Higher Education Policy Makers Research Articles

The military involvement and extraordinary policymaking in higher education: evidence from Turkey

ABSTRACT Armed forces have been involved in higher education reform processes as either the sole or dominant reform actors in various regions of the world throughout the twentieth century and onwards. During the rule of (interim) military governments or juntas, higher education institutions and systems have been considerably affected by top-down reform initiatives. However, we know relatively little about what role they have played in reform processes and what kind of change outcomes these reforms have produced. Against this backdrop, this study brings two largely unexplored phenomena into the forefront of higher education policy: extraordinary policymaking and military involvement in policy reforms. Theoretically, it crystallizes certain propositions about the nature and actors of policymaking and develops some insights into change expectations based on historical institutionalism and the available empirical research. Empirically, it examines three illustrative case studies, i.e., higher education reforms in Turkey, which came after the 1960, 1971, and 1980 military interventions, in terms of institutional and systemic governance. Even though the analysis offers empirical knowledge only on the case of Turkey, its conceptual and theoretical underpinnings may have relevance for further studies on other countries that have experienced similar processes in higher education policymaking.

“Hugging the middle” on selection of educational philosophy: empirical evidence from higher education in Sultanate of Oman

PurposeThis research aims to examine the educational philosophy of teachers in classrooms. Teachers' educational philosophy influences the power balance, course content function, student and teacher roles, responsibility for learning and assessment purposes and processes. The research also analyzes whether gender, qualification, specialization and experience significantly influence classroom educational philosophies.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized a quantitative research design, utilizing data from 193 teachers working in a public higher education institution in the Sultanate of Oman. The study utilized a survey method to solicit data from the respondents. Besides utilizing descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, the study used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test to test the hypotheses.FindingsAnalysis revealed an instructional strategy's preference, including elements of both teacher-centered and student-centered educational philosophies. Elements of progressivism, constructivism, reconstructivism and perennialism are more relevant in the teacher's instructional design. The results show no significant differences in teachers' pedagogical philosophy that exist based on gender, specialization and experience. However, teachers' age significantly influences their educational philosophy preferences.Research limitations/implicationsThis research centers on a public higher education institution in the Sultanate of Oman, with a particular focus on the Department of Business Studies. This resarch delimits its discussion on teachers' chosen educational philosophy. Other possible factors may also impact student retention and effective teaching and learning.Practical implicationsThis research offers valuable insights to academicians, higher education administrators, and policymakers. Specifically, this research emphasizes the significance of employing a blended approach, which incorporates both student-centered and teacher-centered educational philosophies, to enhance student engagement, retention, and effective teaching and learning.Social implicationsThis research emphasizes the importance of educators' adoption of a blended educational philosophy in promoting student retention and engagement within higher education institutions. To achieve desirable outcomes, policymakers in higher education must ascertain which educational philosophy is most effective in the classroom. Additionally, ensuring congruence between preferred educational philosophy and teachers’ instructional practices is vital in facilitating effective teaching and learning.Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind among teachers in higher education in the Sultanate of Oman. The outcome of this study helps detail the specific strategies teachers deploy and categorize into various educational philosophies.

Who Is Going Green? Determinants of Green Investment Intention in the Saudi Food Industry

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed major transformations in social, economic, and environmental aspects since the inauguration of Saudi Vision 2030 in April 2016. In alignment with this, the leadership of KSA has inaugurated green initiatives that pave the way for green investment opportunities in different industries within KSA. However, there was limited, if any, research about green investment intention and behaviour in KSA. This research tests an expanded model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to investigate the determinants of green investment intention in the Saudi food industry. A questionnaire survey was electronically directed to 550 fresh agricultural and food sciences graduates in public KSA universities. The results of PLS-SEM showed significant positive influences of the attitude, perceived behavioural control, green investment knowledge, and green consumption commitment on the green investment intention of potential investors. However, the results confirmed a negative influence of subjective norms on green investment intention. The results also confirmed a moderating role of religiosity on the relationship between attitude, perceived behavioural control, green consumption commitment, and green investment intention. The results send some important messages to scholars and policymakers in higher education regarding the foundation of green investment among their graduates, which are elaborated.

Student motivations for social media use and their effects on academic performance- a meditational approach in emerging market

PurposeDue to the incredible criticisms by scholars of the excessive use of social media networks, this study aims to explore students’ motivation for social media use (SMU) and its effects on academic performance (AP) in the light of uses and gratification theory.Design/methodology/approachUsing the simple random and snowball sampling techniques, this study has considered 299 responses and critically analyzed them using structural equation modeling through the AMOS version 24. The mediation analysis has been done to explore the effective use of social media networks.FindingsThe results reveal that video clip watching and nonacademic learning intentions significantly influence SMU and AP. Besides, socialization through friends and family connections has tremendously fostered SMU intention, while it could not benefit AP. This study found an exceptional result that the entertainment intention of the students did not influence SMU but dramatically impacted their AP. Again, SMU has robust effects on enhancing students’ academic achievement. This study also concluded the results of the mediation analysis.Practical implicationsThe learners, professionals, higher education policymakers, etc. may benefit from following this study's guidelines for using social media networks.Social implicationsThis study may tremendously contribute to changing the mindset of youth from addiction to SMU and improving AP.Originality/valueThe prime novelty of this study is to justify the mediation analysis for SMU to explore whether it can truly influence students’ AP and critically examine the deep insight of certain factors associated with SMU.

Institutional Striving and Gender Equity in Faculty Salaries and Employment

Climbing the ladder of institutional prestige is often promoted by leaders and policymakers in higher education, but there may be trade-offs associated with striving for status. This study examines the impact of Texas’s National Research University Fund (NRUF), which uses financial incentives to support institutions’ pursuit of prestige, on the salaries and employment of faculty. For full professors, the NRUF had a positive effect on the salaries of both men and women, but the policy also contributed to widening the gender gap in salary. In regard to employment, the NRUF had a negative impact on the share of women among full professors. The findings suggest that organizational pursuit of prestige may have unintended consequences for faculty gender equity.

An Empirical Study on Emergency of Distant Tertiary Education in the Southern Region of Bangladesh during COVID-19: Policy Implication.

Many fields have been affected by COVID-19, including education. The pandemic has prompted a change in education due to the requirement for social distancing. Campuses are now closed in many educational institutions across the globe, and teaching and learning are now conducted online. Internationalization has significantly slowed down. A mixed-method study was designed for this research, with the goal of ascertaining the impact of COVID-19 on Bangladeshi students enrolled in higher education during and after the pandemic. A questionnaire with 19 questions on a Google form was used to collect quantitative data using a 4-point Likert scale and was conducted on 100 students from different universities in the southern part of Bangladesh, such as Barisal University, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University. For collecting qualitative data, six quasi-interviews were conducted. A statistical package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative results demonstrated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils continuously received teaching and learning. The current study's findings revealed a significant positive correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and teaching, learning, and student achievement and a significant negative correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and student goals. The study also revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on students enrolled in higher education programs at the universities. The qualitative judgment showed that students faced many problems when joining classes, such as poor Internet connection and insufficient network and technological facilities, etc. Some students live in rural areas and have slow Internet speeds, which sometimes prevented them from joining class. The findings of the study can help policy makers in higher education to review and adopt a new policy in higher education in Bangladesh. It can also help education instructors in universities to develop a proper study plan for their students.

Higher Education Policy and Objectives Based on Development Plans

As a country prioritizing development and economic growth, Türkiye needs to set policies and targets for the development of human capital. To be able to do this, it is necessary to start with the analysis of the higher education (HE) policies and objectives in the development plans that have been prepared since the beginning of the planned development period. Aiming to determine HE policies and objectives on the basis of development plans, this study is expected to contribute to the field by guiding HE policymakers and quality system practitioners in Türkiye. Focusing on the HE policies and objectives in 11 development plans prepared in Türkiye from 1963 to 2019, the study was designed as a document review, following the qualitative research paradigm. The data obtained in the research were analyzed by applying the content analysis technique. During the analysis of the data, first of all, the development plans were subjected to content analysis, and the results related to the HE policies and targets were then identified and interpreted. The research revealed five themes related to the policies and objectives in the development plans (development of HE, support in HE, planning in HE, cooperation in HE, and financing of HE). Some policies and targets in the development plans were found to recur frequently. It was also observed that the dominant philosophical paradigm of the period was followed in the preparation of the plans, with no paradigmatic blindness. Based on the findings, decision-makers are suggested to adhere to the policies and objectives determined in the development plans, and researchers are suggested o conduct research by analyzing the development plans and the National Education Council decisions together.

Designing flipped learning in initial teacher education: The experiences of two teacher educators

The move to online learning triggered by COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 necessitated a rapid movement to effectively design synchronous digital learning environments. In such environments research suggests that a flipped approach to teaching and learning is most appropriate in learning environments mediated by technologies. This article examines the experiences of two teacher educators in dealing with online learning environments in a time of change and examines the shift to a flipped approach in teaching literacy units that are part of a postgraduate initial teacher education degree at a university in Melbourne, Australia. The article presents a collaborative autoethnography of the experiences of the teacher educators, shared as a set of curated narrative vignettes, and analyses the thinking that supports the implementation of flipped learning. These practice narratives are understood through the lens of collaborative learning theory which emphasises negotiated meanings and knowledge creation within groups. In post-COVID times this article points to future possibilities for a flipped learning approach in hybrid or mixed learning environments and offers a conceptual process model for designing learning in response to change. Implications for practice or policy: Teacher educators may need to reconsider learning design for online and hybrid environments. Universities may need to be more open to student-centred pedagogies such as flipped learning. Leaders and policymakers in higher education should give more attention to student agency and active learning in educational delivery.

Book Review: Higher education in the Era of Migration, Displacement, and Internationalization

Higher Education in the Era of Migration, Displacement and Internationalization by Khalid Arar, Yasar Kondakci, Bernhard Streitwieser, and Anna Saiti provides a multifaceted exploration of the dilemmas involved in higher education policymaking and administration in keeping with the accelerated pace, scale, and diversity of transnational migration. Assuming that higher education empowers displaced persons to better themselves and their host communities, Arar et al. consider specific dynamics that shape the educational trajectories and choices available to these populations. The co-authors list activities and initiatives employed in various world states to create higher education pathways for displaced persons, highlighting different variables that affect policies and indicating the hurdles faced by the populations being served and the institutions supporting them. These country-specific examinations of approaches facilitating access are the richest contributions of the book. The discussion of the gendered dimensions of migration is less rewarding. Ultimately, this book is a timely investigation and can inform and improve higher education policies, practices, and narratives concerning displaced and refugee students.

Conceptualizing Generous Scholarship

In an era of neoliberalism and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to revisit the meaning, value, and praxis of scholarship. This article documents exploration of the emerging concept of generous scholarship, a compelling yet ill-defined and undertheorized construct that inspires our scholarly practices. We analyze the extant literature about generous scholarship and related constructs to address three guiding research questions: What is generous scholarship? What are its actions? What are its implications for scholarly life and the academy? A descriptive theory-generating research design led to a robust conceptual framework involving five principles of generous scholarship: social praxis, reciprocity, generous mindedness, generous heartedness, and agency. Generous scholarship is an intentional, collegial approach to scholarship that helps to mitigate the sense of isolation and depletion of energy often associated with managerial, production-oriented academic contexts. We argue that individuals and institutions that embrace generous scholarship may attract and nurture a vibrant cadre of academics, replenished in mind and spirit. Academics, university administrators, and higher education policy-makers are encouraged to address or resist the pressures inherent in their current workplaces and to carve space for generous scholarship.

A reflection on evolving student support in a post-pandemic higher education environment

The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on many facets of education and the education experience. This paper seeks to understand how it impacted the support in place for part-time, mature students studying at UCD College of Business. The concepts of learner-centredness and student engagement are explored in order to ask the question ‘How has the model of part-time student support provision evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic?’. The Dowling and Ryan (2007) model of student support was used as a heuristic to look at what principle changes are evident in the post-COVID19 environment. This case study demonstrates that the model of part-time student support has evolved since the Dowling and Ryan (2007) model as a result of changing student needs, the external pressures due to the pandemic, and the modes of provision now available to students. In particular, the proliferation of technology has changed the way students ultimately engage with their programme of study. Four central tenets of student support for part-time mature students were identified, namely: 1) Day to day support and use of technology; 2) Feedback and learner progress; 3) Skills Development and 4) Orientation and learner integration. Looking to the future, technology and learner support are fundamental to understanding and achieving learner-centred and engaging student support models. This paper’s reflection on the part-time student experience and how learner support might have been reshaped as a result of the pandemic will hopefully help to influence and shape policy-making in higher education and determine how practitioners provide support for part-time students. It also suggests the current concept of learner-centredness might also be expanded upon.

Students’ Intention toward Self-Regulated Learning under Blended Learning Setting: PLS-SEM Approach

This research explores the influencing factors of students’ attitude toward self-regulated learning (SRL) within blended learning setting (BLS). The theoretical model is developed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and two dimensions are proposed: major satisfaction (MS) and perceived teacher support (PTS). It studies how these variables affect students’ attitude toward SRL within BLS, directly or indirectly. The proposed model is validated by employing a partial least squares structural equation modeling approach (PLS-SEM) based on the valid data collected from 604 students from three private universities in China. The results suggest that (a) the constructs, including the PTS and TPB (attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavior control), have a positive impact on student attitude toward SRL within BLS; (b) SRL attitude has a positive intermediary effect on the relationship between PTS and SRL intention, and between MS and SRL intention, respectively; (c) perceived behavior control (PBC) has a positive intermediary effect on the relationship between MS and SRL intention; (d) subjective norm (SN) has a positive intermediary effect on the relationship between PTS and SRL intention. The findings have useful implications for teachers, higher institution administrators, researchers, and higher education policy-makers in enhancing students’ learning within the blended learning context.

The extent of self-reported impact of COVID-19 on daily academic activities and incomes among university students in Kumasi, Ghana

Students at universities are becoming recognized as a vulnerable populace, with much greater rates of depression and workload/activities than the overall population amidst COVID-19. As such, the present research intends to document the extent of self-reported impact on university students' everyday accademic lives and incomes. In August of 2021, a cross-sectional, self-administered internet-based poll was conducted among Ghanaian university students in Kumasi. The data was retrieved from the internet using Microsoft Excel and then analyzed using STATA software version 14. Both univariate and logistic regression analysis were performed, with a p-value<0.05 regarded statistically significant (*). The study included 430 participants, majority of whom were single (98.6%), young adults (89.8%), and Christians (90.7%). This survey found that 52.1% said the COVID-19 epidemic has a highly significant impact on their daily activities and income. Among other risk factors considered by the study, only students with a perceived risk of COVID-19 infection are approximately three times more likely to be affected by the pandemic in their daily academic activities and incomes than those who were not (Adj. OR = 2.516, 95CI% = 1.551–4.081, p < 0.001). The knowledge advanced by this study will educate stakeholders and aid policy-makers in higher education in improving public educational provisions. The results of this study may be used to predict the future effects of the pandemic. The novelty of this research also lies in its self-reported approach to analyzing the effect of the pandemic on the income and everyday academic activities of university students in Kumasi.

A DEA-ANN-based analytical framework to assess and predict the efficiency of Canadian universities in a service supply chain context

PurposeThis research is about embedding service-based supply chain management (SCM) concepts in the education sector. Due to Canada's competitive education sector, the authors focus on Canadian universities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a framework for evaluating and forecasting university performance using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and artificial neural networks (ANNs) to assist education policymakers. The application of the proposed framework is illustrated based on information from 16 Canadian universities and by investigating their teaching and research performance.FindingsThe major findings are (1) applying the service SCM concept to develop a performance evaluation and prediction framework, (2) demonstrating the application of DEA-ANN for computing and predicting the efficiency of service SCM in Canadian universities, and (3) generating insights to enable universities to improve their research and teaching performances considering critical inputs and outputs.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents a new framework for universities' performance assessment and performance prediction. DEA and ANN are integrated to aid decision-makers in evaluating the performances of universities.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that higher education policymakers should monitor attrition rates at graduate and undergraduate levels and provide financial support to facilitate research and concentrate on Ph.D. programs. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis indicates that selecting inputs and outputs is critical in determining university rankings.Originality/valueThis research proposes a new integrated DEA and ANN framework to assess and forecast future teaching and research efficiencies applying the service supply chain concept. The findings offer policymakers insights such as paying close attention to the attrition rates of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In addition, prioritizing internal research support and concentrating on Ph.D. programs is recommended.

System Design of Tracer Study Development in Higher Education

Tracer's study is program on the situation of alumni, especially in terms of job search, work situations, and the use of competency acquisition during college. Based on the benchmarks that have been set by Dikti, the development of tracer studies can be implemented in several stages, such as system design development, data design, and interface design. With the development of the tracer study system design, it is hoped that it can become the basis for developing an integrated tracer study information system with the institution. The purpose of this discussion is to find a tracer study design that is in accordance with the rules and regulations to be applied in the institution. Using a modified Borg and Gall development model, the author focuses on product design development. The earliest design tracer studies discuss system design because this is the first stage in program design and it is the most fundamental. With this approach, designs can be developed and this is expected to be in accordance with the institutional needs and regulations of DIKTI as policymakers in higher education.

Student readiness for e-learning co-production in developing countries higher education institutions.

This study set out to conceptualize and empirically establish the determinants and consequences of student readiness for e-learning co-production in the context of higher education institutions in developing countries. Using an online systematized questionnaire and structural equation modeling, data were collected and analyzed from 317 university students in Ghana. The analysis of the findings identified firm resource commitment, student resource commitment, task socialization, self-efficacy, motivation, and effective communication as the determinants of student readiness for e-learning co-production and student satisfaction as its consequence. The findings provide higher education managers with the critical factors for enhancing students' readiness for e-learning co-production. It also provides higher education policymakers with the strategic factors when assessing institutions as well as developing and implementing national policies on higher education e-learning. For academic researchers, this study was limited to the Ghanaian context, thus, limiting the robustness of the conceptual model and the ability to generalize the findings to another cultural context. Thus, future studies should undertake a cross-national comparison between developed and developing countries.

Quality Assurance for Performing Arts Education: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis Approach

Senior management in tertiary institutions desires an efficient system that could help them assess and evaluate learning outcomes so that effective policies can be implemented to enhance teaching and learning. This gets intensified as broader issues arise and higher expectations are put on tertiary education—build a creative workforce and adapt to new technologies to analyze the large volume of teaching and learning data. Government and higher education policymakers have to rapidly adjust relevant policies to surmount the challenges from the pandemic and also to keep up with technological advancement. This demands a novel and efficient way for policymakers and senior management to see and gain insights from a large volume of data (e.g., student course and teacher evaluation). In this study, the researchers present such a system through various examples. The findings generated from this study contribute to the scholarship, and they provide a solution to senior management in tertiary institutions wanting to implement effective policies efficiently. The use of online analytical processing, virtual campus, online, and machine learning in education is growing. However, the use of these technology-enhanced approaches is rare in performing arts education. There has been no in-depth study, especially on technology-enhanced learning that leads to the improvement of teaching. This study utilizes a multi-dimensional analysis approach on the course student evaluation, a key aspect of the teaching and learning quality assurance for higher education. A novel analytical framework is developed and implemented at a leading performing arts university in Asia. It analyzes the course evaluation data of all courses (669 courses and 2664 responses) in the academic year 2018/2019 to make evidence-based recommendations. Such a framework provides an easy and effective visualization for senior management to identify courses that need closer scrutiny to ascertain whether and what areas of course enhancement measures are warranted.

Undergraduate EFL Students’ Perceptions About Their Experiences Attending Online Classes During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Saudi University

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions about their experiences attending online classes at a Saudi higher education institute during the COVID-19 pandemic. Random sampling was used to obtain the subjects of the study, twelve undergraduate EFL students who attended online classes for the first time at Al-Baha University, Saudi Arabia. A SWOT analysis was used to process the collected data. The main strengths of using online classes in the EFL context were time/place flexibility, promoting a more active/interactive learning style, and the availability of recorded sessions, all of which helped the students when they were reviewing the asynchronously-delivered content. The weaknesses were all related to technical issues (access to an adequate internet connection and an appropriate device on which to access the internet). This study is expected to generate new insights into the process of implementing online classes or blended classes to teach the English language in the Saudi context, and to examine the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to such an adoption at the target university during the shift to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings may be beneficial for other higher education institutions with a similar context in Saudi Arabia and may benefit higher education policymakers in Saudi Arabia.

Longitudinal analysis of the environmental literacy of undergraduate students in Eastern Taiwan

Although higher education is crucial for training future professionals to deal with environmental challenges, there have been few longitudinal studies exploring how university students’ academic major influences their environmental literacy. This study identifies significant differences in environmental literacy among students from different colleges at a public comprehensive university in eastern Taiwan, both at the onset and towards the end of their studies. This analysis also shows how undergraduate students’ environmental literacy changes over time. It was found that freshman students in different colleges had similar environmental literacy levels except for science and engineering students. But after four years the environmental literacy gap between seniors in management and non-management students became obvious. In addition, seniors’ environmental literacy generally decreased or remained the same as that in their freshman year. The results suggest that to foster environmentally responsible citizens, educators in higher education should put more effort on cooperating with non-formal environmental education programs and connecting their teaching with environmental issues, action strategies, and inspiring visions. Finally, implications for program developers and policymakers in higher education are discussed.

The Black Professoriate: Assessing the Landscape Within British Higher Education

The paucity of Black higher education professors within the United Kingdom (UK) illuminates the systemic inequity of the higher education system within Britain. The dearth of Black Professors within the professoriate in UK Higher Education (HE) is reflective of the racially discriminatory landscape. This paper offers a succinct synthesis of recent evidence in relation to assessing how the Academy systemically marginalizes Black academics from the professoriate in the UK. This paper highlights the need for the sector to mobilize greater opportunities for Black academics to progress throughout the Academy to the professoriate, in addition to challenging the sector and HE policy-makers to play more of a pivotal role in advancing ethnic equality in UK universities.