Academic Higher Education Research Articles

An Exploratory Investigation of the Research Self-Efficacy, Interest in Research, and Research Knowledge of Ph.D. in Education Students

Faculty members in higher education are called to be effective researchers; however, there is limited research examining the research development of Ph.D. students. The cross-sectional, correlational investigation we report here examined levels of research self-efficacy, interest in research, and research knowledge of Ph.D. in education students (N = 67). Higher levels of research self-efficacy scores were predictive of higher interest in research and research knowledge. In addition, the students who engaged in research activities, including publishing manuscripts, scored higher in research self-efficacy than those not engaged in the publication process. Implications for doctoral student educators and higher education are discussed.

Prevalence and factors associated with use of smokeless tobacco in young Swiss men

Smokeless tobacco is of increasing interest to public health researchers and policy makers. This study aims to measure prevalence of smokeless tobacco use (nasal dry snuff, snus and chewing tobacco) among young Swiss men, and to describe its correlates. We invited 13 245 young men to participate in this survey on socio-economic and substance use data. Response rate was 45.2%. We included 5720 participants. Descriptive statistics and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression were performed. Mean age of participants was 19.5 years. Self-reported use once a month or more often was 8% for nasal dry snuff, 3% for snus and negligible for chewing tobacco. In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression, the odds for nasal dry snuff use increased in non daily smokers [odds ratio (OR) 2.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.90-3.05], compared with non smokers, participants reporting risky weekly drinking volume (OR 3.93, 95% CI 1.86-8.32), compared with abstinents, and binge drinking once a month or more often (OR 7.41, 95% CI 4.11-13.38), compared with never binge drinking. Nasal dry snuff use was positively associated with higher BMI, average or above family income and German language, compared with French, and negatively associated with academic higher education, compared with non higher education, and occasional cannabis use, compared with no cannabis use. Correlates of snus were similar to those of nasal dry snuff. One in 12 young Swiss men use nasal dry snuff and 3% use snus. Consumption of smokeless tobacco is associated with a cluster of other risky behaviours, especially binge drinking.

Professional Identity Development of Counselor Education Doctoral Students: A Qualitative Investigation

The professional identity of a counselor educator develops primarily during an individual's doctoral preparation program. This study employed consensual qualitative research methodology to examine the phenomenon of professional identity development in counselor education doctoral students (CEDS) in a cohort model. Cross-sectional focus groups were conducted with three cohorts of doctoral students in counselor education (N = 18) to identify the experiences that contributed to their professional identity development. The findings identified that (a) programmatic goals to develop professional identity align with the experiences most influential to CEDS, (b) experiential learning opportunities enhanced CEDS professional identity development, (c) the relationships with mentors and faculty contribute to their identity as a counselor educator, and (d) being perceived as a counselor educator by faculty is influential in professional identity development. Implications for counselor education and the counseling profession are discussed.Keywords: consensual qualitative research, counseling, counselor education and supervision, doctoral student development, professional identity developmentProfessional identity development is central to counseling professionals' ethical practice (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2010; Granello & Young, 2012). The process of professional identity development is defined as the successful integration of personal attributes and professional training in the context of a professional (Gibson, Dollarhide, & Moss, 2010, pp. 23-24). Counselor education doctoral students (CEDS) develop their identity as counselor educators primarily during their doctoral preparation program (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Carlson, Portman, & Bartlett, 2006; Zimpfer, Cox, West, Bubenzer, & Brooks, 1997). Specifically, intentional experiences designed by faculty and/or initiated by CEDS during then-doctoral preparation program promote their professional identity development as counselor educators, supporting an effective transition into academia (Carlson et al., 2006). Counselor education doctoral programs employ diverse pedagogical strategies to promote their students' identity development (e.g., Zimpfer et al., 1997). However, the impact that the experiences and strategies developed within programs has on students and their professional identity has not been examined in previous research. Therefore, an increased understanding of CEDS' professional identity development might offer insight into pedagogical experiences that enhance doctoral students' transition from counseling practitioners to faculty members in higher education (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Magnuson et al., 2003).Professional identity development within counselor education can be described as both an intrapersonal and interpersonal process (Gibson et al., 2010). The intrapersonal process is an internalization of knowledge shared by faculty members and supervisors (e.g., recognizing personal strengths; areas of growth in academic roles). The interpersonal process develops during immersion into the norms of the professional community (e.g., submitting manuscripts for publication, presenting papers at conferences, teaching courses). These two developmental processes co-occur while counselor education trainees are conceptualizing their specific roles and tasks within academia.Within counselor educators' professional identity development, three primary roles emerge: (a) teaching and supervision, (b) research and scholarship, and (c) service (Calley & Hawley, 2008). An exploration of the tasks and/or experiences that facilitate doctoral students' understanding of their future roles as counselor educators is needed (Calley & Hawley, 2008; Gibson et al, 2010). Carlson and colleagues (2006) developed a conceptual model of professional identity development in counselor education consisting of seven roles or tasks: (a) program expectations, (b) teaching and supervision, (c) research, (d) publications, (e) grants and funding, (f) service and conferences, (g) networking, and (h) professional development. …

Intention to quit amongst Generation Y academics in higher education

Orientation: For a higher education institution (HEI) to maintain a long-term trajectory of excellence, a strong focus on retaining a younger generation of skilled academics is needed.Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate intention to quit amongst Generation Y academics in HEIs.Motivation for the study: Higher education institutions are more dependent on the abilities and commitment of their staff than most other organisations. More than 4000 academics will retire and need to be replaced by 2018, providing justification for the study of intention to quit of academics.Research design, approach and method: An ex post facto quantitative research design was followed. Academics at six HEIs in South Africa were sampled. Measurement instruments included abridged versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Arnold and Feldman Intention to Quit Scale, Job Descriptive Scale and Chew’s reward scale.Main findings: Employee engagement, job satisfaction, remuneration, reward, recognition and transformational leadership were significantly related to intention to quit. In the partial model, three of these variables explained 45% of the variance in intention to quit. Partial least square path modelling revealed that employee engagement and job satisfaction have significant negative impacts on intention to quit.Practical/managerial implications: The findings serve as input for the development of efficacious strategies to retain Generation Y academics at HEIs in South Africa.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to our knowledge of intention to quit amongst Generation Y academics. It provides evidence of the complexity and inter-relatedness of variables in the phenomenological network of intention to quit.

A Concept Analysis of Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education Institutions

As a relatively new concept, there is a need for quality enhancement to be analysed in the South African higher education context. Traditionally, quality in higher education has always placed an emphasis on quality assurance. This has led to the perception by academics that when measuring performance and quality they just need to comply with the bureaucratic requirements as prescribed by quality standards and criteria. However, if higher education is to benefit from the implementation of quality assurance processes, the emphasis must not be on compliance but rather on enhancement. This paper critiques quality enhancement using the Concept Analysis Model. Concept analysis is essential because concepts are the building blocks from which theories can be built concept. Secondly, analysis is necessary if the concept is to be operationalised. This allows researchers to specify what will result from of implementing the concept. When the definition or attributes of a concept are not clear, the ability of the concept to assist in fundamental tasks is greatly impaired. Clarifying quality enhancement will enable higher education institutions and academics to put mechanisms and strategies in place to implement quality enhancement processes. In turn, this will produce a more positive perception of quality by academics.

Universidades federais mineiras: análise da produção de pesquisa científica e conhecimento no contexto do sistema mineiro de inovação

Neste trabalho buscou-se mapear as principais características da alocação de recursos voltados para pesquisa acadêmica e ensino superior nas universidades federais mineiras. Tal caracterização realizou-se por meio de dados referentes a tais instituições cedidos pelo Ministério da Educação, bem como mediante informações obtidas nos Diretórios de Grupos de Pesquisa do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Não surpreendentemente, a Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais aparece como ator principal entre as universidades federais mineiras, sendo a principal receptora de recursos e líder em produção científica e oferta de ensino superior. Com base nas características observadas, surgem diversas questões que buscam avançar no amplo debate a respeito da alocação dos gastos públicos em educação de nível superior e pesquisa acadêmica no Brasil.

Practices And Value Of A Professional Learning Community In Higher Education

It is important for leadership teams and faculty members in higher education to create an atmosphere of trust as new and improved ideas are addressed in a professional learning community setting. Prior to the past ten years, many faculty members at the university have been accustomed to working somewhat independently in their own discipline. However, today, more university leaders and faculty members are reaching out to one another to discuss issues or concerns within the organization. For the purpose of this research, emphasis will be placed on definition of a professional learning community, characteristics of a professional learning community, ways to improve teaching and learning, models of collaborative learning, effectiveness of professional learning communities and evaluating a professional learning community.

Women Faculty, Higher Education, and the Recreation/Leisure Field

Women represent growing numbers of faculty members in higher education as well as in recreation/leisure departments. The purpose of this study is to describe the career development of women faculty in recreation-related areas and to offer implications for faculty development and the preparation of future faculty. Data were collected from women who belong to National Parks and Recreation Association and who identify as educators. An online survey used a career development model, which combines factors related to current position, career patterns, career satisfaction, family/work/leisure balance, and gender equity. Similarities are found across the academic ranks related to job satisfaction, attitudes toward job, life balance perceptions, and the gender equity subscales. However, some notable differences are evident relative to influence in the organization, extrinsic expectations (e.g., salary, benefits and perks), and perceived career advancement opportunities, which are all rated higher by full professors than women faculty in other ranks.

Humboldt goes to the labour market: how academic higher education fuels labour market success in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is one of the post‐communist countries where the transformation from late industrial to knowledge economies and knowledge societies was complicated by the simultaneous transformations from communist centrally planned economies to democratic regimes and market economies. Furthermore, the transformation of higher education itself brings even more complications into the picture, most notably the vast and rapid expansion – as far‐reaching and much faster than in most West European countries. We argue that contrary to the dominant neoliberal discourse, the Czech experience shows that higher education graduates imbued with Humboldtian academic education fare exceptionally well in the contemporary changing economy. Furthermore, their situation shows no signs of deterioration despite rapid expansion of higher education and its Humboldtian nature. Graduates themselves view their study experience as a good basis for their work even though (or because?) they identify their education as theory‐oriented without extensive practical knowledge and experience.

The Journey to Leadership for Academics in Higher Education

The literature on leadership in the compulsory education sector shows that there are multiple pathways through different stages and phases to becoming a headteacher. However although research exists on leadership in higher education, little has been written about those in ‘middle leadership’ positions such as heads of faculties and departments. This article explores the journey to leadership undertaken by 18 leader academics within six chartered and statutory universities in the south of Wales and the west of England. It is based on the longitudinal framework of stages and phases as proposed by Day and Bakioglu (1996), Gronn (1999) and modified by Ribbins (2003). The research reveals that although the journeys have similarities to those of leaders in schools, contextual factors that shape a leader’s agency appear to be different in the middle and latter stages. A recontextualized model is proposed to illustrate these differences and is intended to contribute to increased understanding of how leader academics develop. This article argues the importance of reflection on their journey to leadership so not only can leaders understand themselves better but also they can reflect on how they interrelate with, and lead, other people. This has important implications when developing potential leaders.

The Ethics Of Setting Course Expectations To Manipulate Student Evaluations Of Teaching Effectiveness In Higher Education: An Examination Of The Ethical Dilemmas Created By The Use Of SETEs And A Proposal For Further Study And Analysis

Because student evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETEs) are an important and widely used tool used in the evaluation and reward systems for faculty members in higher education, a discussion and analysis of the ethical problems that may arise as a result of the conflict created by expectations of performance is provided. This discussion specifically focuses on ethical issues related to setting course expectations and attendance policies to manipulate students’ perceptions of course rigor and the overall evaluation of the course and the instructor.

Adapting a Face-To-Face Competence Framework for Digital Competence Assessment

In the present landscape of technological change there is increasing awareness of the need to support the acquisition of digital competences. In this paper, the authors address how digital competences can be developed through formal learning. The authors examine and demonstrate the design of a web 2.0 learning experience implemented at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, which developed both digital competences and management knowledge. The authors argue that higher education academics should continue to expand their awareness of web 2.0 applications and the role they can play in optimizing learning and knowledge creation among students, the digital workers of the future.

Creating Higher Education Academic and Information Technology Resources in an International Context

A number of contemporary factors have combined to create a situation that encourages and supports international collaboration among institutions of higher education. Factors such as the globalization of the economy, the increasingly international nature of higher education, and the development of an inexpensive and virtually worldwide system of communication, the Internet, have all played their part. This paper focuses on one aspect of international collaboration—the creation and dissemination of information resources and information/educational technologies, such as software. Movements such as Open Source and Open Access have encouraged colleges and universities to consider alternatives to the dominant model for acquiring everything from college textbooks to academic computing software. Today for-profit companies supply most such resources to institutions, faculty, and students. The open source software approach is an alternative based on collaboration between both institutions and individuals, and it is a viable alternative to commercial, for-profit development and dissemination systems. Today, open access journals, for example, compete with journals from commercial publishers and provide free access to anyone via the Internet. Resources such as the courseware management system, Moodle, and the multipurpose software package, Sakai, are examples of open source software-developed resources that are widely used today in higher education. The OpenCourseware initiative at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is an example of free and open dissemination of course resources. Variations of the open source software model support the creation of everything from infrastructure software such as Sakai to remixable textbooks. Remixing is, in fact, a major advantage of the approach Connexions, based at Rice University, has taken to create information resources for educational use. Open access, open source, and other similar approaches can be subsumed under the term open education. That movement is a viable, and rapidly growing, alternative for the creation and distribution of information and information technology resources for higher education that is particularly suited to collaborative, international partnerships.

CREATING LEADERS WORKSHOP: Mastering the Principles and Effective Delivery of 'The Ontological Leadership Course' (PDF File of PowerPoint Slides)

This workshop is designed to support faculty members in higher education in gaining mastery in the delivery of our course: “Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership: An Ontological / Phenomenological Model”. This workshop is for scholars who are graduates of our course who are now interested in teaching the course at their respective institutions. The 2015 workshop was sponsored by the Erhard-Jensen Ontological / Phenomenological Initiative and was delivered at St Andrews Club and Conference Centre, Toronto, Canada 22 - 25 July, 2015.The promise of this Workshop is to:1. Make a significant contribution in identifying and equipping you with what it takes to reliably produce the promise of the Leadership Course, “You will leave this course being a leader and exercising leadership effectively as your natural self-expression”, as contrasted with identifying and being equipped with what it takes to produce amazing positive effects for your students.2. We (you and the instructors) will fail to realize the promise of this Workshop if you leave here only equipped with what it takes to produce amazing positive effects for your students.The workshop aims to equip and engage scholars and educators to deliver a high-impact transformative leadership course creating leaders ready to meet the global demands of the 21st century. This was the third annual workshop. Workshop participants have included scholars and administrators from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East from various academic institutions, including the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), schools of education, business schools, medical schools, law schools and research centers. This workshop is intended to serve as a catalyst for global leadership development at the highest levels of international policy, business, academy, governance, development and security. Course Materials for “Being a Leader and the Effective Exercise of Leadership: An Ontological / Phenomenological Model” are available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1263835.

Faculty Satisfaction In Higher Education: A TQM Approach

This paper was aimed to investigate the levels of satisfaction among faculty members in higher education in Pakistan. Five hundred faculty members were surveyed from leading public and private universities through an instrument developed by the authors and 450 were completed and returned. Percentage method was used to analyze and interpret data. The results highlighted the value of the survey as a strategy for management and human resource planning in universities.

Symposium 4: Practitioner research as experiential learning?

Practitioner research is now long established as a means of professional development for academics in higher education, resulting in well documented benefits for the practitioner researcher and their students. What is less well documented is the process by which individual academic members of staff develop as practitioner researchers and how their engagement with the realities of practice and research influences their learning. This paper is a case study of professional development through practitioner research at the Centre for Open Learning in Mathematics, Science, Computing and Technology (COLMSCT) at the Open University, UK. COLMSCT was established in 2005 to reward teaching excellence and to fund practitioner research into develop ‘effective and engaging’ ways of using new technologies to support students at a distance. A total of 63 two-year projects have been supported through COLMSCT, involving both full-time academics and part-time distance tutors. The effects of the practitioner research projects have been evidenced at the level of student experience, personal transformation, colleagues, the institution and the wider higher education sector and include: changes in individual practice, increased involvement in research, modifications to assessment at module and programme level, and conference presentations and journal publications. The paper uses the theory of experiential learning, and in particular Kolb’s learning cycle, to explore the process of professional development through practitioner research. Kolb’s phases of learning, namely concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation, are used as a lens through which to examine the process and effects of practitioner research on the individual, their students and the wider institutional and higher education context. The paper provides examples of how the processes and effects of practitioner research, such as observing practice, engagement with theoretical approaches and implementing change, relate to these phases of learning. It also demonstrates that when these phases interact, so when practitioner researchers bring abstract concepts or theoretical insights into their observations of practice, transformation, or learning, occurs. It examines the factors which influence this learning and concludes that the professional development opportunities provided by practitioner research are, in part, determined by the role that the individual practitioner researcher occupies in the ‘outside world’ of practice.

Academic freedom and higher education regulations. Spanish universities before the European systems

The new university model leads against the right to education and teaching freedom. It is not a matter of theoretical working model, based upon technical argumentations, but an ideological model, leading for upper social classes' interests (great investors' ones). University business not being profitable to those interests must be destroyed. In order to do that, we successfully got divided and tend to believe that teaching method is the problem. But, this is just a decoy; the real problem is all public service destruction, when it is aimed to favor popular classes. In an unperceived way, we contribute to this destruction, by blaming ones the others to be “converging” or “withdrawn”, depending on the case. Academic freedom poses an important problem in the current higher education system, which has a European scope. As it has been granted as a fundamental human right in all countries belonging to the so-called “common area”, academic freedom exercise opposes to specific features in the regulation reform, which seem to be aimed to favor certain private business interests. The pretended advanced and innovative teaching methodologies and the institutional actions and proceedings aimed to limit this right and guarantee face the constitutional order in these countries and harm the very right to education. Key words: European higher education area, ECTS-credits, convergence, excellence, competence, quality, educational system, university, academic freedom, capitalist interests.

Research success and structured support: Developing early career academics in higher education

Entry into a successful academic career is often an arduous process. From career preparation through to doctoral studies and beyond, the journey can be fraught with trials. Why do many academics find difficulty in completing their studies in the minimum time and publishing afterwards? As the University of the Witwatersrand has a strategicgoal of increasing the number of academics holding Ph.D.s from the current 48 per cent to 70 per cent by 2020, the ‘Research Success and Structured Support’ programme was launched in 2007 by the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Development. This article discusses the programme structure, participants’ evaluation of the year-long intervention and longitudinal data from a follow-up study conducted in 2008. It is evident in studies conducted in South Africa (Geber 2006) and elsewhere (Sorcinelli 2000) that support including mentoring and coaching is necessary for enabling aspirant academics to establish successful careers. This study confirms and extends earlier findings.

A performance matrix for strategies to improve satisfaction among faculty members in higher education

Most studies of higher education focus on students as ‘customers’, and these studies tend to evaluate educational services on the basis of the satisfaction of these customers. This approach often neglects the question of the satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) of faculty members. The study designs a questionnaire for higher-education faculty members on the basis of the literature on this subject and discussion with scholars. Surveys of importance and satisfaction are then undertaken among Taiwanese faculty members with respect to various items. Each item is then placed on was modified a performance control matrix to determine an appropriate improvement strategy. Items that are found to be outside the range of an appropriate performance zone (APZ) are identified as objectives for improvement. The quality loss function (QLF) is then adopted to calculate an area of improvement objectives. A large QLF value indicates that faculty members satisfaction needs to be improved in these items. The results of this investigation demonstrate that retirement arrangements, job security, salaries, and fair promotion systems need to be improved. The resources of higher-education institutions must be invested appropriately to avoid waste and to enhance satisfaction among faculty members.

Managing money and retirement planning: Academics’ perspectives

This paper examines money attitudes and associated retirement issues of academics in higher education in Malaysia. Systematic random sampling was used in selecting the target respondents. A questionnaire was personally administered on 458 academics in 16 universities in Malaysia. The survey found that academics exhibited positive attitudes toward money, and income appears to be the prime motivator. Consistent with the findings of prior studies, position, age and educational levels were strong indicators of an academic's annual income. The survey found that female academics and those from public universities had more positive attitudes towards retirement. In retirement planning, the respondents considered the availability of other income after retirement the most important factor, while payment for children's education was the key potential conflict area. The findings provide important insights for the top management of higher education of the necessity of pre-retirement counseling and assistance to ease the passage to retirement for academics.