Higher Education Enrollment Research Articles

We are Stronger Together: How a State’s HETE/PETE Programs Battle Fires as a Team

This article details how a team of university professors representing five PETE/HETE programs in Washington State work together for success. At a time when enrollment in higher education is down across the nation, it is crucial for university programs to work together to strengthen their programs to recruit and retain future health and physical education teachers.

Higher Education Student Loans and Enrolment in India, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

The study uses generalised least squares (GLS), descriptive, phenomenological and mixed methods to examine the effects of higher education (HE) loans on tertiary education enrolment in India, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The data sets employed in the empirical analyses were obtained from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), India Educational Statistics, the Ghana Ministry of Education, the Kenya Higher Education Loan Board, the Student Loan Financing Board of Tanzania and the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports. The paper examines the HE student loan schemes introduced and implemented in Ghana, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through commercial banks, public banks or governments along with their respective effects on higher education enrolment. Empirical results show that boosting higher education is a student loan phenomenon. Meanwhile, in the last two decades, student loan schemes performed better in India, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania than in Uganda. To become as successful as India in implementing the HE student loan scheme and improve HE enrolment, the paper suggests that the Government of Uganda must formulate a more comprehensive education loan scheme in consultation with the Bank of Uganda and other banks in Uganda.

Evaluating Demand for Full-Time Enrollment in Public Higher Education

There is distinct competition for full-time student enrollment in higher education. With the wide availability of online degrees and course offerings, students can consider multiple options as consumers of higher education. With increased competition in higher education, reaching prospective undergraduate students highlights the importance of market segmentation as a vital step toward increasing full-time enrollment. A critical step to attracting potential undergraduate students requires a deeper understanding of student segment populations. The purpose of this study is to investigate how distinct student segments and demand factors influence higher education enrollment within public higher education institutions. The study examined three types of undergraduate student segments: traditional, non-traditional, and transfer students to evaluate how online course modalities as well as major fields of study influence student demand for full-time enrollment. Historical and publicly available secondary data were examined for the academic years 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 to describe relationships between total full-time enrollment (dependent) with online course enrollment and major fields of study (independent) variables. Administrators in public higher education institutions will be able to use the findings from this study for the development of an enrollment framework focusing on student segmentation strategies.

Promover a inclusão e a equidade no Ensino Superior: este é o papel da Educação a Distância no Brasil?

Abstract This study aims to investigate how enrollments have reached a rapid increase in distance learning Higher Education (DLHE) in Brazil and consider whether it promotes inclusion, equity, and quality as disseminated by the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and the Brazilian Plan of Education (PNE). The methodological procedures were based on documentary research. For this analysis, three goals of DLHE were investigated: access, quality, and equity by looking at variables such as enrollments, the regulatory framework, the quality assessment, the cost of Education, the student income, gender, and ethnicity. The analysis showed increased enrollments in Higher Education (HE) in the last decade, particularly distance Education. This growth was accompanied by greater inclusion and equity in access to HE. But there are issues in the quantity and content of courses and the concentration of enrollments in a few for-profit private institutions, which affect the quality of Education. This paper provides a unique view of whether DLHE promotes inclusion and equity in tertiary Education in Brazil and whether it has been valuable in public policy.

Mechanisms Influencing Learning Gains Under Information Security: Structural Equation Modeling with Mediating Effect

With the expanding enrollments in higher education, the quality of college education and the learning gains of students have attracted much attention. It is important to study the influencing factors and mechanisms of individual students’ acquisition of learning gains to improve the quality of talent cultivation in colleges. However, in the context of information security, the original data of learning situation surveys in various universities involve the security of educational evaluation data and daily privacy of teachers and students. To protect the original data, data feature mining and correlation analyses were performed at the model level. This study selected 12,181 pieces of data from X University, which participated in the Chinese College Student Survey (CCSS) from 2018 to 2021. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and a structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS 24.0. Through hypothesis testing, this study explored the mechanisms that influence learning gains from the perspectives of student involvement, teacher involvement, and school support. The results indicated that the quality of student involvement has an important mediating effect on learning gains and that a supportive campus environment has the greatest influence on learning gains. Establishing positive emotional communications between teachers and students is a more direct and effective method than improving the teaching level to improve the quality of student involvement. This study discusses the implications of these results on the research and practice of connotative development in higher education.

How Did the Brown V. Board of Education Encounter the White Resistance to Black Enrollment Achievement in Higher Education?

Brown V. Board of Education is an opportunity for black to enroll and persist in higher education. However, blacks faced barriers through the resistance of the group of dominant white supremacists. Scholars are interested in challenging black enrollment in higher education to help understand the black students’ experiences after Brown V. Board of Education, which outlawed Plessy V. Ferguson in the concept of “separate but equal” to keep black students from white students. In this essay, some cases regarding black enrollment will be investigated to bring light to black student experiences in higher education.

Regional issue, innovation, and the ecological footprint

This paper models the relationship between economic development and environmental progress. It investigates the relationship between investment in innovation and uncontained emissions in the selected Russian regions from 2013 to 2018. The database contains information for 72 locations and is comprised of 432 observations (panel data, 72 regions multiplied by 6 years). Random-effects regression models have been applied to analyze panel data. In a study of 72 Russian regions over the period of 2013-2018, this research demonstrates that the growing research and development (R&D) intensity of regional firms leads to a larger ecological footprint and growing emission intensity. These effects are negatively moderated by the per capita income of the region?s residents and regional enrollment in higher education. The effects are positively moderated by the export intensity of regional firms. The results suggest that economic and ecological aspects of sustainable development are at odds with each other and indicate that regional policymakers should account for the negative ecological externalities of economic development when devising policies aiming to facilitate regional growth.

The Impact of Ascribed Factors on Educational Attainment after Higher Education Expansion in China: Evidence from CGSS 2021

Since the implementation of China’s higher education enrollment expansion policy in 1999, the rapid growth of individuals receiving higher education has achieved a level of popularization. This study utilized data from CGSS2021 to empirically examine the correlation between ascribed factors and educational attainment among two groups, namely the school-age population affected by the enrollment expansion policy and those impacted by the resumption of the college entrance examination. The findings indicated that the impact of gender on educational attainment has been alleviated, while ethnicity has emerged as a considerable influencing factor in light of the expansion policy. Although household registration remains a significant factor affecting educational attainment, its negative correlation has diminished when compared to the previous status. Family cultural and socio-economic backgrounds increasingly contributed to individuals’ educational acquisition following the implementation of the enrollment expansion policy.

Social Overhead Capital and Output Nexus in Nepal: A Toda-Yamamoto Causality Analysis

Social overhead capital (SOC) is complementary to increasing productivity, particularly when the economy is also experiencing technological progress, thus spurring economies of scale and spillover effects. In its absence, the objective of developing nations to increase national output may be difficult to achieve. Such logjams are also found in Nepal. The objective of the study is to explore and evaluate the causal relationship between SOC and national output using VAR (k + dmax) based on the Toda-Yamamoto Granger no-causality test. The study uses the time series data of 36 years from 1986 to 2021. Nominal GDP is the dependent variable used to represent national output. Similarly, energy, road, telephone, vehicle, irrigation, gross fixed capital formation, health, and student enrollment in higher education are the independent variables used to represent SOC. The study found that roads, telephones, vehicles, and irrigation cause the NGDP, whereas overall SOC variables also caused the NGDP at a one percent significance level. It is also found that NGDP causes the energy, telephone, and enrollment of students in higher education. The study concluded that there is a significant causal nexus between SOC and NGDP directly or indirectly. The study underscores the vital need for the government of Nepal and policymakers to take measures to increase the national output and productivity. This means significantly strengthening key sectors like energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and higher education enrollment and promoting fixed capital formation.

Student loans: Credit constraints and higher education in South Africa

The empirical evidence that enrollment in higher education is constrained by access to credit is limited and usually indirect. We use a regression discontinuity design based on the fact that student loans are granted according to a score threshold at a South African credit institution (Eduloan) providing short-term loans at market conditions: we find that the credit constraint is substantial, as it reduces enrollment by more than 40 percentage points in a population of mostly middle-class applicants. However, this effect is entirely concentrated on women, and women granted a loan catch up with men’s enrollment levels. This heterogeneity is not explained by lower incomes in the sample of women. It implies that women have lower access to credit, or that their options for managing without a credit are more limited than men’s.

Impact of economic policy uncertainty on higher education expansion

This study investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the gross enrollment rate of higher education of 18 countries' from 1998 to 2019. Using the system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM), our results show that the EPU has a significant positive impact on the gross enrollment rate of higher education. Furthermore, we observe that the EPU has a heterogeneous effect on the gross enrollment rate of higher education with apparent economy-by-economy differences. Compared with developing countries, the economic policy uncertainty of developed countries has a stronger positive impact on their higher education enrollment rate.

Factors Determining the Labour Force Participation in Haryana

This paper uses a parametric logistic regression to identify the main factors associated with the probability of participating in the labour force. The regression has been applied to PLFS 2017-18 unit-level data of Haryana State. The results indicate that belonging to a large family size, being a female, and belonging to a middle level of income earning family are all factors that negatively impact the probability of being in the labour market. However, years in education, being married and belonging to a family with more jobs positively impact the probability of being in the labour market. Based on the empirical results, the paper suggests policy options to overcome the labour market's main challenges. These policies focus on developing a sustainable strategy for increasing the labour force participation rate in Haryana; empowering females in rural areas; improving working conditions, reviewing the early retirement policy; improving education quality and encouraging enrolment in higher education, and adopting balanced development policies among both Eastern and Western regions of Haryana.

Exploring Concurrent Relationships between Economic Factors and Student Mobility in Expanding Higher Education Achieving 2030

Student mobility is one of the most important indicators to reflect institutional internationalization in a sustainable higher education system. Student mobility issues have been addressed in previous studies, and the phenomenon was discussed in association with related factors persistently. Since higher education sustainable development has received much scholarly attention, monitoring student mobility flows to adjust international strategies is necessary. This study explored practical approaches to detect student mobility flows in the process of higher education expansion. Targeting Taiwan’s higher education system as an example, we addressed the topic of system expansion and the core issues of student mobility. Target series data were collected from 1950 to 2021, including the economic growth ratio, GDP per capita, higher education enrollment, gross enrollment ratio (GER), and the number of inbound and outbound students. The data were transformed with index formats, for example, the economic growth ratio, enrollment increasing ratio (IR), and net flow ratio. The cross-correlation function (CCF) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) were used to determine the correlations of the series data and their future trends. The findings suggested that the system expansion, with GER and IR, might reflect fluctuated student mobility in economic growth. This study confirmed that the time series approaches work well in detecting the phenomena of higher education expansion and their effects on student mobility flow in the future.

Prospects of Blended Learning for the Post-COVID-19 Higher Education: The Instructors’ Perspectives at a University in South Africa

The study explored the prospects of the blended learning approach for post-COVID-19 higher education from the perspectives of instructors at a university in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The study was qualitative and adopted the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) design. Using the purposive sampling method, a sample of twenty-eight academics was drawn from one university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and thematically analysed. The findings revealed that blended learning has prospects for higher education in the post-COVID-19 context; such as accommodating vulnerable students without access to the internet and devices, increasing use of technologies for teaching and learning, facilitation of teaching and learning at any time and place, and solving problems of classroom overcrowding, increasing opportunities for higher education enrolment, breaking communication barriers between university instructors and students, and solving problems of truancy and absence of students and lecturers during the face-to-face lecture hours. In light of these findings, this study concluded that the prospects of blended learning should be harnessed for higher education in the post-COVID-19 context. The present study also considered some recommendations for making the blended learning approach effective in attaining higher education goals. These included increasing investment in the use of technologies for teaching and learning; and ensuring that there is continuous training of instructors in the use of emerging technologies for educational purposes while government at all levels continues to support HEIs for the implementation of the BL delivery system. Keywords: Blended learning, Online learning, Face-to-face learning, Higher education, University instructors, COVID-19 lockdown

Issues in introducing indigenous languages in higher education in Africa

Abstract As the most populous African nation, with one of the most diverse, and problematic, ethnolinguistic profiles in the world, Nigeria provides a case study for the potential introduction of indigenous languages in (higher) education delivery in once colonised territories. We argue that increased enrolment in higher education will become necessary for Nigeria to attain its developmental goals. We then discuss the limits to what the Nigerian educational system can be expected to achieve using English as the medium of instruction. Once these limits are surpassed, the gradual addition of a limited number of Nigerian languages will become inevitable. We propose to make use of a distinction between languages as designed (or intellectualized) and languages as discerned, inspired by the terminology of ‘Ausbau’ and ‘Abstand’ languages as used by Kloss. The article briefly reviews the complex linguistic makeup of Nigeria and outlines a number of principles that could guide rational language choices in this area, such as ease of acquisition and inclusivity. It ends with suggesting a number of concrete steps that should be taken over the coming years in order to make the introduction of indigenous languages into higher education in Nigeria a practical possibility.

How did the COVID-19 restrictions impact higher education in Victoria?

This paper aims to observe how the Australian COVID-19 restrictions influenced higher education, teachers’ and students’ lives. Before the pandemic, the higher education sector was the largest serviced based sector in Australia and overly depended on international students’ fee income. The academic year of 2020 started as usual with 141703 higher education enrolments of overseas students, mainly students from Asia. However, they did not arrive due to the strict border closure. Travel restrictions were put in place from China from 1 February 2020, later from other countries worldwide. That significantly affected international students' travel from Asia directly before the start of the new academic year. Consequently, many institutions have transitioned from campus-based courses to online delivery. Besides, numerous academic lecturers and professional staff have been invited to the expression of interest in a voluntary and, of course, involuntary redundancy program. Most vacant positions have been frozen, and various saving programs have been implied. Owing to the toughest rules and strictest restrictions, Australian borders remained closed for over 600 days. Melbourne was under six lockdowns totalling 265 days since March 2020, which resulted in the author’s experience of three semester-long remote teaching at one of the biggest and most prominent universities in Melbourne without any personal contact with international students. The author lived and worked in Melbourne during the COVID-19 era, so this study is based on her perspectives and experiences extended with a wide empirical evaluation of secondary data about the Australian academic sector between 2020 and 2021.

Microcredit Membership and Self-Reported Healthcare Autonomy among Bangladeshi Women

Participation in microcredit programs has so far received widespread research and policy attention in the context of health and empowerment among Bangladeshi women. However, not much is known regarding the relationship between participation in microcredit programs and healthcare autonomy (HA) among women. In the present study, we analyzed two nationally representative surveys (Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2004 and 2014), to assess the relationships between MC membership and HA among adult women (n = 29163), while adjusting for various sociodemographic correlates. Self-reported healthcare decision-making autonomy was assessed by asking whether or not the participant had final say on her healthcare. The findings revealed that between 2004 (20.9%, 95%CI = 19.8, 22.0) and 2014 (14.1%, 95%CI = 13.3, 15.0), the proportion of women reporting HA decreased significantly, despite considerable improvements across several socioeconomic indices, including higher education enrollment and labor market participation. Between 2004 and 2014, the percentage of microcredit borrowers decreased for Grameen (18.9% vs. 10.7%) and BRAC (7.9% vs. 7.4%), while it increased for BRDB (0.9% vs. 7.0%). A multivariate regression analysis revealed that Grameen Bank membership was positively associated with reporting HA in both male- (OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.09, 1.23) and female-headed households (OR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.13, 1.85). A positive association between microcredit membership and HA was also observed for BRAC (OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.20, 1.47) and BRDB (OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 1.09, 1.29), but in the male-headed households only. Further analysis indicated that membership with Grameen bank was the most important predictor of HA, followed by BRAC, BRDB, and ASA, with the degree of importance varying substantially between male- and female-headed households. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of microcredit programs to promote healthcare autonomy among Bangladeshi women and provide insights for further research, as to why certain programs are more effective than others.

Lone threats: a register-based study of Swedish lone actors

ABSTRACT This study investigates 30 lone actors in Sweden with a register-based design using a group of male lone actors and two reference groups: same-sex siblings and other male violent extremists. We compare lone actors to the reference groups along social background, criminal background, and co-offending relations (1995 –2016), and mental health (1980–2016). Our results show that lone actors are primarily born in Sweden to two Swedish-born parents. They have a high degree of criminality and co-offending, indicating that they are not completely loners in their criminal behaviour. They have higher enrolment in secondary education than the reference groups, but lower enrolment in higher education than other male violent extremists. Additionally, they suffer considerably more from mental disorders compared to the reference groups. An analysis of criminality and in- and outpatient hospitalisation over the life course indicates that lone actors may have had problems in their transition into middle age.

Problematizing Access to Higher Education for Refugee and Globally Displaced Students: What’s the Problem Represented to Be in Canadian University Responses to Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian Crises?

The UNHCR’s 15by30 campaign to increase refugee student enrolment in higher education to 15% by 2030 is a lofty goal. Canadian higher education institutions have a role to play in contributing to this policy goal, along with advocacy efforts from refugee student groups, community-based organizations, government, and international organizations. The aim of this study is to look critically at how the issue of access to higher education for refugee and globally displaced people is represented through Ontario’s universities’ responses to federal government initiatives to crises in Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. In this study, we use Bacchi’s (2009) “What’s the problem represented to be?” approach to policy analysis and, drawing on Dillabough’s (2022) critique of modernity in higher education, we argue that university responses related to refugee and globally displaced student access to higher education offer the possibility to reflect on the paradoxical tensions of the problem space in Canadian higher education. In our findings, we discuss how the problem of refugee and displacement crisis was represented differently in response to differences in geopolitical conditions and government policies, as we demonstrate how representations of material problems and categories of “citizenship” and “geographical location” in the universities’ responses contributed to creating boundaries of inclusion and exclusion for access. Finally, we show how the creation of educational programs for “globally displaced people” during the period related to the Ukrainian crisis perpetuates the logic of colonialism in the universities’ responses.

Causes of Undergraduate Students’ Underachievement in a Gulf Cooperation Council Country (GCC) University

UNESCO reports enrollment in higher education in the Arab and Gulf Cooperation Council region doubled from 5.1 million in 2000 to 10.7 million in 2015. Despite significant budgets and the world’s lowest teacher-to-student ratio, higher education in this region is plagued by student underachievement. This study identifies academic underachievement factors among undergraduate students at risk at a national university in the GCC. As part of the Intrusive Intervention Program, students were required to complete an Academic Success Plan that delineated academic, personal, social, career, and other academic underachievement reasons. Based on 5,040 students’ responses that indicated their academic underachievement causes, findings reported that students perceived academic factors as the most recurrent reason for academic underachievement. In contrast, social adjustment causes were found to be the least recurrent. Specific causes are reported under each category and discussion is provided against gender, nationality, major, and classification.