making BPR happen successfully.Originality/valueThis research contributes to studies of BPR in HE context, by considering the soft issues in its implementation.

Governance and decision-making in higher education

From the presentations of the survey outcomes is has become clear that substantial differences exist between both types of institutions as well as between countries. To a large extent, the results for the universities in particular still reflect the dominant notion of professional expertise, especially where the primary processes of teaching and research are concerned. At the same time, it also has become clear that the role of the central institutional administration is a non-negligible factor in higher education, especially for what we can call the ‘non-primary processes’ issues. With respect to differences between countries, the study shows substantial variation between the countries. This alone appears to provide sufficient basis to question the general assumption of the continental model. On the European continent clearly different institutional governance systems exist, and it would appear logical to relate these to the different ways in which national governments in these systems have changed their policies and policy priorities over the years. However, to shed further light on these differences, a more detailed analysis of the data will have to be performed, for example relating the survey out-comes to differences in governmental steering paradigms.

Factors that influence costs in higher education

A multitude of cost factors in higher education is cause for dismay and reason for hope.