Student Perceptions Research Articles

Direct and Indirect Impacts of Sociopolitical Contexts on Campus Climate: Student Perceptions and Experiences between 2016 and 2018

Direct and Indirect Impacts of Sociopolitical Contexts on Campus Climate: Student Perceptions and Experiences between 2016 and 2018

Stakeholder perceptions of gerodontology education for final year Australian dental school curricula.

The study explored the perceptions of final-year Australian dental students, directors of nursing, and consumer representatives toward geriatric education provided at Australian undergraduate dental schools. Findings will strengthen and inform future curricula design for dental schools. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted through videoconferencing and in-person interviews, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis found the major themes to include relationships, curriculum variation, resources, and in-service learning experiences. The participants found gaps in the current delivery of undergraduate dental education. Solutions included greater resourcing through funding and time allocated to supervisors and a curriculum dedicated to gerodontology. Healthcare professional curriculum design must consider the needs of the learners and stakeholders involved in the health of older people. The focus group participants found multiple barriers and gaps to achieving what is required to adequately prepare dental graduates for an older, frail, and care-dependent population. For curricula to be successful, policymakers and education providers must find solutions to ensure that the oral health needs of older Australians are addressed and managed appropriately.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish student version of Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ-Spa) in a sample of adolescents

ABSTRACT The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) assesses the perceptions of inclusion in 3rd to 9th grade students through three scales: social inclusion, emotional inclusion, and academic self-concept. This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the instrument (PIQ-Spa) since no prior formal validation of the PIQ-Spa has been conducted. One thousand Spanish adolescents (12 to 16 years, M = 14, SD = 1.41) participated. The analytical process involved four phases. The initial phase employed confirmatory factor analysis to compare one-factor and three-factor models. Subsequent phases assessed the reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity of the instrument. The model with three correlated factors obtained the best indices of overall fit. Convergent validity was supported by significant factor loadings and average extracted variances (AVE) exceeding 0.5 for all factors. Discriminant validity was supported by confidence interval tests, HTMT ratios, and average extracted variances exceeding the squared correlations between factor pairs. These findings offer robust support for the PIQ-Spa’s validity and reliability in assessing Spanish adolescents’ perceptions of inclusion. Within the Spanish educational landscape, the PIQ-Spa can equip educators with a deeper understanding of student perceptions, enabling them to identify areas for improvement in fostering inclusive school environments.

Student Persistence Through a Different Lens

Unlike many earlier models of student persistence that viewed the process of student persistence through the lens of the institution, the model proposed here looks at persistence through the eyes of students. It draws on the research on student motivation, student perceptions, and the impact of student networks on student engagement to propose a model of student persistence that stresses the importance of student perceptions of their engagement with others on campus and the meanings their draw from their engagements to their decisions to stay or leave. In doing so, it argues that to further promote student persistence, institutions should ask how their actions can influence student perceptions and in turn their motivation to learn and persist.

Willingness to Pay for Online Courses during the Pandemic

During the pandemic in fall 2020, we surveyed students to assess determinants of and willingness to pay for online courses. We found some changes in student perception of online courses as well as the determinants of taking online courses. That is, better grades became less important while convenience of scheduling became more important in student perception as well as in the choice of online courses. In addition to this perceptional factor, degree level, e.g., bachelor’s or associate’s, became an important determinant to the number of online courses as well as to the amount willing to pay for an online course. We also found that students were willing to pay less than the actual tuition rates for online classes. Our constructed demand analysis indicates that the revenue-maximizing tuition rate should be higher than what students are willing to pay.

Students Perception of Using Google Translate in Learning English

Students Perception of Using Google Translate in Learning English

Impact of Psychological Factors on Physical Education Learning Outcomes

This research aims to analyze the impact of students' perceptions and learning motivation as the main factors that influence physical education learning outcomes. Affective learning is reported to be one of the key factors in achieving physical education learning outcomes. A correlation design using the associative causal method has been used to collect information from a sample of 63 public elementary school students. Data collection was carried out through questionnaires and focus group discussions. Next, to examine the impact of this study, we utilized IBM SPSS software. The results show that there is a different correlation between physical education learning outcomes and predictors of student perception and learning motivation. The strength of the direct influence identifies that there is a significant positive influence on students' perceptions and learning motivation on physical education learning outcomes. Therefore, the components of student perception and learning motivation are the main factors in physical education learning outcomes.

Beyond the Classroom: The Transformative Influence of Clubs and Chapters on Student Life

Beyond the Classroom: The Transformative Influence of Clubs and Chapters on Student Life

Exploring perceptions of pre-clerkship students about workplace learning in the clinical learning environment at Gulf Medical University, UAE

BackgroundMedical students view clinical workplace placements as an inspiring and motivating learning environment where active student participation is pivotal to development of students’ identity. The progress from pre-clerkship to clerkship education harbors many challenges which consist of experiential learning, adjusting to the clinical environment, and understanding roles & responsibilities. Workplace learning is underpinned by various adult learning theories including social theories,constructivism, supported participation and legitimate peripheral participation. Workplace learning course was recently initiated for pre-clerkship students at a medical university in UAE, which will enable their smooth entry into the clerkship phase of the curriculum.ObjectivesThe research aims to explore students’ perceptions of various domains of their clinical learning environment (CLE), highlight the challenges they face, and extract valuable feedback to improve their environment.MethodsThis study was conducted qualitatively by using focus groups method in order to explore students’ perceptions of the clinical learning environment. Two focus group discussions were conducted (n = 8 +/-10) to determine the common challenges of workplace learning and its potential solutions. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The approach used to carry out this study was phenomenology, as it helps to understand the learning and behavior of these students who are undergoing this pre-clerkship training in order to transition smoothly to the clerkship phase.ResultThe focus groups helped to deeply explore the perceptions of students about their clinical learning environment. It helped to reveal the challenges encountered by the students including the significance of proper orientation of staff and students, language barrier, availability of learning opportunities, and supervision quality. The focus groups provided worthwhile suggestions to improve the learning opportunities in the clinical learning environment which include orientation of the staff and students what to expect, improved supervision, mentoring and providing learning opportunities to encourage participation.ConclusionThis study attempted to identify the pre-clerkship students’ perception of their clinical learning environment and the challenges they face over there. Possible suggestions by the students included a formal orientation for the staff and students to be carried out at the beginning. Efforts should be made by clerkship directors to provide students with learning opportunities by increasing patient exposure, encouraging participation, and providing high-quality supervision.

Pedagogical relations as a decolonisation tool in African higher education: Reflection on the ethics of care, respect, and trust

This article uses the findings obtained from a study that delves into the perceptions of students on their relationship with their higher education (HE) lecturers and how it affects their academic success, to respond to the issue of decolonisation in South African HE, and to approach the question of decolonising HE in Africa. The article argues that it is essential to prioritise student well-being, amplify their voices, and promote a caring culture towards addressing the issue of decolonisation in African education systems. The study shows that African HE students hold higher expectations of their lecturers beyond being professionals. This expectation includes respect for students’ thoughts and incorporation of epistemology that aligns with fostering African development, culture and thoughts (without necessarily conforming to neoliberal norms). The four categories of the teacher’s role, which include academic development, respect and trust, social relationships, and ethics of care are highly demanded by HE students. Borrowing the study outcome, this article holds the view that students’ high expectations of their lecturers to foster social relationships should be channelled to incorporate the African student as a collaborator in the business of education and as a response to the demands of HE students to decolonise African education system. These four categories are not only institutional strategies for effective teaching and learning but also a way to address the non-inclusive impact of Western epistemology on historically racial institutions in Africa.Contribution: This article proposes that adopting mainstream pedagogical relationships can be a powerful tool in incorporating the African students’ thoughts and a step towards liberating the HE system in Africa. It recommends these four cardinal themes as institutional strategies for restricting teaching and learning that relegate students to the receiving end thus systems that refute students as collaborators of knowledge sharing especially at historically racial institutions.

Engaging secondary school students in sustainability assessments through farm nutrient mass balances

AbstractDecision‐support tools (DSTs) are increasingly used to collect, manage, and/or analyze growing amounts of data generated on farms. The whole‐farm nutrient mass balance (NMB) is an assessment with an associated DST (the Cornell NMB calculator) that measures farm nutrient management efficiency. Our main objectives were to (1) develop and implement a secondary school curriculum on NMB assessments; (2) evaluate its impact on student knowledge and perceptions of agricultural sustainability, nutrient management, careers in agriculture, awareness about data collection and use of DSTs, and analytical and quantitative skills; and (3) assess teacher experiences delivering the materials. The curriculum was implemented across 21 New York classrooms. Students completed one pre‐ and one post‐curriculum implementation questionnaire (n = 134). Teachers completed a post‐curriculum implementation questionnaire (n = 19). Results showed that the curriculum enhanced student knowledge of nutrient management and effectively conveyed the fundamentals of the NMB metrics. It also impacted student perceptions of the utilization of DSTs and need for mathematical skills and data management knowledge in agriculture. The curriculum did not influence student interest in pursuing agricultural careers but exposed them to aspects of farming that they were not previously familiar with. The math‐focused lessons were identified as challenging by many students and teachers. Teachers found the curriculum applicable to the real world, exposing students to new aspects of farming. We conclude that real‐world case‐study examples, carefully planned math‐focused lessons, appropriate support materials including widely installable and user‐friendly software, and training opportunities for teachers can help effective teaching of DST use and agriculture sustainability concepts.

Flipping diverse classrooms

Flipped Classroom is a pedagogical approach in which all or some of direct instruction is moved outside of the face-to-face environment to dedicate more in-class time to ‘hands-on’, experimental and engaging activities. Usually enabled by educational technology, the Flipped Classroom approach draws on the ‘active learning’ philosophy which implies that students must share responsibility for their learning with their instructors, resulting in more impactful learner behaviours. Considering university classrooms are increasingly diverse, with international students forming a significant cohort of learners, instructor perceptions of internationals students in Flipped Classrooms are of interest. This is particularly important because international students, especially those from Asian countries, can be perceived by instructors as ‘passive’ learners’ regardless of students’ actual skills, learning preferences and goals. This presumed ‘passivity’ may clash with instructors’ goals, potentially creating tensions-filled dynamics between instructors and international students in Flipped Classrooms. The proposed article explores university instructors’ perceptions of international students in technology-enabled Flipped Classrooms to understand how these perceptions may influence instructors’ choices for the design of the flip. Findings demonstrate that while some instructors view international students as a barrier to impactful Flipped Classroom, others draw on their classroom’s diversity, using it as a source of inspiration, and designing the flip with international students in mind.

Recruiting the next generation of project managers: Student interests, industry needs, and marketing messages

Businesses need well-trained project managers but recruiting students to this field is a challenge. This three-part study examines motivational factors that influence students to pursue a project management degree, industry requirements for project management careers, and graduate program marketing messages. The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of alignment among these three variables and make recommendations for graduate program marketing stakeholders and industry leaders to improve recruitment strategies for these programs. Study 1 seeks to understand prospective student opinions and trigger factors when applying to a graduate program using a survey with regression and cross tabulation statistical analysis. Study 2 analyzes the relationship between project management certifications and work experience and salary using regression analysis. Study 3 is a content analysis that examines how graduate programs market their project management programs to prospective students. Study findings indicate industry leaders and higher education stakeholders need to use informational marketing campaigns to bridge the knowledge gap between market demand and student perceptions. Higher education leaders need to design curriculum that includes industry certifications and practical skill courses if they want to increase enrollment and career placement for project management students.

Using the perceptions of online university students to improve the pedagogy and practice of distance educators

This paper reports on the findings of an investigation into the experiences of undergraduate and postgraduate distance education students from one higher education institution, Avondale College of Higher Education. All of the institution’s current students who were enrolled in a distance course or who had previously completed a distance component of their course were surveyed using an online questionnaire. A subgroup of this population also contributed to focus group discussions. Findings from an analysis of the combined data gathered from the online questionnaire and the focus groups were used to inform the institution’s professional development (PD) program that supports lecturers to design and teach online courses. Results of the study are outlined in terms of distance students’ perceptions about the institution’s distance education program, specifically in relation to course structure, interaction and communication, presentation of materials, use of media and design consistency. The paper concludes with recommendations for addressing the weaknesses of online learning programs including both curriculum design and PD strategies.

Me in a Minute

Graduates require evidence of employability beyond marks and grades to differentiate themselves in the highly competitive labour market. Universities cannot guarantee employment, but they can engage students in learning and recognise achievement that is relevant to employment. Here, we share preliminary insights from interviews investigating student perceptions of an extra-curricular video strategy designed to develop and showcase graduate employability. The Me in a Minute video strategy provides students with support to film a one minute video pitch aimed at potential employers. Student perceptions of the strategy suggest that in addition to providing an individualised artefact that can be used to showcase achievement, the strategy engages students in reflection that helps them to better understand and articulate evidence of their achievements relevant to employment. Furthermore, students value the learning associated with pitching, more than the video itself.

Variations in the coherence and engagement in students’ experience of blended learning

We report a study which examines coherence of engagement of 344 first year engineering students’ blended learning experience. Using self-report and observational data sources, we demonstrate that student perceptions of the blended learning environment, academic learning outcomes, and engagement with the online learning activities are logically related at the variable level as shown by correlation analyses; and at the level of student groupings of similar learning experience and behaviors, as revealed by cluster, ANOVA, and 2 x 2 contingency analyses. Using self-report data, we found that when students perceived the learning activities in the f2f and online environments were integrated, they were more likely to be engaged with the online learning and to perform relatively higher on the assessment tasks than students who perceived disintegration between f2f and online learning. Using the observational data, students who were more engaged with the online learning tended to perceive that the online learning was well integrated with the f2f learning, that the online contributions were valuable for the whole learning experience, and achieved relatively higher than less engaged students. A 2 x 2 contingency table revealed a logical relationship between the groupings of students based on the selfreport and observational data: moderate and positive association was found between students with coherent perceptions and more engagement; and between students with fragmented perceptions and less engagement. The use of multiple data sources and methods enabled triangulation, strengthened analysis power, and offered a more comprehensive picture of students’ blended learning experience.

Translation competence between industry and academia in Saudi Arabia: job descriptions vs students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT Given the constant changes in the translation job market, translator training (TT) programmes need ongoing adaptation to continue training students to meet market requirements. This study aimed to explore the extent to which undergraduates of Arabic/English TT programmes in Saudi Arabia (SA) perceive their ability to help students acquire knowledge and skills related to translation (sub)competences required in the Saudi translation market. To this end, two empirical studies were designed using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach. The first analysed 91 translation-related job descriptions published in SA during 2020 to identify the knowledge and skills required in the market. The second analysed the perceptions of final-year students of the Saudi undergraduate Arabic/English TT programmes regarding the extent to which their programmes helped them acquire these skills. The findings indicate the need to explore why students perceived programmes as ‘not effective enough’, as well as the need to propose ways to develop them. This study will contribute to improving Saudi undergraduate TT programmes to provide highly qualified, competent translators to satisfy current Saudi translation market demands.

Barriers to inclusion and equity: a mother-son critical reflection and lessons learned

This study is an exploration of DisCrit Mothering, of education, research, and activism, rooted in our radical love for our children facing barriers and injustices due to intersectional oppressions in schools. We employ critical duoethnography to discuss and analyze our experiences, understandings, and lessons learned in our mother-son educational journey through counter-storytelling of four pivotal events to counter implicit bias and majoritarian narratives. We identify patterns of racism, ableism, and exclusion in our stories and share our lessons learned. We identify the need for a better understanding of dis/ability, timely identification, a rejection of deficit-focused approaches, and student and family involvement in IEPs. We make ourselves vulnerable to share our stories, using our lessons learned to urge educators to question their perceptions of multiply-marginalized students and to focus on care and equity versus discipline.

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of healthcare students and professionals on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare in Pakistan.

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has emerged as a promising solution to enhance healthcare efficiency and improve patient outcomes. The objective of this study is to analyse the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of healthcare professionals in Pakistan about AI in healthcare. We conducted a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. This was distributed to healthcare professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, medical students, and allied healthcare workers) working or studying in Pakistan. Consent was taken from all participants before initiating the questionnaire. The questions were related to participant demographics, basic understanding of AI, AI in education and practice, AI applications in healthcare systems, AI's impact on healthcare professions and the socio-ethical consequences of the use of AI. We analyzed the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software, version 26.0. Overall, 616 individuals responded to the survey while n = 610 (99.0%) of respondents consented to participate. The mean age of participants was 32.2 ± 12.5 years. Most of the participants (78.7%, n = 480) had never received any formal sessions or training in AI during their studies/employment. A majority of participants, 70.3% (n = 429), believed that AI would raise more ethical challenges in healthcare. In all, 66.4% (n = 405) of participants believed that AI should be taught at the undergraduate level. The survey suggests that there is insufficient training about AI in healthcare in Pakistan despite the interest of many in this area. Future work in developing a tailored curriculum regarding AI in healthcare will help bridge the gap between the interest in use of AI and training.

Perception of young Arequipa university students on the last mile delivery service

El objetivo del presente artículo es analizar las percepciones, preferencias y expectativas de los clientes en Arequipa con respecto a la entrega de productos en la etapa final de la cadena de suministros, conocida como “la última milla”. Para este fin, se realizó un estudio empírico en el que la muestra utilizada para el análisis consistió en 385 jóvenes (de 18 a 25 años) y se utilizó un cuestionario estructurado con 10 ítems y una escala Likert de 5 puntos. Se aplicó el Coeficiente de Alpha de Cronbach (0,890) y se desarrolló un baremo de interpretación para facilitar el análisis de las respuestas obtenidas. Los resultados destacan la importancia de aspectos clave como la seguridad, confiabilidad, capacidad de respuesta y empatía durante el proceso de entrega. En consecuencia, se concluye que mejorar la confiabilidad y empatía en la entrega es esencial para el éxito del comercio electrónico y la fidelización del cliente.