Higher Education Population Research Articles

Using the Relating to Older People Evaluation tool to measure ageism in higher education.

The global population is ageing and this trend is expected to continue. Attitudes towards older people differ worldwide. Ageism is a complex, multifaceted concept that includes attitudes and behaviours. In the UK, ageism and discriminatory practices exist in nursing, and educationalists and clinicians need to address ageist attitudes and promote the care of older people. In nursing there is a lack of synthesised evidence measuring ageism among nursing students. To explore the use of the Relating to Older People Evaluation (ROPE) questionnaire in different student populations in higher education, including nursing students. A systematic search was conducted for articles written in English describing the use of ROPE, published between 2007 and 2017. Six quantitative studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Statistical analysis was not possible and a thematic analysis of these studies was completed. Two themes emerged: attitudes predict behaviour and socialisation to ageism in higher education. Ageist attitudes were correlated with negative ageist behaviours and the socialisation of nursing students in clinical practice increased ageist attitudes. Ageism and the ageist attitudes of nursing students must continue to be explored. ROPE is a suitable tool to measure nursing students' ageist attitudes and behaviours.

Technology‐enhanced learning in higher education: How to enhance student engagement through blended learning

AbstractBlended learning has risen in popularity in the last two decades as it has been shown to be an effective approach for accommodating an increasingly diverse student population in higher education and enriching the learning environment by incorporating online teaching resources. Blending significant elements of the learning environment such as face‐to‐face, online and self‐paced learning leads to better student experiences and outcomes and more efficient teaching and course management practices if combined appropriately. Hence, an appropriate systematic and dynamic approach of blended learning design is crucial for a positive outcome, starting with planning for integrating blended elements into a course and creating blended activities and implementing them. Evaluating their effectiveness and knowing in which environments they work better and improving the blended activities designed from both the student’s and instructor’s perspective are critical for the next delivery of the course. This article aims to increase awareness of higher education educators about how traditional face‐to‐face learning can be transformed into blended courses so as to develop student engagement with both in‐class and online approaches, whilst being time effective for the instructor.

Examining the selection of university courses in young adults with learning disabilities.

The literature contains a great deal of research on Specific Learning Disorders (SpLDs). However, almost all of the studies related to SpLDs deal with the difficulties that said disorders cause during childhood or adolescence. An interest in adults with SpLDs is only recent, especially in university students like those in this study. In Italy, research on SpLDs in higher education is rather limited. This study aims to rectify this lack of data by making a brief analysis of the data on SpLDs prevalence in higher education and of the courses chosen by university students with SpLDs. Our sample consisted of 585 students with SpLDs enrolled at 19 public universities that communicated the number of students who contacted their offices of service for students with SpLDs. The prevalence of students with SpLDs in the higher education populations we sample had a mean of 0.13% (SD=0.11) and ranged from 0.03% to 0.48%. The data showed that the higher education faculties with the highest number of reported SpLDs students in our sample were Statistics, Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Education, and Architecture. It is important to analyse the trend in university enrolment of student with SpLDs to protect the right to education for people with SpLDs.

Leveraging Communication Skills Through the Usage of Smart Phones Among the Students

Recent advancements in smart phone technologies have created unique opportunity to learn and teach. Critics used to focus the drawbacks of mobile addiction and its consequences which on other side suggest going back and rejecting the technology advancement. When it comes to the usage of technology, going back is not a solution. At the same time using technology as a learning tool is not just a cool new thing. More than quarter of the student population in higher education has an access to smart phones and the number continues to rise every year. The next generation of students needs to meet and surpass the expectations of next generation educational standards. This will happen with a tremendous effort from both the sides of students and faculty alike to learn and use technology effectively. This paper reports on recent research undertaken at an Indian state university in order to understand the awareness level and influential rate of useful mobile application to leverage the communication skills among the student community. A survey questionnaire was developed and deployed based on the literature study and the data collected were analyzed quantitatively. Upon analysis, these data validate that students are well aware of mobile learning applications but the usage differs as those practices are not encouraged as a part of formal learning.

The post-independence history of student movements in India and the ongoing protests

ABSTRACTDoes the current upsurge in student protests indicate the advent of a new phase in the history of the student movement in independent India? While a definitive answer to this question can only be given in time, the context from which this current wave springs has certain distinctive elements that are essential for understanding what is unfolding and its potential impact. On the one hand, the last two decades in India have seen a veritable explosion in the numbers of students studying in institutions of higher education and a great widening of the social base from which the student population in higher education is drawn. On the other, there has been near stagnation of the ratio of public expenditure on higher education to GDP. This and the trajectory of the economy have meant the combination of an increasing financial burden on students and their families and a growing lack in actual opportunities to satisfy the varied aspirations driving the willingness to bear this burden. This article will try to draw out the implications of these contradictory phenomena and the changing official discourse on education for understanding the possible transition being experienced by the student movement in the era of neo-liberalism, situating this period in the longer history of the student movement since independence.

Oral health behavior and oral hygiene habits of elderly population in Podgorica, Montenegro

Introduction an increase in the number of elderly users of dental services is expected in bubbling. The aim of the study was to examine the oral health behaviour and oral hygiene habits of the elderly population in Podgorica, Montenegro. Materials and methods the study used a 21 closed-end question questionnaire, prepared in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization. Using standard statistical methods, ch2 test was performed (p = 0.05). Results the average age of subjects was 71 ± 6.35. 40.0% of population was edentulous; 81.90% had some kind of dentures; last visit to the dentist was less than a year ago in 25.7% and more than five years ago in 27.6%. Higher educated population had regular dental check-ups (ch2 = 47.178; p < 0.001). The reason for dental visit was most commonly pain or other mouth discomfort, teeth or dentures in 59.0%. 33.3% of examined population reported fear of dental interventions as the reason for the lack of dental care. 16.2% reported high cost of dental services as reason for avoiding dentist. 41.0% of population used tobacco products and 21.0% alcoholic beverages. Les than half of population (40.0%) had regular dentist. 41% of population brushed teeth and dentures three times a day, oral hygiene AIDS use was noted in 35.6% while 50% used denture-cleaning tablets. Conclusion Oral health behaviour and oral hygiene habits of the elderly in Podgorica are not satisfactory. Since elderly are mostly in need of prosthetic treatment it is important to improve dental-prosthetic care in the state health care system.

Keeping in Touch With Citizens Online: Social Media Usage in Dutch Local Government

In recent years, social media has become a major venue for the interplay between citizens and public sector organizations, in order to facilitate corporate dialog. However, not much comprehensive research has been done on how interactivity between local governments and citizens takes shape. Building on earlier work that addresses municipal e-government adoption, this article does empirical work on the ways in which social media is used by all 380 Dutch municipalities. It focuses on social media usage by means of a quantitative assessment through five social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. In doing so, it sheds light on the interrelations between e-government adoption, social media deployment, and sophistication of use from a local government perspective. Furthermore we identify determinants for the types of social media usage by means of a stages of an e-government model consisting of three phases. We find that more densely populated municipalities with a larger and a higher-educated population use their Twitter account significantly different from their counterparts.

Complexity of Academic Socialization of Historically Underrepresented Doctoral Students: De-Privileging Distinctions Between Macro-and-Micro-Theoretical Approaches

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; This article represents a conceptual work that critiques and challenges traditional linear theoretical assumptions of academic socialization and integration that are often applied to research of diverse populations in academia in general and doctoral education specifically. The article further proposes a new conceptual framework of academic socialization as a meaning-making act of historically underrepresented doctoral students. The ultimate goal of the proposed framework is to reconcile the restrictive use of sociological macro- and micro- orientations to foreground possibilities of a conceptual and empirical focus on an individual meaning making act (as a form of individual agency) of historically underrepresented doctoral students within the critical contexts of academia. The proposed framework offers methodological and analytical tools for a more complex qualitative research and institutional/individual practice to account for increasingly diverse populations in higher education.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Education and Economic Growth of the Western Balkans Countries

Summary Numerous theoretical and empiric studies investigate the correlation between education and human capital and economic development. Full affirmation of knowledge and the role of education in stimulating economic growth were provided by endogenous theory. The subject of this paper is to analyse the correlation between education and educational system and the economic growth of the Western Balkans countries (WB). The hypothesis of this work says that: education and educational system in the WB affect the growth of GDP per capita. A better education system stimulates and accelerates the economic growth and development. The aim of this research is to prove that an optimal education system stimulates the growth and development in each observed national economy. In this paper, the results of the correlation analysis indicate high compliance of higher education with GDP per capita i.e. higher education population is particularly important for the level of development whereas there is a highly compliant but inverse relation of the population with informal level of education and economic development in the WB countries.

Higher education recruitment in the United States: a chronology of significant literature

ABSTRACT Given the absence of a chronology of the historical philosophies, perspectives, and practices of recruitment within the higher education institutions in the United States, the authors have assembled an overview of the material on recruitment strategies and ideologies of American higher education institutions. Literature from and about the past aids in illuminating the current context while helping to navigate the future of higher education recruitment. The authors have identified five general periods: prior to 1920, 1921 to the end of the Second World War, the post-War decade, mid-1950s through the 1970s, and 1980s to the present. Documentation for each period varies significantly in quality and amount, with the densest data found for the two later periods. Future researchers may explore how recruitment practices and language encourage or discourage under-represented populations in higher education. Further research in other areas of educational recruitment is also suggested.

Contract lecturers are a growing yet precarious population in higher education

Some institutions seek better career paths for non-tenure-stream teachers.

Estrategias para la inclusión de estudiantes sordos en la educación superior latinoamericana

La universidad, particularmente en Latinoamérica, refleja grandes vacíos en su contexto social. A pesar de los avances académicos e investigativos se suele dejar de lado la riqueza cultural y lingüística de comunidades que hacen parte de la misma realidad social. Un caso puntual es el de la comunidad sorda, cuyo acceso a la educación superior es muy reducido; incluso, quienes ingresan a la universidad pueden enfrentarse a condiciones hostiles y alejadas de una educación humanista. En general, son muy incipientes los procesos que se tienen con la inclusión de esta población en la educación superior. Por eso, en este trabajo se plantean algunas estrategias que pueden adaptarse en las instituciones universitarias, con el fin de lograr las transformaciones pertinentes para una educación popular que incluya a estas minorías.

University student perspectives on institutional non-disclosure of disability and learning challenges: reasons for staying invisible

ABSTRACTStudents with disabilities (SWD) in Australian higher education need to disclose to their institution to access a range of ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support their learning. Nationally, 5.8% of the university population disclose their disability to their institution. It is suspected that there is a much larger population of students who choose non-disclosure, and therefore decide not to access support. Very little is known about the reasons for non-disclosure as this group represents a hidden population in higher education. The research reported here is based on a survey of undergraduate students in one regional Australian university where disability was reframed as ‘learning challenge’. This identified the institutionally non-disclosed group. This research identified that there were sound reasons for non-disclosure, students continually weigh up potential disclosure during their study, and students have difficulty with the disclosure process. We conclude that institutions need to understand that they have an invisible group of non-disclosing SWD in their student populations and that, to meet their learning challenges, universities need to support changes to policies, procedures and curriculum design.

Collaboration, confidentiality, and care.

There is an increasing call to attend to the needs of students in distress (Reynolds, 2013). Furthermore, research has begun to highlight links between distress, risky, or dangerous behaviors as well as issues in mental health in the higher education population (Deasy, Coughlan, Pironom, Jourdan, & Mannix-McNamara, 2014). The National Alliance on Mental Health and the Jed Foundation (National Alliance on Mental Illness & the Jed Foundation, 2016) estimate that about 20% of enrolled college students will face some type of mental illness. As such, the work of mental health professionals, which has been increasing with time, will continue to play a pivotal role on today's campus (Kitzrow, 2009). Yet mental health in higher education is too pervasive and significant of a topic for counseling and psychological centers to handle by themselves (Joint Task Force in Student Learning, 1998; Mitchell et al., 2012). Therefore, a collaborative approach is warranted as higher education professionals strive to meet the increasing mental health demands of the student population. Case studies amalgamated from housing and residence life professionals are used to gain a greater understanding of how interdepartmental work is carried out without compromising or breaching ethical or legal regulations as set by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and/or organizational standards like that of the International Association of Counseling Services Inc. (International Association for Counseling Services Inc., 2014) Specifically, the cases demonstrate ways inter- and intradepartmental staffers can work as a team, safeguard private and confidential information, and concurrently create an environment in which care is nurtured. (PsycINFO Database Record

Indigenous higher education in Mexico and Brazil: between redistribution and recognition

Indigenous groups in Latin America face a double exclusion from higher education, with low levels of access to institutions and little acknowledgement of their distinctive cultural and epistemological traditions within the curriculum. This article assesses current policies in Mexico and Brazil towards indigenous populations in higher education, considering the various responses to the challenge, including affirmative action programmes in mainstream universities, intercultural courses and autonomous institutions. These policies and initiatives are analysed using the theoretical frames of redistribution and recognition, focusing on demands for formal equality and material wellbeing on the one hand, and a distinctive cultural and educational space on the other. While state-sponsored policies focus primarily on the redistributive element, initiatives based on recognition come largely from autonomous organisations, raising a series of dilemmas and tensions around educational justice for indigenous populations in the region.

Progress and paradox for women in US higher education

Gender, and especially the status of women, is certainly one of the most salient identities in all corners of the world. For some countries, the issues begin with the right to education at even the earliest ages. In the United States, there is a prevailing assumption, because women are a majority of the undergraduate and graduate populations in higher education that a threshold concerning access and equity has been reached. The story of gender, however, is a more complex one. This article will focus on the parallel notions of significant progress in some domains for women in higher education and the paradox that depending on the level, and depending on which women, progress and in some cases lack of progress is clear. The article will review changes over the last decades and address the deeper issues of institutional transformation and the emerging issues for policy including conceptualizations of gender.

(Self) evaluation of knowledge in students' population in higher education in Macedonia

Students' assessment, in general, observed through a socio-historical prism, has always beentreatedas an extremely sensitive, current, significant, indicative and continuously present phenomenon. In that respect, what is especially relevant is that for a very long time docimological procedures and their effects have been focused on following only the primary and secondary schools' student population and they were expected to be an integral part of the teachers' professional practice. But, when the first book on evaluation in higher education appeared in the UK some 30 years ago, there were some fierce reactions to it. Thus, Hounsell (2003) points out that this topic has become so controversial, frightening and even offensive for many university professors. However, today it is considered that a good practitioner is the one who reviews his own practice and who evaluates the teaching process from the learners' perspective (Brown, Fry & Marshall, 2003). Therefore, the underlying motivation for conducting this research was the fundamental issue of students' self-evaluation of their achievements. The main objective of this study is to determine whether there is compatibility of the students' self-assessment of their achievements with the professors' evaluation of students' achievements. To that end, we applied a transparent procedure for collecting information involving a self-evaluation sheet and an interview technique in the context of the following university courses: general psychology, developmental psychology and social psychology. The preliminary results point to a high percentage of correspondence between the students and professor's evaluation. The expected outcome of this research is to promote this type of evaluation approach and to turn it into a common practice in higher education as it can contribute greatly to amplifying the quality of students' self-assessment on the one hand, and the teachers' interest in bettering the existing modes of students' evaluation on the other hand.

Home Away From Home: Native American Students’ Sense of Belonging During Their First Year in College

ABSTRACTNative American students are an underrepresented population in higher education with discouraging low 1st-year persistence rates when compared with the general population. Using the peoplehood model, this analysis employed the Indigenous methodology sharing circles to explore Native American students’ sense of belonging (n = 24) and factors that influence it during their critical 1st year in college at Southwest University (pseudonym). Findings indicated that many Native students experienced racial microaggressions and structured disconnections from their home communities. Family and the Native student center on campus provided a “home away from home” environment. Although these were important in helping students create a localized sense of belonging, they only were necessary to the extent that the culture of the institution served to invalidate the Native students’ peoplehood. To support Native students’ sense of belonging, institutions must validate and incorporate Native culture and perspectives within the ingrained Eurocentric cultures of non-Native colleges and universities.

Bridging continents, cultures, and crip theories: teaching Comparative and International Disability Studies in education and sociology

ABSTRACTThis article deals with the question how to teach Disability Studies and Inclusive Education to international student populations in higher education (HE). It provides a glimpse into an example of teaching practice, namely a workshop on experiences and expectations of disabled international students in HE, organized by the second author. By referring to the notion of bridging, it reflects how various understandings of what disability is, can be linked up and made fruitful in the classroom. The proposal of this article is twofold: for the theorization of disability, that a variant of ‘Comparative and International Disability Studies’ shall come into being; and for the practice of inclusion in HE, that the time is ripe for a concrete and constructive discussion about the access, participation and educational achievement of international students with disabilities in universities abroad, as well as about appropriate forms of assistance for their mobility.

Dropout: Demographic Profile of Brazilian University Students

This study analyses dropout in higher education, a worldwide problem seen in the literature of developed and developing countries. The aim of the study is to explain dropout in Brazil's private higher education. Dropout is defined as the interruption of studies by students in higher education enrolled for any length of time, regardless of university change before its conclusion. This research uses data from students, which are the main population in higher education. Thus, the research is based on a survey questionnaire conducted to a higher education student population. These students can be divided in two categories to be compared: the regular private higher education students and the college students who have stopped their studies. The empirical study begins by a characterization of the respondents, followed by a logistical regression in order to identify the determinants of dropout. Age, change of marital status during the course, having scholarship and asking for funding were considered as determinants of dropout. Results of this research give contribution to young students, the society, the government, private higher education institutions and indirectly to the companies.