UK Students Research Articles

Business training for foreign students in UK

PurposeThis paper seeks to highlight the differences foreign personnel undergoing business training in the UK may encounter because of the different teaching and learning environments in their home country as opposed to those they will experience in the UK. It aims to include research in the area among a sample of foreign students, discussion with trainers and teaching colleagues, as well as the results of in‐service training (INSET) held with staff in this area. It also aims to highlight differences and recommendations made to overcome them.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology includes discussion, INSET and a structured questionnaire survey comparing the different teaching and learning styles experienced in the foreign culture with those in the UK.FindingsThe paper concludes that relatively few differences exist between British and Americans, but a significant range of differences are encountered primarily by Asian students and some by European, Africans and those from the former Soviet Union. In addition, trainers should be given some initial training on the cultures of those on their courses and practical steps taken to overcome weaknesses in understanding of English.Originality/valueThis is an increasing area of concern as the numbers from overseas undergoing business training in the UK is likely to increase to help reduce the skills gap in certain areas. The paper suggests how the cultural differences in teaching and learning can be reconciled to make their business training in the UK more effective.

Widening participation through admissions policy – a British case study of school and university performance

It has been widely claimed that UK students from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds but nevertheless having the potential to benefit from a degree programme are being denied higher education places because of their relatively poor paper qualifications. As a consequence, the claim continues, students from independent schools have an advantage in the competition for such places. Universities have responded to such claims, and incentives from the government to do so, by introducing widening participation programmes, but very little research has been done which explores whether students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are admitted to elite universities perform as well as their counterparts with better entry qualifications. Using a large data set from one university, this article explores performance by students at A‐level and their first and final university years. Students from independent schools performed better at A‐level than those from state schools, but not at their university examinations, other things being equal.

Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

Handwriting difficulties are common in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and fre- quently continue into adulthood. In spite of increased com- puter use, handwriting remains an essential everyday life skill. The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) provides an objective measure of handwriting per- formance for students aged 9-16 years. No equivalent test for adults exists. The aim of this study is to explore devel- opmental trends beyond the age of 16 on the five tasks included in the DASH and to describe the employment of these data in an extension of the test for 17-to 25-year-olds (DASH 17?). A case study is included to illustrate its use in the assessment of young adults with DCD. Three hundred and ninety-three students between the ages of 17 and 25 completed the test. The sample was selected to represent the population of UK students in post-16 education. Statistically significant, but overall modest developmental trends in handwriting performance were found for all tasks. Depend- ing on the task, the year-on-year average increase in per- formance followed a linear or non-linear trend. Gender effects were generally small. DASH 17? will provide useful information on any individual whose handwriting is causing concern, including those with, or suspected of having DCD.

Brain gain (drain), immigration and global network: Nepalese students in the UK

Nepalese students in UK are struggling to balance tuition and other expenses in the short-run and for the gainful employment in the long run. The opportunity cost of emigration in a labour surplus economy of Nepal is very little in comparison to benefits from increased flow of remittances, transfer of knowledge, ideas and technologies. Net emigration results in brain gain rather than brain drain to Nepal and benefits in terms of output, employment and the stability in wages and inflation to the UK. Both governments, NPCCUK and NRNA can make this process more efficient by developing right mechanism and policies.

A Validation of the Academic Behavioural Confidence Scale with Spanish Psychology Students

Research has shown that UK university students' confidence in engaging with their academic studies can be usefully measured using the Academic Behavioural Confidence (ABC) scale. The scale is best considered as a 17-item scale measuring confidence towards grades, studying, verbalising and attendance. A substantial collaborative study with research partners in Spain created the need for the ABC scale to be translated into Castellan Spanish, providing an opportunity to carry out a cross-cultural validation of the scale. A total of 2,056 Spanish psychology students from the universities of Almería and Granada in south-eastern Spain completed an appropriately translated version of the ABC scale. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the four-subscale structure derived from equivalent UK students was still the best description of the data, although the fit of the four-factor model to the Spanish data was not quite as good as it had been with an equivalent UK sample. Possible explanations for the poorer fit are discussed. A further opportunity arose to validate the Spanish version of the ABC scale against the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire. The findings showed that the ABC subscales of Grades, Studying and Verbalising significantly correlated with a deep approach to learning, as predicted, although it is noted that the correlation coefficients, whilst significant ( p < .01), were again not as high as seen with the UK student data. It is nevertheless argued that the ABC scale in both its Spanish and English versions is a useful way of understanding students' orientation to their university study, and can be used in research, as a diagnostic tool or to aid tutors in creating more effective learning opportunities for their students.

Towards an understanding of integration amongst hospitality and tourism students using Bennetts developmental model of intercultural sensitivity

By many measures, the higher education classroom is becoming more culturally diverse and recent years have seen a steady increase in the number of international students studying at UK universities. Using Bennett’s (1986, 1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) and the recent re-developments it has received from Hammer, Bennett and Wiseman (2003), this study aims to measure the extent to which both home and international students are interculturally sensitive towards each others’ needs in a post-92 British University. Using a cohort of undergraduate students this research identified emerging problems and benefits associated with cultural differences with international students progressing toward ethnorelative stages and UK students retaining ethnocentric attitudes.

Evaluating risk awareness in undergraduate students studying mechanical engineering

This paper examines the development of risk awareness among undergraduate students studying mechanical engineering at a South African university. A questionnaire developed at the University of Liverpool was modified and used on students from the first, second and third year cohorts to assess their awareness in the areas of professional responsibility, risk assessment, techniques for reducing risk and potential exposure to hazards and risk in the workplace. Students performed best in hazard identification in the workplace. The student performance was similar in the first and second years, but a significant improvement was evident towards the end of the third year. This was attributed to the third year design curriculum, which formally covers certain aspects of risk awareness, including the ones showing improved performance. The results were compared to those obtained from the University of Liverpool – the UK students outperformed their South African counterparts. It is recommended that teaching interventions regarding health and safety be introduced earlier in the South African Mechanical Engineering curriculum to address this deficiency.

A city-wide approach to cross-boundary working with students with mental health needs

The aim of the research was to study a city-wide approach to meet the mental health needs of UK students involving a range of professional and non-professional support. The creation of a network for agencies and individuals concerned with the mental health of students in further and higher education offered an opportunity to examine issues of access to services, transitions between services and the need for inter-agency working. The attitudes and experiences of a range of professional and non-professional providers of support were explored using semi-structured interviews within a multiple case study methodological approach. Inter-agency working across professional and organisational boundaries was believed to offer the best means of enabling students with mental health needs to continue with their studies. However, issues of resources limitations, professional identities, work boundaries, role confusion, codes of ethics and confidentiality presented barriers to integrated support and inter-professional collaboration.

Assessment preferences: a comparison of UK/international students at an English university

Innovations in assessment practice have become widespread in Higher Education (HE) throughout the world. Taking a case study approach, this paper examines the nature of students' assessment preferences at one English university, and compares the views of UK students with a sample of learners from a number of other countries studying at the same institution. A brief discussion of the literature is followed by a methodological overview, before turning to an examination of the study's findings with regard to the students' views and experiences of assessment. Similarities and differences in preferences are explored, and an attempt is made to account for these on the basis of the insights supplied by the students.

An international, case-based, distance-learning collaboration between the UK and Somaliland using a real-time clinical education website

We established a medical education website to deliver real-time, clinical case-based education to sites in Somaliland from the UK. The website was based on a web 2.0 social networking concept in order to recreate, as nearly as possible, the clinical bedside teaching experience. A survey showed that medical students in Somaliland had sufficient computer access to exploit the website. Teaching began in December 2008 and the teaching programme has developed into a regular weekly teaching session involving up to seven different student groups in Somaliland at different locations. As well as north-south teaching, the website has been employed to support a study module in London. Small groups of UK-based medical students have been partnered with intern tutors in Somaliland. Forty UK students have taken part in this teaching, which is now in its second year. Feedback from those involved has demonstrated that a collaboration in which both north-south and south-north teaching occurs can strengthen partnerships in which both parties contribute and benefit.

The vocational skill priorities of Malaysian and UK students

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify, prioritise, and contrast the needs in terms of the development of vocational skills in final year undergraduate accounting students from two distinct countries. The study aims to survey and analyse the views of Malaysian and UK students.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to gather the data. Quantitative analysis was then used as the basis of a comparative study. The data for this study were collected via questionnaires completed by Malaysian exchange students on their arrival at UK university and the students of that UK university.FindingsThe results indicate that both sets of students accept the need to develop vocational skills in order to perform competently as an accountant. There is however clear differences in the views of the Malaysian and UK students concerning the specific skills that they perceive as being priorities to be developed. The students also hold differing views of the major barriers to the development of vocational skills in higher education.Originality/valuePrevious studies have established the need to prioritise vocational skills development. Studies have also established the views of employers and students. This study contrasts the views of students from two contrasting contexts. The study establishes that students from differing countries perceive differing priorities in terms of vocational skills not only between students but also between students and the currently stated views of employers and professional bodies internationally.

“A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, inside an Enigma”: Teaching Post-Socialist Transformation to UK Students in Moscow

In the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, teaching post-socialist transition to undergraduate students has become increasingly challenging. This paper relates the development, planning and operation of a fieldwork module in Moscow, for Year Three geography undergraduates. It argues that ‘on-street’ teaching and imaginative use of visual sources can partially overcome the linguistic drawbacks of fieldwork in this context. It supports the utility of fieldwork for teaching post-socialist transformation, but stresses the need for local knowledge and contacts, linguistic ability on the part of module staff, and careful planning, to overcome anticipated and unexpected challenges.

Accidental achievers? International higher education, class reproduction and privilege in the experiences of UK students overseas

To date, scholarship on international students has generally focused on flows from non‐western economies to the main English‐speaking destination countries (such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia). In contrast, we draw on a qualitative study of 85 UK students who have either completed or are considering undertaking a degree programme overseas. We found that, in opposition to a common image of ‘international students’, UK students are not overtly motivated by ‘strategic’ concerns. Instead, they are seeking ‘excitement’ and ‘adventure’ from overseas study and often use the opportunity to delay the onset of a career and prolong a relatively carefree student lifestyle. Despite these ostensibly ‘disinterested’ objectives, however, UK students remain a highly privileged group and their experiences serve only to facilitate the reproduction of their privilege. The paper calls for a more critical analysis of the spatially uneven and socially exclusive nature of international higher education.

Social networks and educational mobility: the experiences of UK students

A recurrent theme in the literature on transnational mobility – and particularly that pertaining to the young and/or highly skilled – is the individualised nature of such movement, as people move to take advantage of opportunities in an increasingly interdependent world. Drawing on research with 85 young adults who had moved overseas for their higher education, or were seriously contemplating doing so, this paper subjects this claim to critical scrutiny. Indeed, it suggests that while internationally mobile students are clearly only a subset of the broader category of transnational migrants, they nevertheless demonstrate important ways in which mobility is often socially‐embedded, grounded within networks of both family and friends. It then points to the socially reproductive nature of such ties, and discusses their implications for the development of ‘mobility capital’.

Inter-cultural differences in response to a computer-based anti-bullying intervention

Background and purpose: Many holistic anti-bullying interventions have been attempted, with mixed success, while little work has been done to promote a ‘self-help’ approach to victimisation. The rise of the ICT curriculum and computer support in schools now allows for approaches that benefit from technology to be implemented. This study evaluates the cross-cultural effects of a computer-based anti-bullying intervention on primary school-aged children's knowledge about bullying and relevant coping strategies. Programme description: FearNot! is an interactive computer-based virtual learning environment designed for use as an anti-bullying intervention. It includes interactive virtual agents who assume the most common participant roles found in episodes of bullying. FearNot! was used by children over three consecutive weeks to allow its effectiveness to be evaluated in a longitudinal in situ programme. Sample: Two comparable samples were drawn from the UK and Germany. In the UK, 651 participants (aged 8–11) were recruited from primary schools in Hertfordshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, whereas the 535 German participants (aged 7–10) were sourced from Grundschulen in the Bayern and Hessen regions. Because of lack of parental consent, late joiners and absences/missing responses, data from 908 participants (UK 493; Germany 415) were analysed. Design and methods: A quasi-experimental, pre/post-tests control group design employed pre-published and bespoke questionnaires to collect data. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted. Results: UK students possessed higher coping strategy knowledge scores than German participants, but German children's scores improved over time and as a result of the FearNot! intervention. Conclusions: Overall, while not effective at increasing children's coping strategy knowledge in this study, the FearNot! intervention could prove a useful classroom tool to approach the issue of bullying as part of a wider initiative. Cultural differences at baseline and reactions to the intervention are discussed.

Online Social Networks: Changing the Face of Business Education and Career Planning

Online social networks have become increasingly popular in recent years, providing an efficient and user-friendly way to maintain social connections and share information. They have been shown to facilitate business relationships and building of social capital using electronic media. Graduates who are coming into business for the first time are almost expected to be comfortable with interactions using social networks. This brings new challenges to graduates in the way they use social networks and how they enhance their career development and relationships with employers. This study reports the findings of a survey of 272 UK and international business school students on career development and entrepreneurship as a part of a wider study of online social networking. The results of the study reveal key differences between undergraduate, postgraduate and international student populations. The paper discusses differences across gender, educational level and nationality that have implications for social networking practices and argues for a pressing need to raise the awareness of graduates in the use of social networks to enhance their career prospects. The conclusions of the study offer better understanding of motivations and barriers to an effective application of social networks in business.

The international mobility of UK students; a government funded initiative

The British Council Connect initiative was set up to support strategic alliances and partnerships, promoting student learning overseas. With suitable training, risk analysis and agreements in place, this gave us the potential to explore off shore practice based learning, clinical attachments.

A Second Chance at ‘Success’

While the literature on highly skilled international migration has grown substantially over recent years, the motivations and experiences of an important sub-group — the internationally mobile student — have remained under-researched. In an attempt to redress this gap, this article draws on in-depth interviews with 85 young adults, to explore the choices and motivations of UK students who choose to study abroad for the whole of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. While studies of east to west migration have typically emphasised the importance of an international higher education as a high-prestige, first choice option for those students who can afford it, we argue that, for UK students, choices are configured differently. For many of our respondents, overseas education offered primarily a ‘second chance’ at accessing elite education.

Girls' and boys' experiences and perceptions of parental discipline and punishment while growing up in China and England

AbstractThis article draws on comparative research involving an exploratory and retrospective survey of 498 students in China and 481 in England and follow‐up interviews, focusing on their experiences of physical punishment and disciplinary behaviour from mothers and fathers ‘while growing up’, including how they felt about their experiences and views concerning what might be perceived as ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ punishments. The emphasis is on the Chinese findings, although the English findings are referred to for comparison and debate. As children, the Chinese students who were surveyed experienced similar types and levels of punishment, although with significant gendered differences echoing traditional Chinese perceptions of ‘passive’ female and ‘active’ male. In a similar vein, there also appeared to be greater expectations in relation to educational achievement for boys in China. While most of the Chinese respondents thought the use of physical punishment acceptable for disciplining children, there were indications that this was being questioned and that some wanted change. The UK students, compared to the Chinese, reported lower levels of physical punishment, although the use of punishment to curtail boys' behaviour was in some respects similar. Use of physical punishment was deemed less acceptable by the UK respondents. Copyright. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The persecution and deservedness scale

To design a brief measure to assess both the severity of paranoid thinking and the perceived deservedness of persecution, which can be employed in clinical and non-clinical populations. No existing measure is adequate for these purposes. In Study 1, we selected 10 items for a persecution and deservedness scale (PaDS) using data from 318 UK and 290 Portuguese undergraduate students, who also completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Fenigstein's Paranoia Scale. In Study 2, we made comparisons between 45 clinical participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or delusional disorder and the UK students from Study 1. The psychometric properties of the PaDS were analysed for separate persecution (P) and deservedness (D) subscales. The 10-item PaDS subscales were internally reliable for both clinical and student samples. Correlations with other measures of depressive mood and paranoid thinking indicate that the P subscale has concurrent validity. Higher P and D scores were observed in UK students compared to Portuguese students. The clinical participants' P scores subscale were significantly higher than the students' scores but their D scores were lower. The PaDS is a reliable and valid measure of paranoid thinking and perceived deservedness of persecution, which is sensitive for use in clinical and non-clinical populations. Paranoid thinking appears to be mainly bad-me in non-clinical groups but poor-me in psychotic psychiatric patients.