Large Proportion Of Students Research Articles

In their own words - students’ perceptions and experiences of academic success in higher education

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explored and described South African students’ experiences and perceptions regarding academic success. Focus group participants related academic success not only to achievement, but also to goal attainment, feelings of satisfaction, and the application of new skills. Academically successful students were associated with strong academic self-concepts, motivation, balance, and effective study behaviours. The role of significant others were also highlighted. In contrast to the notion that adversity hamper academic success, the participants in this study emphasised resilience when faced with challenges and difficulties. They regarded being the first in their family to attend higher education and financial stressors as motivators for success. This study highlights the complexity of students’ academic success and the importance of recognising the nuanced nature of individuals’ reactions to academic challenges. These findings are of particular value in countries such as South Africa where a large proportion of students enrolled in HE are faced with many challenges of which the impact on their success may not be truly understood yet. This study confirmed the importance of understanding and accurately addressing the student success challenge, especially since higher education institutions are under increased pressure to guarantee the success of their growing and diversifying student body.

Research into the diversification of university careers in learning and teaching and intentionally closing-the-loop on graduate employability

Universities are both a source of employable graduates and careers. This paper examines universities as developers and employers of their own graduates from the perspective of employees and recruited positions. Research questions were: what do learning and teaching careers look like at universities, and; what are the occupational patterns, satisfactions and concerns of the staff in those careers? An autoethnographic account of employees’ career journeys (all of whom were employed in learning and teaching or closely related areas) from five different universities were shared, compared and contrasted. Two of these universities are profiled as having a large proportion of students from target equity groups and therefore have intentionally recruited learning and teaching staff to widen student participation. A desktop review of six months of university employment vacancies from these two universities was conducted. A consistent theme across the autoethnographic stories was a feeling of being an outsider. The authors’ hypothesis is that this is related to haphazard preparation for learning and teaching positions. Of the 322 university vacancies, 84% were for professional staff, 23% of which were in learning and teaching, with the most prevalent role being Coordinator. Fourteen per cent were for academic staff, 64% of which involved learning and teaching, and the most prevalent title was Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Key takeaways include recommendations for universities to intentionally enhance the employability of graduates who pursue learning and teaching positions within universities, and for prospective university learning and teaching staff to enhance their employability.

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards waterpipe tobacco smoking amongst college or university students: a systematic review

BackgroundDespite evidence for the harms of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), its use is increasing amongst college and university students worldwide. This systematic review aims to assess the knowledge of, attitudes towards and perceptions of WTS among college or university students.MethodsWe electronically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO and ISI the Web of Science in October 2018, restricting our search to studies published since January 1990. We included studies among university or college students that used qualitative or quantitative methods, and addressed either knowledge, attitudes, or perceptions towards WTS. We excluded studies where WTS could not be distinguished from other forms of tobacco use and studies reported as abstracts where the full text could not be identified. Data were synthesised qualitatively and analysed data by region (global north/ south), and by reasons for use, knowledge of health hazards, how knowledge influences use, perceptions towards dependence, and policy knowledge.ResultsEighty-six studies were included; 45 from the global north and 41 from the global south. Socio-cultural and peer influences were major contributing factors that encouraged students to initiate WTS. Furthermore, WTS dependence had two components: psychological and social. This was compounded by the general perception that WTS is a less harmful, less addictive and more sociable alternative to cigarette smoking. Knowledge of WTS harms failed to correlate with a reduced risk of WTS use, and some students reported symptoms of WTS addiction. A large proportion of students believed that quitting WTS was easy, yet few were able to do so successfully. Finally, students believed current public health campaigns to educate on WTS harms were inadequate and, particularly in the global north, were not required.ConclusionReasons for WTS amongst university students are multi-faceted. Overall, interventions at both the individual and community level, but also policy measures to portray a message of increased harm amongst students, are required. Additional studies are necessitated to understand temporal changes in students’ beliefs, thus allowing for better targeted interventions.

Building positive relationships with students struggling with mental health

Teachers today work in classrooms where a large proportion of students have mental health disorders. Yet, because these teachers lack training in mental health issues, they often react to these students in ways that cause them to shut down or escalate their aggressive behavior. Other teachers, however, seem to intuitively understand how to connect with these students. Behavioral analyst Jessica Minahan suggests that the strategies these teachers employ be treated as accommodations, similar to those provided for students with other special needs. Carefully articulating and writing down these interaction strategies will enable adults throughout the school to create personal connections that help students with mental health issues access the curriculum, instead of disengaging or being sent out of class for behavior they cannot control.

Time to think: Subjective sleep quality, trait anxiety and university start time.

Poor quality sleep is related to mental health and there is increasing interest in student wellbeing and mental health. The aim of the current study was to evaluate sleep quality, daytime dozing, anxiety proneness, chronotype and preferred start time in a sample of university students. A total of 546 university students (age range, 18–55) from two university located in South East England were included and completed an online survey. Participants’ self-reported age, gender, year and field of study. Sleep quality, anxiety, daytime dozing, coffee/caffeine/tobacco use (coded as binary variables), preferred start time and chronotype were also recorded. Data were analysed using independent samples t-tests, chi-square, simple mediation-analyses and Analysis of Variance. Across the entire sample 46% percent of participants rated their sleep as fairly bad or very bad. Poor quality sleep was associated with significantly higher levels of anxiety which was not mediated by chronotype. Poor quality sleep is more prevalent in the first year of university and our sample endorsed a start time for university activities approximately 2 h later than currently timetabled. The current findings demonstrate that a large proportion of students are chronically sleep deprived, obtaining, on average, less than 7 h sleep per night on week days and this was more marked in first year students. In addition, we show that poor sleep is associated with increased anxiety. Based on the current evidence the authors suggest a review of current university timetabling and examination scheduling merits immediate consideration by policy makers and educators.

School siting and mode choices for school travel: Rural–urban contrasts in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Mode choices for school travel are important to children’s health. School size and siting impose constraints on mode choices, and these factors vary considerably along the rural–urban continuum. Using the Halifax Regional School Board, Nova Scotia, as a case study, this research examines the effects of elementary school size and siting on mode choices and school busing.Data for 96 elementary schools in the school district are examined for statistical relationships between school and catchment area size, rural–urban location, and reliance on school busing. To estimate potential walkability, a mean Walk Score® was calculated for a 2.4-km pedestrian zone around each school, which represents the school board’s courtesy busing threshold. Mode choices from “hands-up” tallies at four schools were employed to calibrate the use of automobile and walking modes.In inner-city areas, pedestrian zones typically covered almost 90% of the school catchment area, and their walkability was moderately high. However, in suburban, commuter belt, and rural zones, much less area fell within the pedestrian zone, and walkability declined considerably. The proportion of students who walked or cycled for school travel were 40% (inner-city), 37% (suburbs), and only 5% in the commuter belt and rural zones. On the other hand, more than 80% of children who lived in the commuter belt and rural zones rode the bus, compared with 30% in the suburbs and only 6% in the inner-city areas. In both the suburban and inner-city schools, a large proportion of students were chauffeured by car.Findings suggest that post-1960 school planning for rural areas around Halifax has paid insufficient attention to the potential for children to walk or bike to school. Consequently, school consolidation and busing practices should be reconsidered in light of their negative impacts on the health and well-being of suburban and rural school children.

Dental Students' Knowledge and Attitudes towards Antibiotic Prescribing Guidelines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Background: The use of antibiotics prophylactically and therapeutically in dentistry has become common practice. Inappropriate prescription may lead to adverse side effects and bacterial resistance. During clinical training, dental students in Saudi Arabia are authorized to prescribe antibiotics. Aim: To evaluate dental students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotic prescription in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study based on a validated questionnaire consisting of 34 questions focusing on antibiotic indications in dentistry, antibiotic regimens, and knowledge regarding resistance was distributed amongst dental students in five leading dental colleges in Riyadh. Results: A large proportion of students (71.7%) were familiar with the concept of antibiotic resistance. When comparing junior and senior dental students’ knowledge with regards to indications of antibiotic use in commonly encountered conditions, it was found that there was no significant difference in antibiotic prescription frequency between these groups. Most dental students choose to prescribe amoxicillin as their first-choice of antibiotic (88.4%), and most also chose to use it for a duration of 3–5 days (69.2%). Conclusions: This study concludes that dental students may prescribe antibiotics inappropriately to manage various conditions when not indicated. This may indicate a defect in education of students with regards to current antibiotic guidelines.

Temporal Trends of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Simultaneity in Brazilian Students.

To evaluate trends in physical activity and sedentary behavior simultaneity among Brazilian students from 2009 to 2015 and its association with independent variables. This study presents a panel of 3 cross-sectional studies carried out in 2009, 2012, and 2015 (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar-PeNSE). The population was comprised of ninth-grade public and private schools students from Brazilian capitals. Physical activity and sedentary behavior variables were combined to create the outcome of simultaneity of these risk factors. A large proportion of students were simultaneously inactive and sedentary in the 3 surveys. However, it was possible to observe a downward trend (2009: 56.4%; 95% confidence interval, 55.7-57.1; 2012: 53.7%; 95% confidence interval, 53.0-54.4; 2015: 51.9%; 95% confidence interval, 51.2-52.7). In 2015, estimates of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior simultaneity were greater than 48% for 20 out of 27 of the Brazilian states. Significant declining trends were observed among mideast residents, females, nonwhite, and those attending private schools. Only around 5%-7% of the adolescents were both active and nonsedentary in the 3 surveys. Despite of a slight decreasing trend in the proportion of Brazilian students simultaneously inactive and sedentary throughout the period, the prevalence remained elevated across the surveys.

Career Preferences, Leadership Attitudes, and Research Interests among Pharmacy students of Lahore, Pakistan

The present study is aimed to evaluate student’s perception about career choices, research interests and leadership attitudes towards pharmacy profession and factors involved in the selection. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at seven different schools of pharmacy in Lahore, Pakistan. Questionnaire used in this study was designed from previous studies conducted in different countries. A total of 720 questionnaires were distributed among the fourth and final year pharmacy students, out of which 562 were returned with the response rate of 78.0%. Majority of the students (30.1%) considered Clinical pharmacist as a best career option and 18.1% students believed that personal interest was the prime reason in the selection of their profession. A large proportion of students (75.6%) believed that leader should take charge of the organization. The participants of age of 22-23 years were strongly agreed that leader is responsible for controlling the whole group or organization than other age groups (56.0%, p

Detailed molecular epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis in the population of Southampton attending the genitourinary medicine clinic in 2012-13 reveals the presence of long established genotypes and transitory sexual networks

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in England. Our objective was to perform a detailed survey of the molecular epidemiology of C. trachomatis in the population of Southampton UK attending the genitourinary medicine clinic (GUM) to seek evidence of sexual network activity. Our hypothesis was that certain genotypes can be associated with specific demographic determinants. 380 positive samples were collected from 375 C. trachomatis positive GUM attendees out of the 3118 who consented to be part of the survey. 302 of the positive samples were fully genotyped. All six of the predominant genotypes possessed ompA locus type E. One ward of Southampton known to contain a large proportion of students had a different profile of genotypes compared to other areas of the city. Some genotypes appeared embedded in the city population whilst others appeared transient. Predominant circulating genotypes remain stable within a city population whereas others are sporadic. Sexual networks could be inferred but not conclusively identified using the data from this survey.

Explaining university students’ career path intentions from their current entrepreneurial exposure

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to predict future career paths of university students, distinguishing between paid employment, running one’s own independent business and running a family business. The main predictor is the students’ current mode of entrepreneurial exposure, both in terms of the students running their own business, and in terms of their parents running their own business.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a comprehensive survey held in May 2013 among 1,490 business and law students of Kozminski University in Warsaw, Poland. To predict future career expectations in ten years’ time, multinomial logit regressions were employed.FindingsThe authors find that, among students with a family business background, those students who are actively involved in their parents’ business are significantly more likely to pursue joining the family firm, rather than starting their own business.Practical implicationsIn order to stimulate business succession, universities with a large proportion of students with family business background may consider launching dedicated programs promoting the interest of students in the businesses run by their parents.Originality/valueThe authors investigate to what extent active participation of university students in their parents’ business is associated with a higher probability to pursue a career in family business. The research has important implications in light of the increasing difficulty in Europe to find successors for family businesses.

Integrated Assessment and Feedback Practices and Effective Transition to Junior Honours

This study focused on a newly implemented large science course whose main aim was to prepare students effectively for Junior Honours, and whose learning outcomes included the development of core competencies in scientific learning such as scientific writing and critical thinking. It provided fully integrated essay assignments with preparatory and supportive learning activities, and with multimodal feedback and feedforward opportunities. This study investigated the long-lasting impacts of these integrated assessment and feedback practices on the development of scientific writing and critical thinking skills in Year 2 undergraduate students. It examined the benefits on the students’ learning experience and academic performance in Year 2 and analysed their conveyance to Junior Honours. This longitudinal study over two years combined both quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the students’ academic performance in scientific writing tasks, the students’ perceptions of their scientific writing skills and of their abilities to do well in Year 3. The results showed that although less current students felt confident in their skills development than the previous cohort, they actually performed better in Year 3. The findings also showed that a large proportion of students from both cohorts were unsure about their abilities to perform well in the subsequent year as they didn’t know the work standards expected. These results illustrate i) the need to help students reflect on their performance and skills development and ii) the importance of clarifying the expectations of each year level to ensure more efficient transitions across years. We suggest that all learning activities (including assessment, feedback and skills development activities) should be considered from a global programme view rather than in isolation within in each course. This should clarify the conveyance of learning experiences benefits across year levels and help students reflect better on their skills development through their degree.

Students achieve more when teachers have time to do what they know works best

Literacy skills acquired during the first years of schooling have been recognised as the key to students’ learning success. However, despite the continuing efforts by the New Zealand government and teachers there is still a large proportion of students who struggle to become literate. To address this issue the Ministry of Education funded selected New Zealand schools to take part in 10-week programmes designed to provide an intensive intervention in literacy (i.e. reading and writing) and numeracy. This article summarises the results from the part of the programme which focused on reading. The findings indicate that Year 1 and Year 2 students significantly increased their reading ability over the 10 weeks. The survey data, interviews and teachers’ journals revealed that the critical aspect of this success was teachers having time to meet individual students’ specific learning needs. At the school level the programme was lauded as successful. Importantly, these findings have implications not only for how principals allocate teacher time but also for policy-makers when considering how to support schools in addressing the needs of those students who have not made the expected progress in their literacy development in their first years of education.

The risks and rewards of teaching with humour in Western Sydney: Adapting pedagogy to complex demographics

The University of Western Sydney (UWS) services Australia’s most multicultural region, where a large proportion of students are either migrants or the children of migrants, and many are from non-English speaking backgrounds. It is also an area of chronic social disadvantage. Apart from generic literacy issues, there is also what could be termed a deficit in student motivation. Thus, teaching in this context requires a more creative approach to engage and retain students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Humour, as used in topical content and delivery, has been very successful as a vehicle for these aims. This paper will present a summary of central findings over four years of teaching with humour in two courses. It will be asserted that negotiating students’ literacy levels is best performed through effective use of humour: students are more motivated to learn when they feel that humour use is in their best interests.

Norms of Reciprocation Exhibited by Polish Students in the Trust Game: Experimental Results

Norms of reciprocity and the level of generalised trust are components of the social capital of a society, which is argued to be associated with economic growth. This article presents results from a large scale study of Polish students based on the Trust Game, in which an initiator and respondent can obtain mutual benefits when the initiator exhibits trust in the respondent, who then expresses positive reciprocity. Based on these results, we investigate norms of positive reciprocation within the Polish student community. Analysis indicates that a large proportion of students seem to use one of four simple norms of reciprocation. In statistical terms, the level of reciprocation is rather well reflected in the expectations of the initiators.

Student perceptions of the employability of the first degree in Portugal

Purpose The paper presents and analyses quantitative data on student perceptions about the employability of the first degree, and their trajectory choices on graduation. The purpose of this paper is to assess the value of the first degree as a positional good in Portugal, further to the degree’s reduced duration after the implementation of the Bologna Process. Design/methodology/approach In total, 828 students responded to an online survey administered between September 2013 and February 2014. Students came from 17 institutions, public and private, universities and polytechnics, across the country. Differences in student perceptions were analysed by higher education sector, study level and gender through descriptive statistics. Findings The majority of surveyed students, across sectors, study level and gender, assessed as negative the impact of the implementation of the Bologna reforms on the employability of the first degree. This had implications for students’ intended choices on graduation, as the majority consider enroling in a master degree (except for polytechnic students). Additionally, a large proportion of students felt unprepared to enter the labour market after the first degree. Research limitations/implications The size and distribution of the sample pose limitations for the generalisation of results to the student population. Practical implications The finding suggest that enrolments in master degrees are likely to keep rising, a valuable piece of information for institutions and policy-makers responsible for regulating higher education in Portugal. Originality/value Opinions about the value of the first degree have generally been based on qualitative research or anecdotal evidence. This study brings a quantitative perspective on the first degree’s value for different groups of students.

The prevalence of bruxism among students in the Faculty of Dentistry - Aden University

The phenomenon of bruxism affects millions of people throughout the world. Tooth grinding is an activity particularly important to the dentist because of breakage of dental restorations, tooth damage, induction of temporal headache and tempromandibular disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of bruxism among the college students and associated factors. The study was carried out in the Department of Prosthodontic, College of Dentistry University of Aden between the period 2009-2010. Clinical record of 177 healthy students were included in a study sample, they are divided into four groups according to the education levels (from second to fifth year), 15 of them were suffering from bruxism in association to 4 major and 3 minor sign and symptom, analyzed by using statistical tools (SPSS V.15). The prevalence of bruxism among dental student was 15 cases represented by 8.4% of all cases. The prevalence rate of muscle's pain was in the lateral pterygoid muscle 100%, Medial pterygoid muscle pain, Masseter m. and Trapezium m. pain represented with 40% of the cases and the lowest percentages in temporal m. and Sternomastoid m. pain 20%. According to sign on hard tissues teeth attrition represented the high percentage with 93.3%, followed by malocclusion with 73.3%, then the restorated teeth with 60% and the tooth sensitivity and mobility with 53.3% and 26.7% respectively then the bone exostosis with 6.7%. According to sign on soft tissues the gingival inflammation represented the high percentage of cases with 93.3%, followed by gingival recession with 80% of the cases, then the tongue dentition with 73.3% and 46.7% of cases with pocket. Prevalence rate of cases of TMJ respondent by deviation of mandibule was 93.3%, followed by 80% of the cases with pain at TMJ, then 66.7% with clicking, 47% with deflection of mandibule, 40% with opening limitation and 6.7% of cases with loss vertical dimension. The prevalence rate of bruxism associated with anxiety 80%, then patients under psychological treatment 40% and then the patients under antidepressiondruge26.7%. A large proportion of students with bruxism have potential psychological problems. Female gender, advanced educational levels and hostel residence as well as poor socioeconomic status are predisposing factors for pain severity in masticator muscles.

No difference in the intention to engage others in academic transgression among medical students from neighboring countries: a cross-national study on medical students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Macedonia

AimTo asses if the level of intention to engage others in academic transgressions was comparable among medical students from five schools from neighboring Southern-European countries: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia; and medical students from western EU studying at Split, Croatia.MethodsFive medical schools were surveyed in 2011, with ≥87% of the targeted population sampled and a response rate of ≥76%. Students’ intention to engage a family member, friend, colleague, or a stranger in academic transgression was measured using a previously validated the Intention to Engage Others in Academic Transgression (IEOAT) questionnaire and compared with their intention to ask others for a non-academic, material favor. Data on students’ motivation measured by Work Preference Inventory scale, and general data were also collected. Multiple linear regression models of the intention to engage others in a particular behavior were developed.ResultsThe most important determinants of the intention to engage others in academic transgression were psychological factors, such as intention to ask others for a material favor, or students’ motivation (median determinant’s β of 0.18, P ≤ 0.045 for all), whereas social and cultural factors associated with the country of origin were either weak (median β of 0.07, P ≤ 0.031) or not relevant. A significant proportion of students were aware of the ethical violations in academic transgressions (P ≤ 0.004 for all transgressions), but a large proportion of students also perceived academic cheating as a collective effort and were likely to engage people randomly (P ≤ 0.001 for all, but the most severe transgression). This collective effort was more pronounced for academic than non-academic behavior.ConclusionCulture differences among neighboring Southern-European countries were not an important determinant of the intention to engage others in academic cheating.

Bullying homofóbico. El papel del profesorado

La violencia entre escolares es un problema que afecta al 20% de los alumnos de nuestras aulas. El bullying un fenómeno grupal donde la violencia entre escolares resulta ser un emergente de las malas relaciones. Este fenómeno de maltrato se encuentra favorecido por la homofobia, encontrando que gran parte de los alumnos de orientación homosexual sufren con frecuencia los hostigamientos de sus compañeros (informe asociación FEGLBT, 2012). Las creencias intolerantes hacia grupos que se perciben diferentes son especialmente significativas entre los que han sido excluidos. Este trabajo plantea una revisión teórico-práctica sobre los problemas de violencia escolar relacionados con la homofobia a través del análisis de diversos informes e investigaciones. Concluyendo que existen evidencias de relación entre bullying y homofobia. Siendo que la mayoría de los hostigamientos proceden de los compañeros pero también del propio profesorado. Es significativo que más de la mitad de las agresiones se inician entre los 12 y los 15 años. Por tanto se hace necesaria una intervención específica orientada a la formación del profesorado que facilite una convivencia plural y democrática

The Role of Learning Support Services in University Studentss Educational Outcomes

Learning Support Services (LSS) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) is intended to aid students — particularly those who are at highest-risk of academic failure — to master the required material and succeed in the course. It includes two primary components: modified supplemental instruction (MSI) and tutoring. This study uses data from administrative records kept by UCSC on its students’ academic experiences in the 2010-11 to 2013-14 academic years to examine the extent of utilization of MSI and tutoring, the types of students engaged in these activities, and the role of LSS in aiding students to improve their course grades, remain in school, and graduate in four years. Findings indicate that a large proportion of students use these services; 22% of the entering cohort of 2010 used MSI and 33% used tutoring. Representation was highest among students who were historically disadvantaged. Students who participated in MSI and tutoring earned higher course grades when compared to other students and, in the case of MSI, compared to themselves in courses where they did not participate in MSI. Tutoring, but not MSI, was associated with improvements to retention, and neither was associated with improvements to four-year graduation.