Work In Higher Education Research Articles

Doing diversity work in higher education: Systemic inequality, institutional change, and campus attitudes

Diversity work remains one of the most critical, yet complicated and contentious efforts in higher education. To promote transformative institutional change, a university in California, United States developed an innovative, federally funded community-building model designed to institutionalize diversity efforts. As part of this model, a cross-sectional climate survey was administered in 2010, 2014, and 2018 to learn more about perceptions of campus diversity-oriented work. We present a qualitative, Critical Race Theory analysis of faculty and graduate student responses to the open-ended question, “What do you think we should know about diversity at [this university]?” These data offer a window into a unique period of American history when politics were, and continue to be, especially contentious and social inequality was, and is, at the forefront of American consciousness. We conclude with respondent-inspired suggestions for moving higher education toward social justice.

Persistence at what cost? How graduate engineering students consider the costs of persistence within attrition considerations

AbstractBackgroundWhile previous work in higher education documents the impact of high tuition costs of attending graduate school as a key motivator in attrition decisions, in engineering, most graduate students are fully funded on research fellowships, indicating there are different issues causing individuals to consider departure. There has been little work characterizing nonfinancial costs for students in engineering graduate programs and the impact these costs may have on persistence or attrition.Purpose/HypothesisFramed through the lens of cost as a component of the expectancy–value theory framework and the graduate attrition decisions (GrAD) model conceptual framework specific to engineering attrition, the purpose of this article is to characterize the costs engineering graduate students associate with attending graduate school and document how costs affect students' decisions to persist or depart.Design/MethodData were collected through semistructured interviews with 42 engineering graduate students from R1 engineering doctoral programs across the United States who have considered, are currently considering, or have chosen to depart from their engineering PhD programs with a master's degree.ResultsIn addition to time and money, which are costs previously captured in research, participants identified costs to life balance, costs to well‐being, and identify‐informed opportunity costs framed in terms of what “could have been” if they had chosen to not go to graduate school. As these costs relate to persistence, students primarily identified their expended effort and already‐incurred costs as the primary motivator for persistence, rather than any expected benefits of a graduate degree.ConclusionThe findings of this work expand the cost component of the GrAD model conceptual framework, providing a deeper understanding of the costs that graduate students relate to their persistence in engineering graduate programs. It evidences that motivation to persist may not be due to particularly strong goals but may result from costs already incurred. Through this research, the scholarly community, students, advisors, and university policymakers can better understand the needs of engineering graduate students as they navigate graduate study.

The Use of Digital Technologies in the Professional Socialisation of Future Social Workers in Higher Education

The aim of the article is to analyse the application of digital technologies in the process of professional training and professional socialisation of future social workers in departmental, civil and confessional-oriented institutions of higher education. The results of the study allow determining the specific features of professional socialization in the context of digitalization of learning in different types of higher education institutions and draw conclusions about the digital competences formed in the process of learning. The digital competences of a future police officer encompass three basic areas: the skills needed to support everyday professional activities, the skills to handle digitally restricted information, and the special skills to fight crime. In civilian universities, the basic digital competences of future professionals include: competences in readiness to form a system of network society values; competences in the development of motivation for search activity and self-development; instrumental-operational competences, etc. Confessional-oriented universities have their own structured and justified opinion on digitalization of education and training, which is based primarily on the views of the Russian Orthodox Church as a social institution and its head of the Church– His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, which are based on the tenets of the Orthodoxy. In the conclusion we conclude that the problematic of digitalization of the modern learning process is relevant for scholars and practitioners of various branches of social and humanitarian knowledge, as well as for future specialists of the social sphere studying in different types of universities.

Dynamics of wage inequality over the prolonged economic transformation: The case of Vietnam

This study explores changes in wage inequality in Vietnam during a prolonged period of economic transformation. We found that wage inequality increased in the earlier period of 1998–2010, but declined considerably in the following period of 2010–2020. The change in economic structure and increased supply of higher educated workforce have substantially contributed to changing wage inequality. Overall changes in increasing wage inequality over the former period was mainly due to changes in labor market, job and workers’ observed characteristics. In the latter period, however, the decline in wage inequality was related to changes in the returns to job and workers’ observed characteristics. A rapid rise in supply of higher educated workers, which exceeded the demand for skilled labor, in the later stage of economic transformation also contributed to declining returns to education and the decline in wage inequality.

Course Ideological and Political Exploration and Practice under Professional Ideological and Political Leadership

"Curriculum Ideology and Politics" is an important part of the current ideological and political work in higher education, and science and engineering professional courses have difficulties in the implementation of "Curriculum Ideology and Politics" because they use natural science, engineering technology, etc. as the teaching content. Taking the building materials course as an example, it is an important embodiment of the synergy effect. Promoting the ideological and political construction of courses is an inevitable requirement for colleges and universities to educate people, and it is an important way to build morality and cultivate people. This article first expounds the concept and connotation of curriculum ideology and politics, and then combines the curriculum characteristics of professional courses to give some ways and methods for professional courses to develop curriculum ideology and politics.

Decolonising or anti-racism? Exploring the limits of possibility in higher education

ABSTRACT Decolonising work in Higher Education (HE) has become increasingly mainstreamed. One issue is the relationship between such work and that of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI), or the potential reduction and co-option of decolonising for EDI purposes. This article discusses the characterisations of, and drivers for, decolonising inside UK HE, and then situates this against one, institution-wide programme of work. This programme sought to investigate how staff and students have understood the concept of decolonising, and to evaluate the limits of this work. Analysing surveys and interviews using a grounded theory approach suggested a moderate or limited view of decolonising work, and supports concerns that decolonising is losing its radical edge. Echoing work on the possibilities for epistemic and racial justice from inside capitalist institutions infused with the logics of coloniality, the argument questions whether it is possible to know the University otherwise.

Intended versus implemented workspace: a systematic literature review of the implementation of activity-based working in higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to apply spatial theory to a review of the literature on activity-based working in higher education. Globally, the office concept of activity-based working (ABW) is increasingly implemented in higher education, and scholars contributed to developing empirical explanations of the effects of implementing ABW in higher education. However, the focus on theory building is limited, decreasing the predictability and the understanding of implementing ABW.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed a theoretical framework by categorizing the empirical findings of earlier accounts by integrating them with Lefebvre’s spatial theory. They conducted a systematic literature review of 21 studies published between 2008 and 2022 that reported on the phenomenon of ABW among higher-education employees.FindingsIt remains to be seen whether the implementation of the ABW in higher education is successful in terms of pre-defined goals. The studies investigating academic workplace concepts have led to inconsistent findings that lack an underlying framework. As the ABW concept fails to adequately support academics’ work processes, it is recommended that managers and architects consider their subjective perspectives about the use of space and take the time to understand the users’ fundamental values.Originality/valueThe authors integrated the selected studies with Lefebvre’s spatial theory, and this model includes three perspectives that can explain workers' experiences with ABW. This theoretical framework can assist researchers in gaining a deeper understanding of ABW and support practitioners in implementing it in higher education.

Curator's work during the adaptation period of students at the Kharkiv National Automobile and Road University

Due to the transition to the new generation of educational standards and the increase in hours for independent work, there is a need to train a creative, active person who can independently choose his own life path. The educational process in the life of the university is planned and organized along with studies and scientific activities. The curator of the academic group is usually assigned an experimental teacher, since this position includes responsible and thorough work, which should take into account the profile of training of specialists and the specifics of the faculty. Students' problems related to the educational process at the university, interpersonal conflicts and relations in the group, and the question of the student group participation in the public and cultural mass activities of the university are resolved by the curator. The effectiveness of the educational work of the curator of the academic group is largely determined by its planning. Based on the analysis of theoretical studies and the experience of modern pedagogues-practitioners, the roles and functions of the curator in working with the group are defined, the curator's duties are described, and an approximate plan for the work of curators in universities is proposed. The views on the organization of educational work in higher education are presented. The creation of new mechanisms related to the selectivity of some disciplines makes it necessary to carry out additional explanatory and advisory work of curators regarding the formation of individual study plans for applicants. It is shown that the curator uses various forms of educational work in his activities, which contribute to the formation of the personality of the future specialist as a patriot citizen, who cares about the fate of the Ukrainian state, law, and order, education, and culture.

Conversing with Friends or (Higher) Education Beyond the Logic of Production

In this paper, we will propose an idea of education as conversations between friends on matters of common concern. In a scholarly and pedagogical climate of competition, testing and accountability, there seems to be little room for true pedagogical and scholarly conversation. What we aim to develop here, is a vocabulary that is able to capture some educational experiences that are being repressed in the current educational and academic discourse and practice. Starting from our own experiences as higher education workers, we argue for a way of speaking about educational practices that focus on the matters of common concern that gather – and put into conversation - students and teachers. We call this conversation a studious discourse so as to distinguish it from other forms of conversation and outline a definition of the kinds of friendships that potentially revolve around this form of communication. We base our argument on a reading of Jürgen Oelkers and Martin Wagenschein’s pedagogical and didactical reflections and propose ultimately that education is not about the inner development of measurable skills or competences, but rather about becoming part of particular forms of communication about matters of common concern.

The effect of digital literacy on technology acceptance: An evaluation on administrative staff in higher education

Digital literacy is a critical skill that administrative staff must acquire to continue their business activities at higher education. However, digital literacy studies for administrative staff seem to be neglected in the current literature. This article examines the impact of higher education administrative staff’s digital literacy on their intention to use digital technologies while performing their tasks. For this purpose, a conceptual model consisting of effort expectancy and performance expectancy structures based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and expanded with the digital literacy dimension has been created. Data were collected from 158 participants who were administrative staff of two higher education institutions in Türkiye to evaluate the theoretical model. The data were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. The findings revealed the relationship between the digital literacy skills of higher education administrative staff and their intention to use digital technology. According to the results, digital literacy has a direct effect on effort expectancy but not on performance expectancy. Also, contrary to our expectations, digital literacy does not directly affect the intention to use. However, digital literacy affects the intention to use digital technology through effort expectancy and performance expectancy. In higher education, personnel with low digital literacy skills should be identified and in-service training should be provided. This is one of the first studies to address the impact of digital literacy on technology acceptance by administrative staff working in higher education.

Higher education and high-wage gender inequality

Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed a relocation of gender wage inequality. Whereas the largest wage gaps were once concentrated among lower-paid, lower-educated workers, today these wage gaps sit among the highest-paid, highly-educated workers. Given this reordering of gender wage inequality and the centrality of college graduates to total inequality trends, in this article, we assess the contribution of higher education mechanisms to top-end gender inequality. Specifically, we use Census and ACS data along with unique decomposition models to assess the extent to which two mechanisms rooted in higher education—bachelor’s-level fields of study and the attainment of advanced degrees—can account for the gender wage gap across the wage distribution. Results from these decomposition models show that while these explanatory mechanisms fare well among bottom and middle wages, their explanatory power breaks down among the highest-paid college workers. We conclude that women’s attainment of “different” education (via fields of study) or “more” education (via advanced degrees) would do little to close the gender wage gaps that are contributing most to contemporary wage inequality trends. We suggest some directions for future research, and we also take seriously the role of discriminatory pay-setting at the top of the wage distribution.

Evaluation for All?

This article discusses some of the challenges of current evaluation work in higher education (HE). Despite years of interest in this space, the sector is still struggling to capture what is working to enhance student outcomes. Our own recent work as evaluators for QAA Scotland’s Enhancement Themes seeks to address this impasse. This article will provide an overview of the Enhancement Themes work in Scotland and how evaluation is being re-positioned as the crux of activity within higher education institutions wishing to demonstrate effectiveness. A case study will be presented which illustrates how this could be achieved by describing the ongoing creation and piloting of a ‘Universal Evaluation Framework’ which aims to liberate colleagues from their fears around evaluation capabilities. The intended outcomes of use include the development of evaluation capabilities, increased confidence in evaluating change in HE spaces, and an evidence base for decision making regarding student outcomes. The interactive tool will enable colleagues to plan, design, implement and learn from their evaluations and record their reflections. Digital records extend this learning into publication, possible scholarship and, more tellingly, as evidence. This case study outlines a potentially game changing tool which aims to engage colleagues and capture evidence of what works in an accessible and transparent way. In contrast to other approaches to evaluation capacity building in UK HE, this tool aims to support all, regardless of levels of evaluation experience, role, and starting points. Our framework will be universal and accessible, and intuitively and inclusively designed.

Migration, education, technological change and growing urban inequality.

The economic literature has been silent on two key channels regarding how innovation affects labor supply: skilled-worker migration and "local production" of college graduates. Through these two channels, innovation influences wage divergence, skill levels, and productivity across urban areas. Using patents to proxy for regional innovation, we find that from 2005 to 2015, local college-graduate production plays a greater role in explaining US skill divergence across urban counties. Our findings suggest that local governments should focus on investing in greater local capacity for developing innovations and increasing their local higher-education capacity. Conversely, efforts to attract highly-educated workers from elsewhere should be relatively de-emphasized.

Quality of government secondary school services in regional Bangladesh

This research investigated the service quality of government secondary schools (GSS) in Bangladesh. A mixed methods research design combining quantitative and qualitative methods was applied for gathering and analyzing data. Quantitative data was collected from 601 randomly selected clients using a structured interview schedule developed based on the five-dimensional SERVQUAL instrument. Qualitative data was obtained through focus group discussions and interviews of students, teachers, headteachers, guardians, assistant school inspectors, and the deputy director of secondary and higher education working in the selected region. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis, while qualitative data was transcribed and labeled into emerging themes. The study found that the quality of secondary education in the GSSs of the study area failed to meet the demand of the clients in terms of all the quality dimensions of SERVQUAL, where t-values revealed a significant gap between expectation and perception in Tangibles, Responsiveness, Reliability, Assurance and Empathy dimensions. Data from qualitative methods showed that all the stakeholders agreed with the gap in tangibles and empathy dimension claimed by the respondents in the quantitative survey. However, teachers and guardians showed differential opinions regarding the gaps in responsiveness, reliability, and assurance. It was also found that 40% of the respondents were either neutral or dissatisfied with the education service of GSSs. Logistic regression output shows that among the dimensions of SERVQUAL, tangibles, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy can significantly influence a respondent’s overall satisfaction with GSS services. One-way ANOVA results show that schools from at least two districts differ significantly in terms of the mean score of overall satisfaction and the perceived mean score of tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, and empathy dimensions. The schools lack teaching, learning and recreational facilities such as laboratory, library, common room, and sports. The students did not receive individual need-based care for academic performance improvement and did not participate in lesson planning, preferring teaching methods and deciding assessment strategies. The teachers were not sufficiently skilled in delivering intelligible lectures and didn’t give time to students outside of formal classes. A sizeable gap in the SERVQUAL dimensions indicates that a comprehensive all-out effort is necessary to improve the service quality of GSSs. Consequently, improving teaching learning facilities, student participation in the lesson plan and deciding on teaching methods, teachers' training in pedagogy, and school-specific quality improvement measures are imperative.

7. Racial Equity Detours + in Higher Education: How Critical Race Theory Is Undermined by Teacher Education Nice

Abstract: It is not a surprise that the most virulent attackers of Critical Race Theory (CRT) are from the conservative right who would prefer racial status quo to racial change. More insidious, however, is the undermining of and resistance to racial equity work in higher education by those who openly and proudly state their professed beliefs in diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this article, the authors describe a self-study that was designed to make sense of – and work through – the myriad cognitive and emotional turmoil created when confronted with resistance from white higher education personnel whom were previously counted on to support racial equity efforts. The experiences shared, both with the overtly hostile and violent responses from conservative groups and from the subversively hostile “nice” white colleagues, can inform others who currently do or are interested in joining the racial equity movements in this era of anti-CRT legislation but face pushback from those they least expected.

РОЛЬ ИННОВАЦИОННЫХ ФАКТОРОВ В РАЗВИТИИ ПОТЕНЦИАЛА ЭКОНОМИКИ КРАСНОДАРСКОГО КРАЯ

The article substantiates the innovative directions of development of the Krasnodar Territory. The significant factors of production of the region have been identified, the dominants of innovative development have been identified: agro-industrial and oil refining complexes, resort and tourist sectors of the economy, construction, transport and information technology. The sphere of processing agricultural products is actively developing. The progressive development of these areas is ensured by the innovation of technological solutions in these sectors of the economy of the region, with the active role of the entrepreneurial initiative of their implementation. The development of technological models is provided by fundamental science, which is based not only on the achievements of specialists from research institutes, but also on the developments of higher education workers who are better aware of the needs of their native land than others. The cluster formation methodology introduced into the sphere of determining the effectiveness of state business support is of great importance, which allows determining the need for development resources at the local level. Krasnodar Territory is the territory of business development in accordance with the strategic development objectives set for enterprises of various forms of business organization included in the solution of national economic tasks. The population of the Krasnodar Territory is a rapidly growing resource for economic development. A huge number of people living in the Krasnodar Territory – almost 1.3 million people – are included in the field of entrepreneurship. The indicator of the number of citizen entrepreneurs in the sphere of small and medium-sized businesses increased by 134 thousand people in 2023. This is an indicator that there are conditions for the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in Kuban. Representatives of the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory take an active position in helping entrepreneurs.

Investigating Recreation Activity Type on College Students’ Subjective Well-being and Leisure Satisfaction

Those working in higher education have a vested interest in understanding how outdoor recreation activities facilitate happiness in students, especially with student well-being at an all-time low. The following study compares indoor versus outdoor recreation activities within the context of the DRAMMA model of leisure engagement and subjective well-being, which includes the psychological mechanisms of meaning, mastery, detachment-recovery, autonomy, and affiliation. In addition, the role of leisure satisfaction is considered as part of the model. Findings indicated a significant difference in the subjective well-being score between outdoor and indoor recreation participants and a higher score in leisure satisfaction for outdoor than indoor recreation participants.Keywords: DRAMMA, Happiness, Leisure Satisfaction, Recreation Activity

Gigification of English Language Instructor Work in Higher Education: Precarious Employment and Magic Time

AbstractThis article describes how discourses of professionalism, insecurity, and exploitation among English as a second language/English for Academic Purposes (hereinafter ESL/EAP) instructors and curriculum‐level administrators at two Canadian universities relate to their understanding of fair work. These understandings are examined in a nested manner, in keeping with social positioning theory. Via discourse and thematic analysis of job advertisements and semi‐structured interviews, we illuminate aspects of the gigification of ESL/EAP in Canada, wherein ESL/EAP instructor work is increasingly rendered un(der)paid, constantly evaluated, surveilled, and precarious. Viewed through the lens of “magic time,” an infinite category of work time, we document the frustrations of ESL/EAP instructors who recognize their own exploitation. The relevance of this study is described in relation to the growing numbers of international students at English‐speaking universities throughout the world requiring a robust program infrastructure supporting their success, while the ESL/EAP instructors who provide these programs are increasingly made disposable through contingent employment relationships. The increasing reliance on contract professors teaching for‐credit courses in higher education has come to be known as adjunctification. In the noncredit, the more marginal context of ESL/EAP instructors subject to the forces of international student supply and demand, underpaid even by contract faculty standards, and engaged in often cutthroat competition for the few remaining contracts, we reference contextual differences by calling it gigification.

The profession of social work: comparing Germany and Singapore

ABSTRACT Using a comparative approach the professional characteristics of social work in Germany and Singapore were analysed. The literature about the profession in both countries was reviewed according to eight criteria suggested by Weiss-Gal and Welbourne (The professionalisation of social work: A cross-national exploration. International Journal of Social Welfare, 17, 281–290, 2008): (1) public recognition, (2) monopoly over social care, (3) professional autonomy, (4) specific knowledge base, (5) educational system, (6) social work organisations, (7) code of ethics, and (8) status and prestige. Our analysis yielded similarities and differences in social work as a profession between the two countries. Common to Germany and Singapore is the existence of a body of knowledge, the professional training of social workers in higher education, the establishment of professional organisations, and the adoption of a code of ethics. The full definition of being a profession with respect to professional monopoly and autonomy is not reached by either one of the two countries. While extended education since the Bologna reform may lead to enhanced public recognition in Germany, relatively low salaries indicate a low status and prestige of the profession. In Singapore, the government just recently intentionally increased social workers’ remuneration to improve public recognition and to tackle social problems more effectively.

Athena SWAN: “Institutional peacocking” in the neoliberal university

AbstractThis paper contributes to understandings of how Athena SWAN (AS) is shaping contemporary equality work in the context of the neoliberal university, and whether it is contributing to performative ways of doing equality work. We center our research on the exploration of the question of how the gender‐agenda is being captured by the neoliberal agenda, drawing on 35 in‐depth qualitative interviews with AS champions across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The core aim of the study is to explore how AS has been co‐opted and mobilized as a vehicle for contemporary (neoliberal) equality work. We argue that rather than contributing to transformational change, AS serves as an effective tool for institutional reputation gains and (extended) virtue signaling, conceptualized and coined here as “institutional peacocking.” This in turn, functions and is implemented in diverse institutional settings, with primarily institutional benefit, at the cost of AS champions who carry out gender equality work. We contribute empirically and conceptually to theorizations and current understandings of gender equality work in higher education, especially through AS champions' experience and the institutional benefits that present opportunity costs for some individuals, potentially serving to further entrench stereotyped perceptions of who should be doing equality work in universities, and critically, how institutions benefit.