Student Expectations Research Articles

Preparedness for a first clinical placement in nursing: a descriptive qualitative study.

A first clinical placement for nursing students is a challenging period involving translation of theoretical knowledge and development of an identity within the healthcare setting; it is often a time of emotional vulnerability. It can be a pivotal moment for ambivalent nursing students to decide whether to continue their professional training. To date, student expectations prior to their first clinical placement have been explored in advance of the experience or gathered following the placement experience. However, there is a significant gap in understanding how nursing students' perspectives about their first clinical placement might change or remain consistent following their placement experiences. Thus, the study aimed to explore first-year nursing students' emotional responses towards and perceptions of their preparedness for their first clinical placement and to examine whether initial perceptions remain consistent or change during the placement experience. The research utilised a pre-post qualitative descriptive design. Six focus groups were undertaken before the first clinical placement (with up to four participants in each group) and follow-up individual interviews (n = 10) were undertaken towards the end of the first clinical placement with first-year entry-to-practice postgraduate nursing students. Data were analysed thematically. Three main themes emerged: (1) adjusting and managing a raft of feelings, encapsulating participants' feelings about learning in a new environment and progressing from academia to clinical practice; (2) sinking or swimming, comprising students' expectations before their first clinical placement and how these perceptions are altered through their clinical placement experience; and (3) navigating placement, describing relationships between healthcare staff, patients, and peers. This unique study of first-year postgraduate entry-to-practice nursing students' perspectives of their first clinical placement adds to the extant knowledge. By examining student experience prior to and during their first clinical placement experience, it is possible to explore the consistency and change in students' narratives over the course of an impactful experience. Researching the narratives of nursing students embarking on their first clinical placement provides tertiary education institutions with insights into preparing students for this critical experience.

Examination of undergraduate students’ physics expectations

A body of beliefs based on previous knowledge, attitudes, and experiences creates physics expectations of students about what they will learn and which skills they will use in physics lessons. Previous research indicated these views about knowledge and learning influenced physics learning by affecting their learning approaches. This research aims to investigate the physics expectations of undergraduate engineering and education students, who take various and different numbers of physics courses in Türkiye. The physics expectations of students were examined due to certain variables and they were compared with experts' ideas. In the study, the Turkish version of the Maryland Physics Expectations Survey II (MPEX II) was given to 831 engineering and education students in different universities. The results indicated the statistical differences in the physics expectations scores according to the department that was registered, the number of physics courses taken, and the reading of popular physics books. However, no significant difference was observed in the physics expectations scores according to gender, being an engineering student or education student, the year of the program, and the instructional approach of physics courses. The mean of the percentages of students who thought like experts in item by item was around 2/5; however, when expert-like thinking was considered for the overall scores, almost 12% of students answered at least half of the items like experts.

Navigating Bereavement in College: Insights From Student Experiences

This study, involving 16 students, examines college bereavement support, revealing five key themes: (1) the impact of the college transition on support; (2) deficiencies in staff support; (3) the significance of visibility to college staff; (4) student challenges during college bereavement; and (5) student expectations for support. The transition from elementary to college, compounded by bereavement, poses unique challenges. College support often prioritizes attendance management, neglecting emotional needs and fostering isolation. Recommendations include: (1) establishing clear support frameworks in a comprehensive bereavement response policy; (2) assigning a dedicated staff member with bereavement expertise; and (3) providing training for all staff to create an empathetic and supportive college environment for grieving students. These enhancements aim to address the identified deficiencies and ensure holistic support throughout the college experience.

AI Tutor: Student's Perceptions and Expectations of AI-Driven Tutoring Systems: A Survey-Based Investigation

Generative AI (GenAI) and LLMs have started to influence how teachers teach and studentslearn, including the ones in programming languages and tutoring. However, there have been debates onwhether AI could be beneficial to students’ learning or not. One way to see this issue is from the perspectives of thestudents. Therefore, this study explored how students perceive the use of AI in their education. The data wasgathered through interviews with 62 students and other stakeholders, such as instructors and IT specialists. The results showed that the students positively perceived using AI as a tutor. Moreover, this study suggests several things to consider when integrating AI tutors for programming. The findings reveal positive student perceptions regarding AI's potential within the teaching-learning process. Students envision AI tutors offering personalized assistance, adapting to individual learning styles, and providing immediate feedback, potentially augmenting their grasp of programming concepts. We applied Statistical analysis, machine learning, and natural language processing techniques such as PCA, t-SNE, LDA, and sentiment analysis.

Student and staff expectations of university life - a pilot study.

Student expectations of university lack clarity, yet unmet expectations may negatively impact upon satisfaction, attainment and progression. This questionnaire-based pilot study explored student and staff expectations, in a large English widening participation university. In all, 65 students and 27 staff participated. Most notable was the similarity of student responses regardless of demographic characteristics. However, students already in paid work were significantly more likely to agree that they liked the university and found it easy to make friends. Students who might consider taking on paid work expressed significantly more concern that they may struggle with their academic work whilst those not in paid work had significantly more concerns about exams and self-directed learning. In terms of transferable academic skills, Black students were significantly less likely than white students to expect to make detailed class notes for themselves, albeit within this small sample size, while those first-in-family identified more academic skills needs than other student groups. Significantly more staff than students considered classroom attendance necessary. This pilot study suggests future research directions, including the impact of paid work and ethnicity on specific academic skills and underlines the importance of student support.

EMI teachers’ emotion labour: capturing classroom, institutional and sociocultural ecologies

ABSTRACT Although English medium instruction (EMI) has received exponential growth of attention in recent years, the scope of research on EMI teachers is still limited, and even much less on their emotions. Drawing on an ecological perspective as the theoretical framework, we explored Iranian EMI teachers’ emotion labour across the classroom, institutional and sociocultural ecologies. Data were collected from narrative frames and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed three themes in relation to Iranian EMI teachers’ emotion labour: (1) classroom ecology: student expectations as impeding effective content enactment, (2) institutional ecology: workload as a hurdle for investment in personal growth and (3) sociocultural ecology: low international collaborations complicating knowledge dissemination. The study shows that beyond their personal proclivities, Iranian EMI teachers face socio-educational challenges that not only complicate their pedagogical effectiveness, but also stop them from imagining the identity of global citizens within the community of EMI practitioners. We also provide implications for EMI teacher educators to draw on the study findings to run teacher education courses that tap EMI teachers’ emotions.

Comparison of student nurses' expectations and newly qualified nurses' experiences regarding clinical practice: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

To compare student nurses' expectations and newly qualified nurses' experiences regarding clinical practice in Switzerland 1 year after graduation. A secondary explorative analysis of a cross-sectional survey. The data were sourced from the Swiss National Graduate Survey of Health Professionals covering six universities of applied sciences between 2016 and 2019, with information on three cohorts of bachelor student nurses, with a 1-year follow-up between each year. The participants were 533 bachelor-prepared nursing graduates. The student nurses' overall expectations included the following top two prioritized aspects: 'contributing to something important' and 'adequate time to spend with patients'. Newly graduated nurses' clinical practice experiences demonstrated that not all expectations were met 1 year after graduation. The largest gaps were found in 'adequate time to spend with patients', 'work-life balance' and experiencing 'good management'. The most crucial expectation gaps are related to having sufficient time to spend with patients and a good work-life balance. The most important result is whether there is a shortage of places for nurses to work rather than the oft-cited shortage of nurses. The expectations of Swiss newly qualified nurses can be better met by an assessment in the first year about which individual perceptions of workplace characteristics cause them to make choices to change something about their work, affect their job satisfaction or influence their intention to stay. Few of the student nurses' expectations were met 1 year after graduation, therefore Swiss healthcare institutions should improve needs assessments to strengthen the nurse workforce starting early in employment. The results underscore the importance of a constructive management culture, such as that in magnet hospitals in the United States which underpins the philosophy of changing in nursing. The results can be used internationally as a benchmark and as a basis for introducing potential interventions for nurse retention. This study was reported following the Standardized Reporting of Secondary Data Analyses Checklist. There were no patient or public contributions. This study has not been registered.

Leadership in higher educational institutions post 2020: Probing effect of pandemic and ICT

AbstractLeadership engrosses multiple actors and unique contexts that unfold along different timescales. The purpose of this study is to review the literature on authentic leadership, principal leadership, and distributed leadership and examine the current trends due to the pandemic and the growth of information and communication technology in higher educational institutions (HEI). This qualitative study adopted a literature review and in‐depth interviews of 10 educational faculty, 10 students, and 9 non‐HEI organisational leaders in India, predominantly based on a semi‐structured script. Our study used the approaches of purposive sampling and inductive analysis. Employing social cognitive theory, our study reports on participants' perceptions of existing leaders and discusses organisational behavioural attributes that need focus for leadership development. The hybrid multi‐layered model of leadership styles is suggested as a practical approach in India. This study contributes to the educational leadership development literature by highlighting the expectations of students and non‐HEI organisational leaders on the fundamental role of educational leaders and behavioural necessities.

Exploring teacher identity development: Asian teaching assistants' experience at a U.S. university

AbstractThis study explored the teacher identity development of Asian teaching assistants (ATA) at a U.S. university. The researchers used a qualitative design with two semi‐structured interviews with each of the three participants. Findings suggest that ATAs were unprepared for racial diversity and experienced anti‐Asian sentiment in the classroom during the COVID‐19 pandemic. They struggled to make sense of the content of the courses they were teaching due to a lack of systematic training. Some constructed teacher identity through a challenging process: moving from being self‐doubting, nervous, and frustrated to being comfortable, confident, and even creative. The findings suggest that universities should pay attention to the preparation of international teaching assistants (ITA) for teaching in a multicultural U.S. context with unfamiliar student expectations for teaching and learning.

The Influence of COVID-19 on Young Women's Labor Market Aspirations and Expectations in India

Youth unemployment and gender gaps in labor market outcomes are key policy challenges across developing countries. Young job seekers may struggle to find jobs because of their biased beliefs and unrealistic aspirations about the labor market. We study whether exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the labor market aspirations and expectations of female vocational students in Haryana, India. We find that exposure to the pandemic lowered young women's wage aspirations and made them more realistic, especially in rural areas. A potential mechanism for these effects is the decline in rural women's willingness to migrate for work due to the pandemic.

Family education: Instilling career expectations for woman

Because women in Indonesian society gain more experience in the family, one of which is education instilled through family gender culture, women's career aspirations are believed to have their own characteristics. In today's society, the current condition of female students' career expectations is apprehensive. Most of the female students do not have any professional characteristics, such as career aspirations. This research involving 109 female students from various cultural contexts will divide their findings into two categories: patriarchal family education and matriarchal family education. The main objective of this research is to investigate the career expectations of female students in relation to patriarchal and matriarchal family education, and to compare the two household categories. As a result, the majority of female students from societies that place a patriarchal emphasis on gender have expectations of career self-efficacy, whereas those from societies that place a matriarchal emphasis on gender have expectations of outcomes. Parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used for comparative analysis. The test results show F = 75.011 for career expectations on self-efficacy and F = 145.467 for outcome expectation (OE). 0.000 is a significant value for both variations.

Does ungrading promote student engagement and learning in Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)?

The goal of assessment should be to encourage learning to drive student engagement and success. However, grades make students focus on the evaluation of their work, often limiting the learning process. In forcing me to rank students, grades promote extrinsic rather than intrinsic motivation and direct attention to how well students are doing rather than engaging them with what they are doing. Ungrading is an alternative approach to grading that increases the focus on feedback and growth and decreases the emphasis on "points." In the Fall 2023 semester, I piloted ungrading in one introductory and in two advanced Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). Although students will earn a grade for the course at the end of the semester, they did not get letter or number grades for individual assignments. Student learning was assessed using qualitative, not quantitative, approaches with an emphasis on quality feedback from me, reflections/self-assessments/surveys where students think critically about their own learning, and peer review for certain assignments and activities. In addition to the course learning goals, each student set individual goals for the course at the beginning of the semester, discussed their progress with me, and shared evidence of their learning throughout the semester. At mid-semester and also at the end, students suggested a course grade and explained how they arrived at that grade. Initial analysis of mid-term reflections/self-assessments shows evidence of students making progress towards personal goals as well as course learning goals: they are asking me more questions about the assignments both before submitting them and after receiving feedback, and they are actually reading my feedback; and the grades they suggested for themselves are mostly in agreement with my evaluation of their progress. Overall, students are engaged during class and seem more relaxed and less stressed because they are not worried about earning as many points as possible for each assignment. Further analysis of reflections and self-assessments will highlight student expectations and attitudes towards ungrading and showcase evidence of learning. Student feedback on an end-of-course survey about ungrading will help me refine the approach to improve student learning in future courses. I predict implementation of this ungrading policy in my courses will foster a collaborative and equitable environment where students are encouraged to learn and grow, and I plan to adapt this alternative grading practice in my animal physiology course as well as an additional advanced CURE in the Spring 2024 semester. All protocols were approved by Rice University IRB (Protocol IRB-FY-2023-239). Rice University Department of Biosciences. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EMOTIONALITY IN THE PROCESS OF LANGUAGE TRAINING OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS THROUGH DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE VIEWPOINT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ACQUIRES

The article raises the problem of implementing the principle of emotionality in the process of language training of future specialists in the conditions of distance learning. According to the author’s observations, in the educational scientific field, the principle of emotionality is the subject of research by many scientists. The purpose of the proposed study is to analyze the results of a questionnaire of higher education graduates of various educational fields regarding the problem of implementing the principle of emotionality in the process of language training of future specialists in the distance learning format. The researcher believes that language classes are a fertile ground for the implementation of the principle of emotionality and the formation of the emotional sphere of learners, since language performs an emotional function in the process of any type of activity ‒ learning, education, development, communication, etc., and is a tool for creating positive (or negative) influence on the personality, and therefore the basis of the formation of positive emotional thinking and speech (communication). In order to achieve the goal of the study, we developed a questionnaire and conducted a survey of higher education graduates. Among the respondents are students of “Publishing and editing”, “Journalism”, “International journalism”, “TV host”, “Law”, “Ukrainian language and literature” specialties. Students were asked to answer the following questions: 1. Does the emotional background of the class have an impact on learning and the desire to get an education? 2. Are distance learning sufficiently emotional? 3. In which learning format do you get more positive emotions ‒ offline or online? 4. Name the emotions that specific activities evoke in you. 5. What is the cause of negative emotion? 6. What emotions lead to motivational activities in class? 7. What, in your opinion (forms, techniques, means of teaching), could enliven classes in the Ukrainian language in a distance format? The results of the survey showed that there is a certain discrepancy between the expectations of students regarding the implementation of the principle of emotionality in distance learning classes and the actual state of the situation. The student needs dynamic educational content that increases positive emotions in class and serves as a motivator for educational activities. A positive emotion is provided to the student not so much by the role of a traditional passive subject who is given the necessary knowledge system, but by the role of an active analyst, researcher, coach, moderator, innovator, inventor, representative. Providing a positive emotional background in the conditions of distance learning is the basis for the formation of positive thinking and positive communication, and as a result, a high level of education.

EXPLORING ASPIRATIONS AND REALITIES: A COMPREHENSIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED SURVEY ON THE CAREER OUTLOOK AND EXPECTATIONS OF DENTAL STUDENTS

This study aims to assess the career expectations of dental students across various dental colleges in India through a comprehensive questionnaire.A structured questionnaire, encompassing factors related to career perceptions and expectations, was distributed among dental students in different regions of India. The study received responses from 403 participants, and subsequent data analysis was conducted to derive meaningful results.Among the 403 respondents, 170 (42.2%) expressed a preference for establishing themselves as self-employed dentists, while 140 (34.7%) indicated that family influences played a significant role in their career decision-making. The findings suggest a prevalent interest among dental students in establishing independent practices or working in established clinics, driven by aspirations for financial stability and a harmonious work-life balance. Family considerations emerged as a crucial factor influencing both short-term and long-term career plans. Respondents highlighted factors such as reduced bureaucracy, increased part-time job opportunities, and improved work-life balance as motivations for eventually establishing their own dental practices.The study reveals a notable inclination among dental students towards entrepreneurship and a desire to strike a balance between professional and personal life. Family dynamics play a pivotal role in shaping the career decisions of these students. Factors such as reduced bureaucratic hurdles and enhanced work-life balance were identified as significant contributors to the preference for establishing independent dental practices.

Moderated Mediation Model of Student Expectation and Satisfaction in Blended Learning: Context of Mathematics Learning in Chinese Higher education institutions

With the continuous development of educational informatization, blended learning, which combines the advantages of online and offline teaching, has become a research hotspot in the field of education. This study aims to discuss the influencing factors of blended learning satisfaction. Using purposive sampling method, 529 undergraduate students majoring in mathematics from 16 higher education institutions in Guangxi were surveyed. Furthermore, validity and reliability tests, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling were employed to process the data. Empirical results indicate that in blended learning, student expectation and perceived value have significant positive effects on learning satisfaction. Student expectation also have a significant positive effect on perceived value. Moreover, perceived value plays a mediating role in the relationship between student expectation and learning satisfaction. Self-efficacy moderates the relationship between student expectation and learning satisfaction. This study contributes to enhancing the quality of blended courses and improving the satisfaction of university students with blended learning.

Understanding Student Perspectives on ICT Implementation in a Public School in Batam City

This research investigates the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into 21st-century English language learning, with a focus on understanding student perceptions and expectations. Conducted in collaboration with a public high school in Batam City, the study aims to explore teachers' perspectives on ICT in English Language Teaching (ELT), identify student needs for technology-based instructional materials, and propose strategies to enhance digital literacy for English learners. Through classroom observations and student surveys, the study reveals a generally positive attitude towards English learning and ICT integration among students, alongside areas for improvement in enhancing collaborative learning experiences. Despite teachers' readiness to implement e-learning, there's a perceived lack of sufficient ICT support in EFL classes. Interviews with Grade 11 students underscore the efficacy and enjoyment of online resources, with a desire for more innovative technology-based learning methods. Collaboration with University International Batam offers potential for implementing such methods, though logistical challenges remain. The findings reveal the importance of addressing gaps in ICT integration to optimize English language learning experiences for students.

The Strategic Role of Social Networks in Academic Leadership Development

University leaders navigate a complex and dynamic environment, balancing the diverse expectations of students, faculty, policy makers, and governmental bodies. Proficiency in these roles requires deep academic understanding, contextual knowledge, and effective management and leadership skills. This study explored how faculty members serving as department chairs developed their leadership capacity when entering the role. The investigation utilized social network theory and a leadership development model to examine department chairs’ experiences at a Canadian research-intensive university. It employed a qualitative research approach combining constructivist philosophy, case study design, and inductive research techniques. Drawing on the key themes of role entry, role understanding, and skill development, the study found that social networks played a central role in the participants’ leadership development. Post-secondary institutions may consider supporting leadership networks and providing equitable access to learning opportunities to increase academic leadership capacity.

Incidencia de la motivación hacia el aprendizaje y las expectativas educativas de los estudiantes uruguayos de 3° de Educación Media

Just by the end of the last century, the Social Sciences have begun to take an interest in socioemotional skills; especially, in motivation for learning by reporting the incidence that this has on educational performance (Santos and Primi, 2014, Farrington et al., 2012).In this study, our objective is to know the incidence of learning motivation on the educational expectations of high school students. To do so, we start from a quantitative methodology by analyzing the Aristas Media 2018 survey (Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa [INEEd], 2018] to a representative sample of students in 3rd year of high school that evaluates performance in Mathematics and Reading in Spanish. The main findings are that only intrinsic motivation has an impact on short-term educational expectations, while intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to Mathematics have an impact on long-term expectations, taking into account variation effect of other factors.

The Impact of AI-Based Course-Recommender System on Students’ Course-Selection Decision-Making Process

The course-recommender system (CRS), designed to aid students’ course-selection decision-making process by suggesting courses aligned with their interests and grades, plays a crucial role in fulfilling curricular requirements, enhancing career opportunities, and fostering intellectual growth. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have empowered CRSs to deliver personalized recommendations by considering individual contexts. However, the impact of AI-based CRS on students’ course-selection decision-making process (inter alia, search and evaluation phases) is an open question. Understanding student perceptions and expectations of AI-based CRSs is key to optimizing their decision-making process in course selection. For this purpose, we employed speed dating with storyboards to gather insights from 24 students on five different types of AI-based CRS. The results revealed that students expected AI-based CRSs to play an assistive role in the search phase, helping them efficiently complete time-consuming search tasks in less time. Conversely, during the evaluation phase, students expected AI-based CRSs to play a leading role as a benchmark to address their uncertainty about course suitability, learning value, and serendipity. These findings underscore the adaptive nature of AI-based CRSs, which adjust according to the intricacies of students’ course-selection decision-making process, fostering fruitful collaboration between students and AI.

Quality Measurement of Blended Learning Model in Higher Education: Scale Development and Validation

Objective: This study aimed to develop and test a scale for measuring the quality of blended learning models in higher education. Methods: This research adopts a sequential mixed-method approach to construct a new measurement scale. The first phase consisted of the inductive approach to identify the items, followed by exploratory factor analysis. The identified dimensions were tested for reliability and validity in the second phase. Results: The Blended Learning Quality Assessment (BLQA) contains 4 dimensions: Technology Integration, Pedagogy and Curriculum, Physical Infrastructure, and Educator Proficiency. The scale is comprised of 26 items assessing the quality of blended learning programs in higher education. The reliability and validity of the scale were established by confirmatory factor analysis (AVE > 0.6, Cronbach’s alpha > 0.85). Conclusions: In the face of changing student expectations of quality, this study introduces a comprehensive measurement scale by which institutions of higher education may effectively assess their performance. Implications: Results contribute to extant literature by proposing a comprehensive scale to measure the quality of an institution’s blended learning model. The scale integrates digital aspects of pedagogy, delivery, and infrastructure and can be used to identify the dimensions contributing most to student satisfaction.