Participation In Higher Education Research Articles

Is international student mobility still a distinctive strategy? A study of upper milieu students in Germany

ABSTRACT Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction, the article examines whether international student mobility (ISM) is still a distinctive educational strategy of upper-milieu students in the 21st century. As a result of the Bologna process, ISM has become widespread in Europe. Does this also mean that international mobility loses its distinctive character? Based on current studies that point to a differentiation within ISM, we investigate to what extent students from upper milieus may strive to re-establish the ‘structure of distances’ - as Bourdieu puts it – in the field of higher education. Our research design consists of 95 qualitative interviews with Master’s students in Germany. The study conducts a comparative analysis to differentiate between lower, middle and upper milieus (vertical axis), with the main focus of the research being directed towards the upper milieus. In addition, the differences within upper milieus (horizontal axis) are examined by including three academic disciplines in the research design: management/business administration, medicine, and musicology. The results of our study suggest that, even within the context of a knowledge society, characterised by an increased participation in higher education, there remain numerous symbolic, spatial, and cultural opportunities for students from upper milieus to distinguish their educational paths in distinct ways, e.g. the destinations chosen, the rhetorical framing of international mobility experiences, and the integration with work-related practices beyond the course of study.

Kemiskinan Perkotaan dan Angka Partisipasi Pendidikan Tinggi di Indonesia

This research aims to investigate the relationship between urban poverty and higher education participation in Indonesia using time series data during the 1998-2021 period. The analytical model used is simple linear regression which is then estimated using the ordinary least squares (OLS) approach. Through empirical data analysis, this research finds that urban poverty has a significant negative influence on higher education participation, indicating that high levels of poverty in urban environments can be a barrier to higher education access and participation for economically marginalized communities.

Exploring the Educational Significance of Competitions in Chinese Higher Education

Competition is a widely welcomed and promoted means of ability cultivation and knowledge examination under the current education model. In order to better leverage the positive impact of competitions in education, this study conducted questionnaire surveys and face-to-face interviews with competition participants in higher education from the perspectives of gender differences, competition mentality, students' social skills and teamwork abilities to explore the advantages of competitions. The educational significance and impact on students provide effective experiences and suggestions for students, educators and educational managers. The conclusion is that in subject competitions, the psychological pressure of students, especially girls, needs to be appropriately relieved. Students have many ideas and purposes for participating in competitions, and the guidance and publicity of educators are the most important reasons. Students are willing to use their imagination and innovation ability in competitions, but they still need certain guidance and teaching in the process of transforming from theory to practice.

Using a Five-Phase Applied Linguistics Design to Develop a Contextualized Academic Literacy Placement Test for Pre-University Pathway Students

ABSTRACT For students who have faced previous educational disadvantage, academic literacies are key to access and participation in higher education. Reliable placement in academic literacies courses engages these learners in appropriately pitched learning activities, ensuring optimal learning while developing their confidence and motivation. In this context, we aimed to develop a reliable assessment of students’ academic literacy knowledge to ensure accurate and context-sensitive placement in one of two foundational academic literacy courses. These courses were situated in a pathway program in a regional Australian university that aimed to broaden participation in higher education for individuals from under-represented groups and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. In this article, we describe, sequentially, the use of a five-phase applied linguistics design to develop the Academic Literacy Level Test (ALLTest). The phases represent the underlying principle of allowing pragmatic considerations to precede (but not preclude) theoretical ones, and consist, in turn, of (1) identifying the language challenge, (2) applying technical imagination and knowledge, (3) devising an initial (and iteratively subsequent) solution, (4) providing a theoretical justification, and (5) revising or finalizing a blueprint. We demonstrate how this process resulted in an organizationally efficient, context-specific, valid and reliable test of academic literacy.

Social Justice Profiles: An Exploratory Study towards an Empirically Based Multi-Dimensional Classification of Countries Regarding Fairness of Participation in Higher Education

The aim of this article is to suggest a better—theoretically and empirically grounded—understanding of the complex character of social justice in higher education. Theoretically, this article conceptualises social justice in higher education as mediating participation in, completion of and outcomes from higher education. It introduces the concept of composite capability for achieving higher education that captures capabilities to participate in, complete and gain outcomes from higher education. This study also develops a methodology for building an empirically based classification of countries regarding social justice in participation in higher education, taking into account the assessed inequality in students’ pathways to higher education as well as inequality in their social conditions, associated with students’ social origin. In so doing, it develops three indices: the index of inequalities in students’ pathways, the index of inequalities in students’ social conditions and the index of participation in higher education. Using microdata from the EUROSTUDENT VII survey (2019–2021) for 12 European countries, it applies the developed methodology to classify countries, for which data are available, by the degree of fairness in participation in higher education. This study’s results demonstrate the social embeddedness of social justice in higher education in different economic and political contexts.

Sustaining Integrity: The Role of Education and Macroeconomic Variables for Corruption Eradication

This study aims to analyze the effect of education level and several macroeconomic variables on the corruption index in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries. This study uses the two-stage least square (2SLS) estimation method. This study found that the lifelong learning index, higher education participation, and foreign direct investment have a negative and significant effect on corruption in all APEC member countries and developing country members. Secondary education and government efficiency index have a negative and significant effect on corruption in all countries (all member states, developed and developing countries). GDP per capita and economic openness have a positive and significant effect on corruption levels in APEC member states and developing countries. The fight against corruption must be immediately implemented as a political influence. Delaying this will reduce the effectiveness of future policies. Institutional reforms bring more positive benefits in countries that are really fighting corruption.

Forms of the higher education participation in ensuring labor productivity

Such a formulation of the question as labor productivity in the context of higher education may seems unusual and controversial, since in most cases this issue is considered in the analysis of economic problems, of the use of such resources in production as the improvement of technology, equipment and management, working conditions and organization. However, this list of means for increasing labor productivity should include an analysis of the preliminary stages at which future specialists begin to develop a set of qualities for productive work - educational process in all its diversity, which receives insufficient attention. The article identifies the forms of participation of Russian universities in solving one of the central tasks in increasing the efficiency of the economy - training future specialists for productive work. As a rule, the concepts ‘productive labor’ and ‘labor productivity’ are used in relation to the real production, as evidenced by numerous studies, technological and economic policies, and actual production activity. The article shows that for the implementation of the national program “Labor Productivity and Employment” the preparatory stage for solving this problem is especially important, which involves a radical reconstruction of the universities’ strategies for training students for future work: career guidance, professional selection, professional practice, and professional adaptation. The author considers these forms of the higher education participation in solving problems of labor productivity and productive labor referring to the research conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and by the Russian State University for the Humanities and to the conclusions and suggestions of scientists, teachers and practitioners who studied, applied and/or summarized the experience of students’ preparation for future professional life.

Fifty years on – limitations and opportunities within Ireland`s higher education system and structures

Regional Technical Colleges, later Institutes of Technology, were developed just over fifty years ago in response to a perceived gap in knowledge, skills, and competencies required to promote market growth and success ( Thorn, 2018 ). It was envisaged that this change to Ireland’s higher education landscape would be capable of continuing adaptation to the social, economic, and technological changes (to meet the needs of employers and students (Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges, 1967, 11). Fifty years after this initiative began, the presented paper wishes to reflect and review what is occurring within today’s higher education landscape, posing the question: Did the newly introduced additional higher education institute type evolve from their modest beginnings? Specifically, did they, as suggested by the Steering Committee on Technical Education Report to the Minister for Education on Regional Technical Colleges (1967), avoid the dichotomy and provide students with an opportunity to study in a variety of fields close to their home, or has something else emerged and evolved that is in contradiction to this ambition. This research paper examines these questions using available Higher Education Authority data, considering what this means for student access, equity, and choice within Ireland’s higher education system. The findings of this review suggest that while increased student participation in higher education is evident, the choice for today’s aspiring student is less noticeable or possible within some fields of study because of the socially constructed configuration of Ireland’s higher education system.

Physical activity participation of university students in the United Kingdom

Every year more than 2.38 million students attend university in the United Kingdom. However, there is limited research up to this date addressing current physical activity participation of the university students in the United Kingdom. This study explored the current physical activity habits among students studying at university level in the United Kingdom. An online survey was administered and completed by 466 students from over 52 faculties. Participants answered questions on demographic variables such as gender, age, socioeconomic status of family, location of studies, types of studies, year of studies, living arrangements and monthly expenditure. They were provided the English version of the IPAQ-Short form and asked to fill out the questionnaire with their physical activity habits during a typical week of university study. Results identified 64.4% of the sample were “moderate” active, with 14.2% “high” and 18.5% “low” active as categorized by the IPAQ-Short form scoring. Disparities in physical activity participation were present on demographic variables such as gender, year of study and family socioeconomic level upon analysis by ANOVA. To conclude, a discussion of the results within the overall field of physical activity participation in higher education was positioned and critiqued.

Exploring Stakeholders' Interventions in Addressing Gender Roles and Norms that Obstruct Refugee Women's Access to Higher Education: A Case of Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda

Gender roles and norms are known to affect women more than their male counterparts disproportionately. In effect, it discourages women and denies them the opportunity to fulfil their potential in various sectors/fields. Specifically, this study focuses on stakeholders' interventions in addressing gender roles and norms obstructing refugee women in Uganda from accessing higher education. The study was carried out in Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda. The study used the qualitative research approach anchored in the advocacy worldview using intersectionality with a liberal feminist perspective as a philosophical lens. Using purposive and snowball sampling, 49 participants took part in the study. Using one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions, the study found that some stakeholders' initiatives have facilitated refugee women's access to higher education. Initiatives such as awareness raising, career guidance and mentorship, and legal and policy frameworks, among others, have been put in place to promote refugee women's access to higher education. Nevertheless, the study found that these initiatives have not adequately addressed the cultural, gender, socio-economic, and structural barriers that are still hindering refugee women's access to higher education. Thus, the study recommends that stakeholders should undertake more rigorous and intensive sensitization and advocacy to raise community awareness on aspects of gender roles and norms to break the gender-role stereotyping that is largely hindering refugee women's access to higher education. Also, the study recommends that livelihood and skilling programmes should target women refugees to curb the risk of being forced into desperate survival situations. These should be continuously monitored and evaluated, and refugee women are also encouraged to seek family planning services to relieve them from the childcare role so as to enable access and participation in higher education

The medium-term impact of a conditional cash transfer programme on educational outcomes in England

ABSTRACT This paper uses longitudinal data from England to examine the medium-term impact of a means-tested conditional cash transfer programme, Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), on higher educational participation and attainment. Combining regression modelling with entropy balancing, this paper finds that two-year EMA recipients are more likely to participate in higher education than non-recipients. Moreover, the impact of EMA is more substantial for male students, those with higher prior academic attainment, and students whose parents have higher educational qualifications. These findings suggest that even though EMA is a costly programme, it will benefit young people over a longer time frame.

Flipped classroom with collaborative learning approach in enhancing writing skills of Indonesian university students

The intention of this study was to examine how a flipped classroom with a collaborative learning approach improved the writing skills of Indonesian higher education students. To achieve the study’s aim of 48 Indonesian higher education participants, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was employed. They were divided into two groups: experiment and control. Following that, as a pre-test, both groups were given a written exam. The experimental class (EC) was then positioned in a flipped classroom. Students were permitted to bring smartphones to class and utilize them while learning, and the flipped classroom was equipped with an internet connection, a laptop, and a projector. The control class (CC) got standard classroom instruction. This strategy was employed until the very last session. The experimental group outperformed the control group on the post-test, according to the results of the independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Furthermore, the results revealed a significant difference in post-test performance between the EC and CC.

Do academically selective school systems strengthen the link between students’ family backgrounds and the likelihood of higher education participation?

ABSTRACT Proponents of academic selection argue that academic selection helps children from disadvantaged backgrounds have better lifelong outcomes. However, the evidence needs to be clarified since selections by performance could be a proxy for selection by socioeconomic class. Based on the unique situation in England, where both selective and non-selective systems coexist, we evaluate whether students from selective schools are more likely to continue higher education than those in non-selective schools and whether the link between students’ family backgrounds and their likelihood of higher education participation is stronger under a selective system. The results show that attending selective schools is associated with some post-18 advantages for pupils who stayed until the end of Key Stage 5, but brings disadvantages for those who left at earlier stages, even if we look at the upper bound of the selective school effect. Meanwhile, the link between students’ family backgrounds and future opportunities is consistently stronger under the selective system.

Distance Education as a Catalyst for Women's Empowerment in India

The concept of distance education has been developed in various developed countries of the world. Distance education also serves dropouts, older students, and disadvantaged groups. In India, distance learning is a useful tool in closing the gender gap and empowering women. It plays a significant part in providing women with access to higher education. This paper attempts to study the enrolment of female students at higher education levels in distance education for upgrading the status of women in India. his study was qualitative and documentary in nature. Results showed that the enrolment of female students in undergraduate and postgraduate is higher than in PG diploma and certificate courses. The study concluded that distance education played a significant role in women's empowerment through female students' participation in higher education. The study suggests remedial measures to overcome constraints faced by female students in pursuing higher education.

Research on the Path of High-Quality Development of Student Management under the Explanatory Structural Model Oriented to Solve the Dilemma of Collaborative Governance of Student Management in Colleges and Universities

Abstract This paper firstly studies the student management model, analyzes the mechanism of explaining the operation of the structural model, and proposes the DEMATEL method. Secondly, the ISM model is established on the basis of DEMATEL, and the cross-matrix multiplication method is introduced to explore the diffusion of interrelationships among factors in the system. And finally, the construction of the DEMATEL-ISM model is completed. Then, 11 experts were selected to set up an ISM group to construct the relevant reachability matrix after determining the key factors of the problem, and a multi-layer recursive order structure model was established based on the high-quality management influencing factors. Finally, an empirical examination was conducted to examine the overall effect of student management quality in S colleges and universities. Among the key factors of student management, classroom management was identified as the most critical factor affecting the quality of student management, with the ratio of the most important and the important summed up to 76.1%. Among the classroom student participation in higher education, the highest score was given to participatory behavior, with an interval between [2,5] and a mean value of 3.4808. The quality of student management in higher education was characterized by a high level of dissatisfaction among students and teachers, which was 41.94% and 51.28%, respectively. It can be seen that daily management, moral education, teacher management, and teacher competence are insufficient. Colleges and universities need to strengthen the construction of these 4 aspects and put forward relative coping strategies for the deficiencies that exist.

‘The people, the spaces, the talking!’ Igniting community-based higher education

In the context of rapid economic, social, and demographic change, fostering equity and inclusion in third level education is a prerequisite for adaptability, social cohesion, and human development. Community-university collaborations demonstrate significant potential to widen participation in Higher Education (HE). In the following article, we examine community-based HE through the lens of a single case study. An Cosán is a community education centre, working in the heart of the communities of Tallaght in West Dublin, Ireland. An Cosán is a Linked Provider of the South East Technological University (SETU). Initiated in 2008, Linked Provision has enabled over 1,000 non-traditional students to achieve a third level award to date. They comprise of those ‘priority groups’ most under-represented in traditional university settings. The present mixed-method research draws on learner voices and practitioner reporting to analyse what works and why. We present new findings from An Cosán’s recent Certificate in Personal and Professional Development programme. Drawing on feminist and Freirean theory, the article highlights the important enabling role of flexibility, wraparound support, and transformative education. Community-based HE supports adult learners’ capacity to meet the level of critical challenge presented by tertiary education while enhancing self-esteem, empathy, and intercultural understanding.

Roma students’ experiences: practices contributing to participation in post-compulsory education

ABSTRACT Background It is widely recognised internationally that participation in higher education is likely to lead to increased opportunities and resources. However, only a minority of learners from Roma backgrounds continue into post-compulsory education. As important research into inclusion continues, more attention must be paid to the identification of practices that can help break down barriers and support the participation of Roma students in post-compulsory education. Purpose The research sought to gain insight into particular factors influencing the decision-making processes of three students from Roma backgrounds who chose to pursue an academic pathway. Method The setting for this qualitative study was a school in Spain located in a socioeconomically disadvantaged and predominantly Roma neighbourhood whose students had never previously participated in pre-university studies (courses preparing students for university entrance). In-depth interviews were conducted with three Roma students in their last year of compulsory education who were about to move on to pre-university studies, as well as with three significant adults: a Roma mother, a Roma role model working at the school, and the school principal. Findings The analysis of participants’ narratives suggested that, according to their views, the implementation of a set of successful educational actions involving high expectations, the involvement of Roma families, the influence of positive Roma role models and engagement with dialogic interactions contributed to the continuation of these three Roma students on a trajectory towards post-compulsory education. Conclusions The study highlights some noteworthy factors that can be involved in transforming a context from one where access to university is not considered to be an option and towards a new one in which university becomes a real choice.

Maternal depressive symptoms and young people's higher education participation and choice of university: Evidence from a longitudinal cohort study

BackgroundParticipation in higher education has significant and long-lasting consequences for people's socioeconomic trajectories. Maternal depression is linked to poorer educational achievement for children in school, but its impact on university attendance is unclear. MethodsIn an English longitudinal cohort study (N = 8952), we explore whether young people whose mothers experienced elevated depressive symptoms are less likely to attend university, and the role of potential mediators in the young person: educational achievement in school, depressive symptoms, and locus of control. We also examine whether maternal depressive symptoms influence young people's choice of university, and non-attendees' reasons for not participating in higher education. ResultsYoung people whose mothers experienced more recurrent depressive symptoms were less likely to attend university (OR = 0.88, CI = 0.82,0.94, p < 0.001) per occasion of elevated maternal depressive symptoms) after adjusting for confounders. Mediation analysis indicated this was largely explained by educational achievement in school (e.g., 82.7 % mediated by age 16 achievement) and locus of control at 16. There was mixed evidence for an impact on choice of university. For participants who did not study at university, maternal depressive symptoms were linked to stating as a reason having had other priorities to do with family or children (OR: 1.17, CI = 1.02,1.35). LimitationsLack of data on the other parent's depression, loss to follow-up, possibly selective non-response. ConclusionsYoung people whose mothers experience elevated depressive symptoms on multiple occasions are less likely to participate in higher education; educational achievement in secondary school, but not the young people's own depressive symptoms, substantially mediated the effect.

The Adolescent Self-System and Academic Achievement: Youth Predictors of College Enrollment

This study takes a social cognitive approach in examining the relationship between elements of the adolescent self-system (self-efficacy, self-esteem, ethnic-racial identity, and hope) in addition to state-mandated graduation tests, with students’ later participation in higher education. The quantitative investigation of 733 tenth-grade White (462) and Ethnically Minoritized (271) students and a sub-sample of 29 qualitatively studied adolescents in a semi-rural town in Ohio used a concurrent mixed-methods longitudinal approach. A logistic regression analysis found only adolescent math scores positively predicted later enrollment in higher education; but self-efficacy negatively predicted later college enrollment. Triangulation of additional analyses, including t-tests, and in-depth interviews, suggest how perceptions of the self-system may differ among White and Ethnically Minoritized populations. These differences may be influenced by the degree to which youth pay attention to academic success as a contributing factor to their own self-analysis of their self-system.

Perspectives on regional science in studies of public participation in higher education

Purpose: of this paper is to characterize the potential of regional theories in solving the current scientific socio-economic problem of establishing the interaction between society and the system of higher education.Methods: the processes of interaction between society and higher education are considered through the prism of separate approaches and concepts of the scientific paradigm of regional economics, to solve the set goal.Results: based on statistical data, significant regional differentiation of higher education system in modern Russia is shown, which actualizes its study through the prism of regional scientific paradigm. Through systematization of existing experience of interaction between universities and society in Sverdlovsk region the role of universities as coordinators of public participation in the spatial development of the region is shown. By applying methodological apparatus of specific theories of regional paradigm, their cognitive potential in the sphere of educational social relations analysis as well as possibilities of identification of problems of public participation in higher education are revealed. In particular, the gnoseological possibilities of the spatial approach are substantiated. The characteristics of the last reform of higher education, which entailed the segregation of universities in the context of applying the theory of growth poles, are given. The article shows the prospects for regional development through the application of the methodology of the theory "center–periphery", usingthe example of correcting staff imbalances of the small towns. The practical significance of applying the theory of "genetic" codes in the study and interpretation of the causes of low intensity and quality of public participation in higher education was characterized. The methodological possibilities of using institutional mesoeconomics, coordination theory, mesoeconomics of network structures, and cluster theory in studying the experience of interaction between higher education institutions and society in the regional context were substantiated.Conclusions and Relevance: the interpretation of the region in the context of mesoeconomics stipulates the necessity and possibility to form an independent theoretical and methodological apparatus for studying regional systems of higher education and apply special tools for analysis and identification of problems of public participation in higher education on specific territories.