Post-secondary Educational Institutions Research Articles

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION ON INTENTIONS OF STUDENTS IN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The capacity to affect change on a local and global scale about a range of political, social, environmental, and economic challenges is known as social entrepreneurship (SE). Young exposure to theory and practice of social entrepreneurship at postsecondary educational institutions is thought to influence this change. In this study, we examine the intentions of students in social entrepreneurship. This study's objective is to assess the degrees of social and entrepreneurial entrepreneurship. For the study, 150 college students served as the sample. This study examines empathy, moral duty, social support, self-efficacy, social impact, and educational level as principal motivators for social entrepreneurship intentions. The SPSS is a software program used to analyse the data and perform statistical analyses. The findings indicate that the only factors that were statistically correlated with the desire to engage in social entrepreneurship were empathy, self-efficacy, and psychological support. The association between social support and the ambitions for social entrepreneurship was shown to be unfavourable. In conclusion, the study provides insightful information for practitioners and educators who aim to foster a vibrant environment for student social entrepreneurship.

Department of Education issues guidance for students with diabetes

In February 2024, the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights issued guidance pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to assist colleges and universities for students with diabetes (https://www.ed.gov/news/press‐releases/us‐department‐educations‐office‐ civil‐rights‐releases‐new‐resources‐students‐disabilities). Section 504 applies to postsecondary educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance.

The Teacher Training Institute in Burgas: А Time-Honoured Productive Tradition

The opening of the Teacher Training Institute in Burgas in 1943 as the first post secondary educational institution was logical and decisive for the prospects and future trends in education on a regional scale. During its 57 years of existence, Hristo Botev Teacher Training Institute became a centre for training, qualification and retraining of teachers, a cultural and educational hub. Its history was traced using archival sources, published memories and personal documents that have been put in scientific circulation for the first time. For the purpose of analysis, the historical and pedagogical approach, cultural and historical retrospection, and historical comparative analysis have been applied. The collected facts and their scientific interpretation lead to the conclusion that, chronologically, the Teacher Training Institute was the first step towards making Burgas a university city. Its establishment marked the beginning of a tradition that today allows us to talk about Burgas as the training centre for pedagogical staff in Southeastern Bulgaria

Driving the career readiness agenda in Hong Kong higher education

The concept of “career readiness” can trace its origin to earlier studies about learning and employability in higher education as well as management of student life cycle. Since then, career readiness has evolved into a major concern for public funders and regulators of higher education. Policy researchers contend that following the expansion of higher education and subsequent institutional commitment to ensuring student success, the current stage is about emphasizing employability as the primary indicator of graduate outcomes. This policy shift projects the university-employer interface into the spotlight and creates a favorable condition for promoting work-based experiential learning in higher education. While all postsecondary education institutions in Hong Kong give due regard to graduate employment as a measure of successful “university to work transition,” most of them however do not offer structured courses to train their students in skills for lifetime employability. This leads to the question of whether the status quo is desirable and what would be an effective lever for effecting change. Should coaching students for career readiness remain the responsibility of career development office or can academic staff also have a role to play in supporting it? What are the different approaches for teaching about “work life” in the crowded undergraduate curriculum space? Answers to the above would depend on how much the higher education sector in Hong Kong is prepared to embark on a “whole-of-life” approach to develop “work conscious” and not just “work ready” graduates. The new direction will help to generate a positive effect on higher education institutions in Hong Kong for them to compete through curricular and pedagogical innovations in support of the career-readiness agenda.

Community involvement in addressing the antibiotic crisis.

Increasing student interest and success in STEM education is a top priority for many postsecondary educational institutions. One well-documented approach to both priorities is to have students participate in a Course Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). Faculty from several technical colleges and universities in Wisconsin teamed up with the Tiny Earth organization to offer a CURE to address the search for new antibiotics. Students enrolled in undergraduate microbiology courses engaged in research and participated in community outreach. To involve the community, faculty from various institutions joined an NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, and created the Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium. Here, students presented their work via scientific posters, to community and industry members, and networked with other scientists from around the region. The Tiny Earth in Titletown symposium started in 2018, was held again in 2019, and returned in 2022 following a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Record attendance in 2022 suggests that community outreach and education may be helping restore trust in science that was lost during the pandemic.

Perceptions of the dental education-wide climate: Analysis of the 2022 ADEA climate study focus groups.

Climate assessments in higher and postsecondary education institutions are essential in landscaping inclusiveness and belonging for students, faculty, and staff. Although some climate assessments in dental education have been conducted either as part of their own campus or parent university climate assessment, a dental education-wide climate study has not been conducted across dental schools and allied dental education programs in the United States and Canada. As integral part of the 2022 ADEA Climate Survey in Dental Education, focus groups were conducted from March to April 2022 to ascertain the perceptions of students, faculty, and staff in dental education. A phenomenological study on 85 focus group participants comprised of students, faculty, and staff at U.S. and Canadian dental schools and allied dental education programs was conducted. Thematic analyses were structured on four overarching categories: (1) belonging, (2). bias, (3) challenges and barriers, and (4) future recommendations. Several themes emerged across all groups. The lack of inclusion and belonging on campuses, deficit of faculty of color, microaggressions and differential treatment of students of color, and the need to enhance recruitment of diverse students and faculty of color were among themes identified. Exclusive to U.S. allied dental education programs, exposure to unique community and clinical opportunities for students was identified as an important theme to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). The first-ever dental education-wide climate study exposes the need to undertake this initiative in academic dentistry. The ongoing challenges unveiled in this study offer an opportunity to identify solutions that are meaningful, inclusive, impactful, and that foster humanistic learning environments for students, faculty, and staff in dental education.

Risk factors of food insecurity among students at diverse post-secondary education institutions: a cross-sectional examination.

Identify the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) and compare sociodemographic, mental, physical, behavioral, and environmental risk factors for FI among students at a private university, community college, and historically black college or university (HBCU). Adult students attending a private university, community college, or HBCU (n = 4,140) located within the southeastern United States. Using an online survey (2017-2019), FI, sociodemographic, mental, physical, behavioral, and environmental data were collected to understand their association with FI. Up to 37.1% of students experienced FI. Identifying as black, other/multi-racial, having poor sleep, federal loans, depressive symptoms, high stress, social isolation, or a chronic condition were associated with FI. These associations varied by institution. FI is prevalent within diverse post-secondary institutions that serve traditional and nontraditional students with risk factors varying between institutions. The prevalence of FI and risk factors can inform institutional policy responses to ameliorate the effects of FI.

Igniting Pathways for Land-Based Healing: Possibilities for Institutional Accountability

U.S. based post-secondary educational institutions usually have violent origin stories that include land theft, genocide, and the participation in slavery. Schools of social work are no exception. In recent years, colleges and universities, including schools of social work, have started to confront their histories of and participation in racial-settler colonialism. The severance of land as kinship, and land theft, have been a significant part of the harms of racial-settler colonialism. Colleges and universities have benefited from land theft, primarily through land-grants. Still, institutional accountability has been minimal, including limited acknowledgment of harm and modest changes in curriculum and staff. This paper expands the terrain of institutional accountability in social work higher education to consider land-based healing initiatives as a critical remedy for the harms of racial settler colonialism. This paper provides a historical review and decolonial analysis of the connection between social work higher education and land-grant institutions. Building on social cartography literature, a mapping framework for decolonizing higher education is examined in relation to questions of institutional accountability by land-grant universities. This framework is offered in conjunction with contemporary examples of struggles for institutional accountability in and outside of higher education. The paper concludes with future recommendations for research related to institutional accountability and the implications of land-based healing as an approach.

Disaster Education in the Context of Postsecondary Education: A Systematic Literature Review

The upward tendency of global disasters and associated losses urgently calls for enhancing disaster education (DE) and professional training. Although postsecondary education institutions (PSEIs) play an essential role in this educational mission, a comprehensive understanding of DE development in PSEIs remains unclear. In response to this knowledge deficit, this article employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach to explore the current development of DE in PSEIs through reviewing 76 publications from 2011 to 2022 through a mixed-method analysis process (univariate analysis and thematic inquiry). The quantitative analysis outcomes illustrate that the studies were unevenly distributed globally. The qualitative findings demonstrate the following fourfold characteristics of DE in PSEIs: (1) in terms of pedagogical characteristics of DE, there is a call for a radical shift in pedagogical strategies because the conventional teaching approaches are inadequate in tackling the potential risks and emerging hazards; (2) disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives have been integrated into DE, addressing diverse disasters and their differential influences; (3) through community-based partnerships, PSEIs can provide informal and nonformal education to affected individuals and communities; and (4) interconnections between DE and other educational approaches that broadly address global climate change have been recognized, contributing to resilience and sustainability. Based on these outcomes, this study recommends future DE-specific research could focus on (1) exploring potential radical pedagogical approaches to respond to emerging risks and hazards, (2) stimulating cross-disciplinary collaboration to address the full spectrum of disasters’ societal impacts, and (3) increasing collaboration between PSEIs and nonacademic organizations to raise grassroots awareness through informal DE.

Adapting Criminology Field Placements during a Global Pandemic: Communication, Flexibility, and Contingency Plans in Experiential Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world in ways never imagined. Post-secondary education was no exception. When post-secondary educational institutions switched to online teaching almost overnight, experiential learning programs scrambled to adjust. Research conducted during the pandemic reports on the importance of contingency plans for crises, flexibility, and creativity to ensure students completed their experiential learning terms. Drawing on interviews with 9 students, reflective journals from 20 students, and online surveys completed by 13 community partners, this study explores the impact of the pandemic on field placements that are part of an undergraduate Criminology program at a Canadian university. Findings indicate that the pandemic presented unique challenges to students working in criminal justice system and related agencies and that communication, ongoing support, and flexibility helped mitigate some of the stress these students experienced. Unexpected benefits are also discussed. We offer recommendations for experiential learning in Criminology programs based on these experiences.

Student Transfer Mobility within Indigenous Programs: Pathways of Access or Appropriation?

Mobility pathways to and from Indigenous programs is one strategy post-secondary education (PSE) institutions employ to support reconciliation, yet data is limited on the status or impact of these pathways. The current study examined program pathways of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners within Indigenous programming. Fifty-three students were recruited from across PSE institutions in Ontario. Chi squared tests indicated that the majority of students transferring to an Indigenous program were Indigenous, however the study also found that non-Indigenous learners were frequent users of pathways. Results of this study provide cause for consideration about how settler normativity may permeate in pathway development and delivery and recommendations are provided on how PSE can centre Indigenous students in mobility program development.

Controlling Quality Standards to Enhance Higher Educational Quality Assurance

Most Somali educational institutions need to set up more structured and clearly defined curriculum plans due to the need for a body to control quality education or create standards that help regulate educational settings. Furthermore, educators need to be aware of the importance of curriculum in their institutions. They should have clearly defined objectives or goals for what educational institutions want to achieve in educating society. A curriculum serves as a roadmap for an institution's educational objectives. It reviews how a learning organisation establishes such objectives and guides how teachers plan instructions and assess learners. It refers to the strategies and tools educational institutions use to lay out a course for students to fulfil a curriculum's goals. It is also intended to help institution administrators manage teachers and hold them accountable for their actions. An institution which can help with higher educational quality assurance is the Higher Education Commission (HEC). HEC is the appropriate organisation tasked with developing uniform educational programs. An HEC can also act as a body that oversees postsecondary and higher educational institutions. The importance of curriculum creation will be highlighted in this paper with examples of situations when HEC has authority and has established rules that educational institutions must follow. Finally, the paper will try to address the following questions: How can HEC establish criteria and requirements for educational institutions to develop high-quality curricula? How can HEC monitor and evaluate the performance of educational institutions? How can HEC advise institutions on how to design curricula that strike a balance between teaching and learning?

Seeking Justice, Seeking Hope

This article focuses on place-based pedagogy developed in partnership with Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR) at Guilford College, which is the first initiative of its kind to mobilize college and university campus resources to provide housing and other forms of assistance to refugees seeking resettlement in the institution’s local area (within and beyond the institution’s physical borders). ECAR is transforming refugee resettlement in the United States as it also transforms our understanding and teaching about the issues faced by these communities, and the role of post-secondary educational institutions. Through ECAR’s commitment to “compassionate hospitality and radical accountability” (Every Campus A Refuge, n.d.), campuses undergo transformations that blur the boundaries between campus and community and redefine the notion of “place” for students and community members. This paper outlines the main place-based curricular components of the ECAR and Principled Problem Solving initiative at Guilford College. We present an analysis of survey data collected from students who participated in the curriculum, and analyze their responses. This data indicate that the academic program’s place-based pedagogy 1) provides students opportunities to learn about what forced displacement is and why it happens; 2) centralizes the voice, agency, and perspectives of the individuals who experience forced migration and resettlement; 3) emphasizes how we can collectively organize and advocate to address the problems of forced displacement and resettlement. In this way, the minor is helping students engage in the work of principled problem-solving in refugee resettlement through specialized course offerings and place-based pedagogy. The paper concludes with challenges and opportunities for campuses interested in adopting this place-based campus refugee resettlement program for their colleges/universities, as well as discuss pathways for further research and pedagogical innovation.

The perspective of new managerialism on changes in Hong Kong's self-financing post-secondary education institutions: progress, challenges and outlook

PurposeThe present study adopts the analytical framework of new managerialism (NM) to explore the progress, challenges and outlook of self-financing post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong since 2000. This study also identified issues and related managerial implications for developing this niche form of higher education in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted a critical review of self-financing post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong, including the sub-degree and degree sectors, via collecting a series of policy documents and archives from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, the Public Records Office and other government bodies. To supplement the findings, semi-structured in-depth interviews of 18 academic staff of Hong Kong's self-financing post-secondary institutions were carried out.FindingsThe study shows that self-financing post-secondary institutions not only encounter challenges related to insufficient resources but also face pressure from accreditation requirements of various international organisations. The study also suggests that massification and privatisation of self-financing post-secondary institutions, and embracing a managerial approach for operation and governance will induce a new wave of self-financing post-secondary institutions in the near future.Originality/valueThis study offers insights for self-financing post-secondary institutions into implementing appropriate strategies to maintain competitiveness and retain talents in the coming years.

Emergency Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic of the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah: A Report on Stakeholder’s Opinions

The devastating effect of COVID-19 has impacted global citizens for the past three years. More than six hundred and forty-six million people have been infected and there have been almost seven million casualties. Consequently, new variants have been discovered in quick succession around the world. Global communities have witnessed cruel fatalities and lost properties and businesses, and experienced the usual activities of service sectors being hampered, including those of post-secondary educational institutions, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately damaged family life and society in general. Emergency management strategies were adopted by educational institutions around the world, including in the Middle East, in order to manage the ongoing pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the emergency response mechanisms to COVID-19 at the King Abdulaziz University (KAU) by interviewing major stakeholders to ascertain their opinions through a cross-sectional survey. A total of 350 responses were recorded from students (64.28%), faculty members (21.42), and staff (14.28). The collected data were analyzed using statistical methods and illustrated using different schemes, graphs, and diagrams. Interestingly, the KAU emergency response plan for COVID-19 was appreciated by the respondents and it has emerged as a success story at a post-secondary educational institution in the KSA.

"The change was as big as night and day": Experiences of professors teaching students with intellectual disabilities.

Since the inception of the Higher Education Opportunity Act in 2008, there has been an increase in the number of post-secondary education institutions in the United States that have established inclusive postsecondary programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities to attend college and achieve higher levels of employment. Previous studies have investigated the development and outcomes of these programs, however, less has been explored related to professors' experiences and perceptions regarding this unique student population, particularly within Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). The current study focused on professors teaching inclusive courses within a new Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program at a HSI and aimed to identify their perceptions and experiences related to instructing students with intellectual disabilities. Six professors participated in pre- and post-semester in-depth interviews. Findings from applied thematic analysis included: (a) barriers to success; (b) academic supports and strategies; (c) successful outcomes and (d) considerations for future, related programming.

The Effects of Psychosocial Factors on International Students’ Mental Health and Relevant Interventions

Mental disorders are pervasive among global students enrolled in postsecondary education institutions, and the mental health conditions of international students (ISs) are seizing additional attention from professionals due to their unique challenges. This review aims to address three categories of psychosocial factors that are particularly affecting ISs’ mental health conditions, including 1) acculturative stress, 2) explicit and implicit discrimination and 3) interpersonal relationships/intercultural social efficacy. High mindfulness level, low perceived cultural distancing, high host language proficiency, and sufficient psychoeducation of educators and ISs are protective of ISs from acculturation-related distress. Low perceived host language proficiency, loneliness, and anxiety mediate the relationship between ISs’ mental health and discrimination. Possessing, maintaining, and enhancing existing healthy interpersonal relationships and social connectedness to the host culture provides ISs with social support to overcome psychological distress. Correspondingly, the article discussed interventions that have shown effectiveness and potential practical application value from both personal and institutional perspectives. In sum, mental health conditions are as noteworthy as academic competency among ISs, and it requires more investigations into the intervening process targeting psychosocial stressors.

:The Right to Higher Education: A Political Theory

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Decolonizing Sustainability through Indigenization in Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions

Sustainability discourse indicates a need to reconsider our approaches to social, economic, and environmental issues because, without deep transformation, global human survival is in jeopardy. At the same time, post-secondary education institutions in Canada are Indigenizing their settings but have rarely taken up sustainability and Indigenization as related concepts. In this research, participants delivering Indigenous programming in ten colleges and universities across Canada contributed their insights on the relationships between Indigenous worldviews and sustainability in their territories and institutions. The five key findings that emerged from the study are: (1) Indigenous worldviews are based on a belief in the sacred, which orients Indigenous knowledges and responsibilities for sustaining life on Earth; (2) sustainability is expressed as a function of tradition linking Indigenous identity with culture, language, and environmental health; (3) entrenching Indigenous knowledges throughout institutions is to sustain cultural identity; (4) national and international standards supporting Indigenous self-determination are primary drivers for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges and advance the underlying principle of sustainability; and (5) Indigenous holistic learning includes social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability.

One and Done, or a Bundle and Stumble? An Exploration of Assessment Methods in Undergraduate Science Curricula

Abstract Introduction: Assessment, historically, has been done in a summative manner in post-secondary education (HE). Whilst useful for the purposes of grading and assessment of competency, there is also increasing pressure from post-secondary education institutions to meet certain standards in terms of education quality and graduate numbers, putting pressure on teachers to produce evidence of students’ level of understanding and thus putting a greater emphasis on the use of summative assessments. The formative assessment approach for student learning is preferable in some fields, but how useful is this format for the science subjects? Purpose: To discuss the utility of either summative assessments or formative assessments (or both) in science teaching at university level. Methods: Exploration of the literature involving teaching science in university undergraduate courses (i.e., no formal search criteria). Conclusions: A new category of assessment is needed - the integration of formative and summative assessment.