Scottish Higher Education Research Articles

Higher education retention in Ireland and Scotland: the role of admissions policies

AbstractThis article provides new insights into the role played by higher education (HE) selection policies in influencing student retention by exploring drop-out patterns in Ireland and Scotland. The Irish and Scottish HE systems differ in relation to the emphasis placed on grades and subjects studied at school and to the degree of autonomy enjoyed by HE institutions in the student admissions process. We investigate whether these system differences matter for student retention using administrative data from national student records and logistic regression modelling. The findings show that in Ireland, HE students have higher chances of dropping out than in Scotland and there are inequalities in these chances among students from different social backgrounds. Moreover, the association between subject matching (but also school grades) and the chances of dropping-out is stronger in Ireland than in Scotland. We conclude that the tighter student selection criteria in Scotland improve retention and reduce social inequalities in drop-out rates. Moreover, admission criteria are found to be important not only to explain between-country differences in drop-out rates but also within-country differences among different HE institutions.

How does the self-reported health of undergraduate nursing students change during their degree programme? Survey results from a Scottish University

BackgroundThe lifestyle behaviours, and the physical and mental health of nurses, are poorer than those of other allied health professionals, and of the general population. However, these were no less favourable among first year undergraduate nursing students at a Scottish Higher Education Institution (HEI) than among similar people of the same age. We compared health and health behaviours among the same cohort of undergraduate nursing students over the course of their degree.MethodsAn anonymous self-complete repeat cross-sectional survey was administered during a timetabled teaching session at three time-points to undergraduate nursing students at the start of Years 1, 2 and 3 of their programme. They had received written information about the study previously.ResultsSelf-reported health did not change significantly over time, but there was a clear decline over the 3 years in the proportions of students rating their mental health as excellent/very good/good and a concomitant increase in those rating their mental health as fair/poor. Correspondingly, the mean WEMWBS wellbeing score declined over the 3 years, with the proportion of students with a score of < 46 (indicating either high risk of major depression, or in high risk of psychological distress and increased risk of depression) increasing from one quarter to one half. This effect was captured and described using a Bayesian regression analysis. The most noticeable change in health behaviours was a decline in physical activity levels over the study period. The proportion of students managing 150 min of weekly physical activity decreased from three quarters to two thirds. This was reflected in higher self-reported sedentary time, although there were no observable trends over time in mean BMI, or proportions of students categorised as overweight or obese.ConclusionsThis paper suggests that there may be a decline in mental health and in participation in physical activity among nursing students over the course of their degree. We recommend the incorporation of an intervention into the undergraduate nursing curriculum that promotes and encourages regular physical activity, offering students the opportunity to learn about health promotion and lifestyle change in practice, to improve their own physical health, and to address mental wellbeing.

Fields of study: Horizontal or vertical differentiation within higher education sectors?

This paper assesses the extent to which fields of study and postsecondary institutional sectors serve as mechanisms to preserve social stratification in Scottish higher education. We develop a hierarchy of fields of study based on their social-class and earnings returns, avoiding problems of circularity that occur when fields of study are ranked by their selectivity. We combine data from representative surveys from six cohorts of Scottish school leavers with data from labor force surveys and higher education statistics to examine associations between social background and field of study within types of Scottish higher education, from the late 1980s to the early 2000s when participation in Scottish higher education was expanding rapidly. The results indicate that, when fields of study are ranked according to their labor market returns, they do not serve as a mechanism of social reproduction. Indeed, within the newer sectors of Scottish postsecondary education we see evidence of persons from less advantaged backgrounds choosing more lucrative fields of study: students from working class origins tend to be overrepresented in high-return fields of study in Scotland’s higher education colleges (upgraded to university status as part of the expansion) which, though less prestigious than the old, established universities, are venues in which programs such as engineering, technology, business, and allied health fields – among the more remunerative fields – are concentrated. Although returns to fields of study do not increase inequality by social origins, they do magnify gender inequality, as men are overrepresented and women are underrepresented in fields with greater labor market returns.

Faculty experience of rudeness in Scottish higher education: dealing with rudeness from students and colleagues.

This paper investigated rudeness experienced by academic staff from students, co-workers and senior staff members. The focus of much of the rudeness literature in an educational setting has been on the student experience of rudeness, predominantly in the classroom. The aim of the current study was to focus on the experience of academic staff rather than students, and to broaden consideration of rudeness beyond the classroom, to include e-mail. Using a mixed-methods questionnaire, with both closed and open questions, rudeness perception, impact and response was examined across a sample of 122 academic staff from Scottish Higher Education institutions. The study examined relationships between personality, stress, job satisfaction, level of rudeness and the impact of rudeness on staff. The qualitative segment explored responses to rude e-mails across three sources; student, colleague and senior colleague. The results indicated that academic staff reported similar levels of rudeness from students, co-workers and senior colleagues. Faculty who reported high levels of neuroticism were more likely to report a negative impact of rudeness. Academic staff also reported that their response to rudeness could differ according to the instigator: a greater proportion of staff reported that they would be likely to reprimand a student, in comparison to a colleague, for rudeness. Staff were more likely to seek an informal resolution to rudeness with a co-worker, rather than a student. This paper highlights the potential importance of individual characteristics in assessing the impact of rudeness on faculty and indicates that rudeness may come from several sources in academia.

Fresh thinking about academic development: authentic, transformative, disruptive?

We highlight three ways of conceptualising and enacting academic development: firstly as authentic, practice-based activity, secondly in terms of a new transformative paradigm for academic development units (ADUs), and thirdly as a space for disruption. We illustrate these conceptualisations through our investigation of the practice of internal secondment of faculty to ADUs. We report our findings from a sector-wide survey of Scottish higher education institutions and a series of in-depth interviews with secondees and their managers in two Scottish universities. We recommend further investigations to identify new ways of enacting authentic, practice-based, transformative, and disruptive academic development.

The Topic of Alcohol within the Scottish Occupational Therapy Curricula

Introduction: Scotland has witnessed a large rise in all types of alcohol-related illnesses, and in alcohol-related deaths. Despite this escalating problem, previous research in Scotland has demonstrated that gaps exist in the knowledge base of graduate occupational therapists. This study therefore aimed to document the content of alcohol in Scottish occupational therapy curricula. Method: This study was conducted during 2010–11. A questionnaire was sent to the programme leader of all the Scottish Higher Education Institutes offering a BSc (Hons) degree in occupational therapy, and to the only Further Education College in Scotland offering a Higher National Certificate in occupational therapy. The response rate was 100%. Findings: There is a lack of cohesive approach to alcohol misuse education within the occupational therapy curricula delivered in Scotland. Key proposals of the Scottish Government targeting alcohol misuse are inadequately addressed. Conclusion: The topic of alcohol and alcohol misuse is taught to varying degrees within the curricula offered in Scotland and further emphasis needs to be placed on understanding alcohol misuse and associated potential interventions, irrespective of practice context.

Middle managers’ experience of policy implementation and mediation in the context of the Scottish quality enhancement framework

This paper analyses how middle managers perform and experience their role in enacting policy in Scottish higher education institutions. The policy focus is the quality enhancement framework (QEF) for learning and teaching in higher education, which was launched in 2003. The data-set was collected between 2008 and 2010, during the evaluation of the QEF by means of focus groups with middle managers at nine Scottish institutions. The metaphor of a policy implementation staircase helps to situate middle managers’ position in enactment, and analyse their experience of the role. Despite the values of collegiality and ownership upheld by the QEF, middle managers’ accounts of their practices reveal that their position at the interface between university management and core academic activities continues to be a delicate one, marked by contradictory allegiances to institutional strategies and the concerns of academic colleagues. While emphasising middle managers’ pivotal role in the implementation of the QEF policy, the data paradoxically suggest that the systemic positioning of middle managers is more influential in shaping their role of mediation than the values of collegiality and ownership promoted by this enhancement approach to quality specific to Scotland.

Reappraising the importance of class in higher education entry and persistence

Social class is a major determining factor of people's life chances. Much sociology-based research shows that socio-economic position is still one of the best predictors of who will achieve success, prosperity and social status and, in particular, who will enjoy the highest levels of educational outcomes. Survey data and qualitative studies alike confirm that many people continue to see class as a feature of everyday life, in ways that are connected with their understanding of learning and its possibilities. However, despite its continued significance in people's lives, class has virtually disappeared from modern adult learning research. This paper concludes that in an era when governments across Europe are setting about the dismantling of social support and collective protection produced by social democracy and trade unionism, class analysis presents an important means of understanding change and changing understanding.The existence of persistent social class inequalities in access is a repeated theme of research into higher education (HE) participation. Moreover, socioeconomic inequalities persist in spite of the considerable enlargement of higher education systems that has taken place in many countries since the 1950s (Field, 2003; Alon, 2009; Boliver, 2011; Reay 2012). Moreover, survey data and qualitative accounts confirm that many people continue to see class as an everyday aspect of their lives, in ways that are connected with their understanding of learning and its possibilities.This paper looks at the ways in which experiences and constraints of social class were experienced and ‘storied’ by a group of non-traditional students in higher education. It starts out with reflections on the current status—or rather absence—of class as a key category of critical analysis in adult learning. We then examine briefly the question of class in the context of mass higher education. While much has changed in the social composition of the undergraduate population as a consequence of expansion, taken as a whole there seems to have been relatively little change in undergraduates' socio-economic status. While the overall number of students from broadly working class backgrounds has grown, their relative share of the undergraduate population has not greatly altered (Boliver, 2011). In England, it seems that the proportion of students from poorer families declined during the expansion period of the mid- to late-1990s and recovered to its original position during the early years of the current century (Chowdry et al., 2013). In Scotland, Ianelli concludes that similar fluctuations mean that ‘overall the relation between social class of origin and educational attainment has not significantly changed over time’ (Ianelli, 2011: 257).What does this mean for the experiences of students from working class backgrounds? We explore this question through a discussion of RANLHE interviews in Scottish higher education. We interviewed a sample of 83 students from three HEIs—one a highly selective institution, one a former central institution (roughly akin to a polytechnic) and one with a mixed mission emphasising both teaching and research. We recruited students through direct email contacts (both targeted and general), appeals in newsletters, intermediaries such as course leaders, and—once we had started—by snowballing; some also approached us, having heard about the project by word of mouth.All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with hesitations and repetitions included. We read and re-read the transcripts, which included responses to a standard question on class. Posed late on in the first or early in the second interview, the interviewer asked ‘How you would describe your background in terms of class?’ and the student's reply was then followed up. The interviewer did not provide a definition of class, though the follow-up discussion could explore definitional issues if the interviewee raised them (hardly anyone did, at least not explicitly). Responses during this initial discussion of class gave us a baseline for a preliminary thematic analysis which, in turn, provided a springboard for undertaking an iterative thematic and contextual examination of the ways in which different people spoke about class or—in some cases—deflected a discussion of class. We distinguished between how people spoke about membership of a particular class and how they talked about class as a phenomenon.The students in our sample spoke about class in relation to their own educational disadvantage and/or experiences/perceptions of HE. Often they discussed class obliquely, or in ways that can be understood through socio-cultural perspectives. One arts student, for example, talked of relating the circumstances of Tracey Emin's childhood (material disadvantage, abuse) to the context in which she grew up and being completely alienated during a class discussion by what she perceived as classist and misogynistic contempt shown towards Emin by fellow students. In addition, class affected student experiences in more material ways, both for mature students who had worked themselves and for young students who came from working-class families.

Access to the System as a Whole Does Not Mean Access to the Whole System: The Case of Economics in Scottish Higher Education

The Scottish Government's 2010 Discussion Paper on Higher Education recognises the potential for Higher Education to contribute to the economic and social well-being of the country and to improve the life chances of the individual. The Discussion Paper, entitled Building a Smarter Future, recognises that the issue of widening access remains an important concern despite the expansion of Higher Education since the mid-1960s. Gallacher (2006) raises the prospect that the various widening access policies may be accompanied by a dynamic within the sector that weakens the impact of these policies and thereby re-establishing divisions in the sector that were supposed to have been removed with the ending of the so-called binary system in 1992. The dynamic consists of two specific processes: differentiation of Higher Education institutions and stratification at the level of the application process which together appear to work against the aim of inclusivity (defined here as a higher proportion of Higher Education participants from lower socio­ economic groups). This is part of an on-going debate in Europe about the nature of diversity, differentiation and stratification in Higher Education (Reimer and Jacob 2011). In Scotland there is a wealth of research (for example, Croxford and Raffe 2011) that places these issues in the context of the expansion of Higher Education. Some of the research focuses on equality

Knowledge exchange: A comparison of policies, strategies, and funding incentives in English and Scottish higher education

Knowledge exchange (KE)/transfer is seen as priority areas for research and innovation policy development across many countries. What is distinctive over the past 30 years is the 'institutionalization' of KE between academic researchers within the higher education sector and knowledge users outside the sector, and more recently 'incentivization' of such activities at national and sub-national policy and at the institutional levels. Critically adopting the framework of Bozeman's 'Contingent Effectiveness Model' of technology transfer, this article develops analytical frameworks in order to examine the policy conditions and dynamics through which knowledge flows and interactions are promoted. Given the recent 'asymmetric' devolution processes of higher education, and the UK national research policy objectives and structures, a combination of different 'policy effectiveness models' are pursued in England and Scotland. We show that the two higher education funding councils, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Scottish Funding Councils (SFC), act as 'policy transfer agent' - along with the set of relevant stakeholders, they have chosen different strategies for policy incentives and funding allocation mechanisms. One of the key challenges for each of the funding councils seems to be the establishment of criteria to distribute these funds across the sector. We discuss limits of supply side incentivization and suggest some alternative approaches by combining different policy effectiveness models and criteria.

Learning technology in Scottish higher education - a survey of the views of senior managers, academic staff and 'experts'

Central concerns within the field of learning technology in higher education have been the promotion of institutional change and staff awareness and development. This focus on the need to bring about a 'culture shift' and the importance of 'change agents' is reflected in the Dearing Report (DfEE, 1997) and in Funding Council initiatives such as TLTP and TLTSN (Davies, 1995). It is common for many of us who work in this area to feel that although we see clearly the task ahead, we have little at our disposal by way of evidence about how far we have come. Much of the evidence which does exist, and which has been incorporated into lectures and reports, is anecdotal, local and small scale, although there have been some larger studies, notably the Information Technology Assisted Teaching and Learning project (ITATL, 1997), and a 1999 study of C&amp;IT materials funded by the Funding Councils (HEFCE, 1999a), and in the United States the national survey of desktop computing and IT in higher education (Green, 1989-99). These showed a rapidly increasing use of learning technology in higher education, and some of the limitations and restrictions which staff feel, such as technical support. However, there had been no indepth study of the subject and institution-specific influences on academic staff use of, and attitudes to, learning technology.DOI:10.1080/0968776000080202

Supporting Research in Scotland: The Scottish Higher Education Digital Library

The Scottish Higher Education Digital Library was established in 2009. This paper examines the environment which led up to its establishment in universities, libraries and with procurement. The investigative report which led to the creation of SHEDL is described, together with the first steps and a description of the SHEDL model. SHEDL has continued to grow and is well used. It is widely recognized as a successful shared service, which was created from existing funds with no additional funding. Challenges facing the SHEDL model are reviewed. While there are many challenges, there are also many opportunities. SHEDL is well placed to move forward addressing both challenges and opportunities within an environment which has changed radically since the project was started.

Peer Interaction and Engagement Through Online Discussion Forums: A Cautionary Tale

Following an very inspiring presentation from the REAP (Re-Engineering Assessment Practices in Scottish Higher Education) team, I attempted to address problems of attrition and non-engagement amongst first year law students by introducing online small group activities based around discussion forums into the level 4 (first year) Legal Method course. The idea was to build student engagement through teamwork online, thus moving towards a constructivist theory of learning (Jonassen et al. in Am J Distance Educ 9(2):7, 1995), and to increase formative feedback to students at an early stage in their course without unduly increasing my workload. (The benefits of early formative feedback are well documented. See, for example Yorke in Leaving early; Undergraduate non-completion in higher education, Falmer, London, 1999; Yorke and Longden in Retention and student success in higher education, SRHE and Open University Press, 2004). The students were randomly divided into groups of between 8 and 12 students using the WebCT group function. WebCT was at that time the university’s main virtual learning environment and available to all students enrolled on courses through the university portal system. Group discussion forums were provided for a series of activities, complementing the normal lecture pattern of two hours’ lecture plus one hour’s seminar each week. This paper considers the results over 2 years of introducing this system in a widening participation university. It did not prove possible to reproduce the success experienced in the REAP project. This paper attempts to unravel the various reasons for this, technical, pedagogical and practical. This case study is an example of action research, as I was both dismayed and intrigued by the negative reaction of the students and attempted to discover the reasons for it. The findings and conclusions drawn from them will be used to remodel this aspect of the course in 2010–2011.

Community music knowledge exchange research in Scottish higher education

This article examines the usefulness of Knowledge Exchange (KE) funding streams for higher education community music research projects, with a case study of one particular project that took place between February and April 2010. The project was funded via a KE stream, linking University researchers with a well-established community music charity based in Edinburgh. In order to evaluate the particular value and utility of KE funding streams for community music research, we examine the case study's findings and consider the outcomes desired by the various partners in the project.

Student engagement in the Scottish Quality Enhancement Framework

The research addressed the interplay of student engagement and quality enhancement mechanisms in the Scottish higher education system. The paper demonstrates increasing focus on student learning, learning experience and high‐quality learning in the current quality enhancement approaches. The student–university coproduction model is used to distinguish theoretical and conceptual difference between student involvement and student engagement. Student engagement has the potential to contribute an added‐value by improving the quality of teaching and learning. Based on 21 external evaluation reports, the research demonstrates new opportunities for innovation changes in institutional mechanisms in response to student engagement. This has required new institutional structures that deepen relationships with students, develop opportunities for partnership and engagement, improve their representation and enhance their learning experience. Finally, student engagement itself has required changes in the quality systems and processes to incorporate notions such as student–university partnership, learner‐centredness, value‐added and the quality of the student learning experience.

Tribalism and Competitive Branding in (Scottish) Higher Education

This paper offers a description and analysis of recent developments in higher education, taking account of the expansion of the sector, the financial pressures to which it is subject, and the ideological climate in which it operates. It examines the significance of the emergence of various university ‘mission groups’ or ‘think tanks’ for the unity and coherence of the sector as a whole. Although the main focus is on Scottish higher education, the analysis makes some reference to UK-wide developments and to global pressures affecting the HE systems of all countries. The effects of corporate culture and competitive branding on the traditional values and purposes of higher education are discussed, and it is argued that there is now a serious divide between university leaders and academic staff. It is also suggested that the current discourse of higher education shifts uneasily between principles that are not readily compatible: excellence and access; quality and inclusion; global reach and community engagement. The need for academics to contribute to wider public debate about the aims of higher education is seen as an important first step in achieving a more coherent role for the sector as a whole.

A critical history of research assessment in the United Kingdom and its post‐1992 impact on education

This paper presents a critical overview of the way in which higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK have had their research activity subject to review. There have been six such reviews to date, the first two carried out by the Universities Grants Committee and, from 1992, by its replacement, the four UK higher education (HE) funding bodies (HE Funding Council for England, HE Funding Council for Wales, the Scottish HE Funding Council and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland). The paper provides a broad outline of the key elements of the process, focusing on the two more recent research reviews and their impact on the subject of education, with the references providing specific detail for those interested in the minutiae of the reviews.

Co‐production of quality in the Applied Education Research Scheme

This contribution looks at the ways in which research quality is defined and addressed in the Applied Education Research Scheme (AERS), particularly within the network on Schools and Social Capital, which is one of the four areas of work within the overall AERS scheme. AERS is a five‐year programme, funded jointly by the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council, with the combined aims of developing research capacity in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland and supporting the achievement of Scotland's National Priorities in Education (NPEs). Research capacity building is a key objective, because of the relatively poor performance of education research in Scottish HEIs in the last RAE, and the NPEs encompass a range of social, political and economic targets for education, from raising attainment to building social inclusion. AERS falls squarely within the Frascati definition of applied research, and the funders have a strong interest in securing significant improvements in both schooling and research performance. The scheme offers an interesting site for consideration of the interaction of research steering and research quality. This contribution draws primarily on the author's experience as a member of one of the four AERS networks, that on Schools and Social Capital, and also on recent related research on knowledge transfer.1 It explores the principles that shape research in this network, with particular attention to the concern to promote and achieve quality in relation to both process and impact.

Effective Learning Advisers’ perceptions of their role in supporting lifelong learning

This project investigated how Effective Learning Advisers in Scottish Higher Education Institutions perceive their role in supporting lifelong learning, particularly with regard to academic writing. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five participants, and data were analysed in the light of Griffin'sanalysis of the purposes behind the policy shift to lifelong learning, Wenger's conceptualisation of communities of practice and social learning systems and Baynham's typology of approaches to academic writing. The report concludes that ELAs see themselves as successfully contributing to the support of lifelong learning. However, their role lacks clarity, and further investigation is recommended.

Applied Educational Research in Scotland: Some History and Challenges for the Future

In this invited piece, Sally Brown provides a personal perspective on where applied educational research in Scotland has come from over the last few decades and the challenges it currently faces. The paper draws on the direct involvement of the author in a number of major research projects, either as a researcher directly involved in data gathering and analysis, or as an adviser on important programmes of research. The paper outlines the expectations of research of policy-makers, practitioners, and of researchers themselves, before charting some attempts at collaboration among Scottish institutions in the production of educational research. The key issue of capacity building in order to produce high quality research is discussed in the context of the merger of the former teacher education colleges with universities. Some of the challenges to capacity building are identified, including institutional policy and practices and the commitment and enthusiasm of the current workforce. A major challenge is sustaining the collaborative practices which AERS has attempted to foster. In a globalised environment, the added value of Scottish higher education institutions working together seems to be self-evident. The paper asks us critically to examine this assumption.