Years Of Higher Education Research Articles

Patient competence in relation with medical and psychosocial characteristics in cardiology context: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUNDGrowth of cardiovascular disease (CVD), variation in provision of medical services, rising costs, and increasing information availability through the media are making patients more actively involved in decision-making process of their treatment. The aim of this study was to better understand the components of patient competence in the context of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to further evaluate their relations with medical, demographic, and psychosocial characteristics.METHODSIn this cross-sectional study, 148 patients with at least one year diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were enrolled in the study from April to June 2014. Data on demographic characteristics, depression, anxiety, quality of life (QOL), social support, and drug adherence were collected from participants. Pearson correlation, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple linear regression tests were performed for analyzing data.RESULTSThe mean age of patients was 53.63 ± 5.15. Of the participants, 58 (39.5%) and 61 cases (41.5%) were found to be depressed and anxious, respectively. Higher levels of self-regulation correlated with higher education years and social support, and also with lower depression and anxiety (P < 0.050). Stress management and confronting the threat were linked to education years, depression, anxiety, QOL, and social support (P < 0.050).CONCLUSIONThe patients with CAD, in order to be involved in the proper treatment process and manage their emotions during this process, need to have the required competencies. Patient competence as a whole and its components have been related to medical, demographic, and psychosocial characteristics.

The Role of Demographic and Symbolic Features in Clinical Arabic Graphesthesia Testing

Objective: Graphesthesia is the ability to identify a symbol traced on the skin. Agraphesthesia is the impairment in this ability and is encountered in various disorders of the somatosensory pathways. We aimed to describe the demographic and symbolic features that influence correct recognition of Arabic graphesthesia stimuli in healthy Arabic individuals. Methods: Participants were community dwelling healthy Arabian individuals of 18 years of age or older. Demographic information collected included age, gender, years of education, and hand dominance. Assessment was conducted using a list of 15 symbols drawn in a single stroke while the hands were obscured from vision. Symbols were current letters and numbers from Arabic script. Each participant was exposed to 60 attempts in total in a random order and correct responses were counted. Results: A total of 126 male and female participants were included. On average, men scored less than women (p < 0.0001), older subjects scored less than those below 30 years of age (p = 0.03), and higher years of education resulted in higher scores (p = 0.047) while handedness did not significantly associate with performance. More correct responses were seen for numerical symbols than letters (p < 0.0001). Symbols with unique script were more likely to be correctly identified. Conclusions: Number and letter symbols traced on the palm are identified with varying levels of accuracy when conducted according to our method. Female gender, younger age, and higher education are associated with higher scores. Among the many potential symbolic properties that contribute to recognition, a numeric symbol with a unique script is most likely to be correctly identified.

Interstate migration and human capital formation in Brazil

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of interstate migration of individuals with different qualification levels on human capital formation in the migrant’s place of origin.Design/methodology/approachA dynamic panel model with data from the National Household Sample Survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD)), between 2001 and 2013, is used.FindingsThe results indicate that the migration of high-skilled people boosts school attendance in fifth grade elementary school and first year high school, but it does not affect the levels of those entering first year in higher education. However, the migration of low-skilled workers discourages people from entering higher education, as those living in less developed areas do not need higher education qualifications to get higher incomes. Thus, they migrate to developed areas with the education levels they already have. The brain gain hypothesis is not, therefore, confirmed in the context of higher education attendance.Originality/valueThis paper’s contribution is its investigation into the effect of interstate migration on human capital formation in Brazil, through testing the brain gain hypothesis in a national context. In addition, it also analyzes the impact of the migration of people of low and intermediate qualification levels on human capital, with a view to verifying if the mobility of people with other levels of qualification could discourage the formation of human capital.

Identifying science students at risk in the first year of higher education: the incremental value of non-cognitive variables in predicting early academic achievement

Science students’ study success rates in the first year of higher education (FYHE) are problematic. Although a considerable amount of previous research has been carried out to investigate the determinants of students’ academic achievement in FYHE, there has been little discussion about the incremental value of non-cognitive factors over and above cognitive determinants in the prediction of early (after the first semester of FYHE) academic achievement in a science educational context. Furthermore, the complex nature of the relationships between determinants of academic achievement is frequently neglected. An investigation that addresses these gaps is important to provide the insights necessary to identify at-risk science students early in their academic career. Therefore, the main aim of this research was to examine the incremental value of non-cognitive variables (processing strategies, regulation strategies, academic motivation, self-concept, self-efficacy) in predicting students’ early academic achievement in a science FYHE context, over and above domain-specific prior knowledge (cognitive) and after controlling for gender, age and prior education. Hereto, path-analyses were used on the data of 781 first-year students within a faculty of science of a Belgian university college in the academic year 2016–2017. Results show that cognitive variables and pre-entry characteristics predict early academic achievement. However, after controlling for these characteristics, evidence for the assumption that non-cognitive variables are determinants of early academic achievement in science education contexts could not be found in this study. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

Does self-efficacy contribute to the development of students’ motivation across the transition from secondary to higher education?

The transition from secondary to higher education is a challenging process, in which the development of students’ motivation plays a pivotal role. The current study examines whether self-efficacy—and how it develops—is able to explain the growth in motivation. The current longitudinal study included five waves, across a period of 25 months (i.e. start of the final year of secondary education until the beginning of the second year of higher education). Results show—contrary to our hypothesis based on the self-determination theory and social cognitive theory—that the growth in autonomous motivation positively predicts the growth in self-efficacy and that this ‘reversed’ model is superior in terms of fit and explained variance to the hypothesised model.

Sometimes you do less with less

For the past several years in higher education, we've been asked to do “more with less.” And we did it. Year after year, our state budget allocations have been cut and we've had to rely more and more on local tuition and fees funding to make up the difference. Yet we continued to provide the same quality and quantity of programs as we did in the past. We just did it with less “everything.”

Implementing first-year assessment principles: An analysis of selected scholarly literature

Assessment plays an important role in students’ learning as students often frame their learning around their assessment tasks. Well-designed assessment can be used to facilitate first-year students making their social and academic transition to university. In 2009, Professor David Nicol prepared a framework for first-year assessment practices that included 12 principles. In this study, these principles were revisited and used to analyse papers from 2013 to 2016 in the journals: ‘Assessment &amp; Evaluation in Higher Education’, ‘The International Journal of First Year in Higher Education’ and ‘Student Success’. The purpose of the study was to determine how current literature addresses Nicol’s first-year assessment principles, whether there were any issues in implementing them and whether anything new is emerging in the field. Based on this analysis, proposals are made for modifying the principles and recommendations are made for future research.

The Journey from Further Education to Higher Education: an investigation into the ‘lived experiences’ of learners as they transition into and through the first year of higher education

The global trend towards the expansion of student participation in higher education study has resulted in unprecedented challenges to the sector as it seeks to respond to greater diversity in the student body and increased demand for academic support and flexibility in entry pathways. Unsurprisingly, this trend has been accompanied by a proliferation of research examining how universities and higher education are responding to the challenge of meeting the needs of a diverse population of students. This qualitative study, using a dual sector further education and higher education academic partner institution of a dispersed Scottish university as a case-study, investigates the ‘lived experiences’ of learners as they transition into and through the first year of higher education. The data analysis revealed three dominant enablers to student transitions: ‘higher education demystification’, ‘student-centred peer support’ and ‘pastoral care’. The study recognises that student transitions are entangled in circumstances of time and place, as well as the unique dynamics of individual agency and interaction with others. However, by linking the student experiences to wider arcs of understanding on educational transitions, this small-scale study aims to contribute to broader discussions on how to forge better progression pathways between further education and higher education.

The directional links between students’ academic motivation and social integration during the first year of higher education

Previous theoretical research proposed a link between students’ academic motivation and students’ experiences of social integration, but less is known empirically about this association in higher education contexts. In order to explore the directional links between students’ academic motivation and social integration, this survey study aims to investigate the following: (1) how students’ motivation at the start affects their experiences of social integration at the end of the first year of higher education and (2) how students’ social integration at the start influences their motivation at the end of the first year. A total of 930 freshmen participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Three autoregressive cross-lagged models were tested by using a longitudinal dataset with two measurement waves, at the start and at the end of the first year of higher education. The results showed that students with a high level of amotivation at the start of the first year of higher education were less socially integrated at the end of the first year. Furthermore, social integration could play a crucial role in positively changing students’ identified regulation during the first year of higher education. Students who experienced a greater degree of social integration at the start of the first year had a higher score on identified regulation at the end of the first year. These results highlight the importance of creating a learning environment which fosters students’ social integration, as well as supporting less-motivated students at the start of the first year.

Balancing Cost and Value: Scandinavian Students’ First Year Experiences of Encountering Science and Technology Higher Education

This paper investigates the experiences of students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) during their first year in higher education, based on 874 Danish and 1314 Norwegian students’ responses to an online questionnaire. Rather than focusing on averages, we compare the experiences of two distinct groups of students: those who rated their overall study situation as better than expected (the satisfied group) and those who rated it as worse than expected (the dissatisfied group). Although the satisfied group were more positive to many aspects of their study situation, the dissatisfied group were also relatively positive to many aspects. All respondents expressed that the study cost more time and effort than anticipated, but only for some students (notably the satisfied group) was this high cost counterbalanced by a high value in terms of subject interest and social integration. Implications are discussed in terms of future research directions and how educational institutions can improve students’ meeting with higher education.

Human capital and its impact on employment quality: Sector and wage

Abstract. This study analyzes the relationship between human capital, employment sector and wages in Morocco. We first analyzed the role of human capital in the explanation of employment sector; then, we estimated the impact of human capital on the probability of receiving a high salary; while controlling a range of socio-economic factors. As measures of human capital, we have included the level of diploma, the field of study and the language of study. In order to achieve the aim of the research, a coherent methodology has been adopted. We exploited primary survey data. It covers 98 graduates from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Social Sciences of Tangier – Morocco, that were contacted in 2015, after three years of graduation. The main conclusion of The multinomial logistic regression models is that the Master's level graduates (five years of higher education) are more likely to be in a protected sector and to have a high salary than licensee’s level graduates (three years of higher education). Keywords. Human capital, Protected sector, Quality of the job, Salary, Young graduates. JEL. A23, I26, J45, J46, C35.

COMPORTAMENTOS E ATITUDES DOS ESTUDANTES DO ENSINO SUPERIOR EM RELAÇÃO À SEXUALIDADE

Abstract.BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS IN RELATION TO SEXUALITYSexuality and the way it should be addressed still has no solutions and the young people continue to have the attitudes/ behaviours they deem appropriate and the results that follow aren’t always the best. The objective is to study the sexuality in young students who attend the first year of higher education (area of health), considering that most of them are for the first time out of their family, with typical experiences of students entering higher education, and also because it is at this stage of life that sexual maturation begins, very close to adulthood. The study is of a quantitative nature, putting in evidence the attitudes and sexual behaviours of young people who have already begun their sexual activity (64.6%). The scale used has four dimensions that are subdivided into: Behavioural Intent: Practice “safe sex”, which is understood as the use of condom. Reactions: positive and negative feelings of the subject towards the use of condom and beliefs about the positive or negative consequences associated with this behaviour. Subjective norm: subjective judgment about the degree of approval-disapproval of certain significant persons to the subject (parents, friends, partner) about the use of condom. Control perception: expectations of self-efficacy, subjective judgment about the degree of conviction in the difficulty or ease of using (or making use) the condom at the next sexual encounter. We have concluded that there is a large percentage who use the condom (36%), followed by a double protection, condom and contraceptional pill (26.1%). Most of those who already had sex, (65%) had sex again with the same partner. Health professionals should understand the complexity of the problem of sexuality and be aware of the reality of the lifestyles adopted by young people, so that they can define strategies for health promotion and intervene in the causes. Keywords: sexuality; young people; behaviours; attitudes; contraceptionpanish and English were: “baile”, “lesión”, “prevención”, “prevalencia”, “flamenco”, “danza”, “dance”, “injury”, “prevention”, “prevalence”, “common”, “frequent”, “lession”, “flamenco” and “ballet”. The majority of injuries occur in the lower extremities and are often related to muscular overload or weakness, rather than traumatisms. These injuries are commonly produced by a lack of technique or a wrong application of it, or even sometimes by the bad fitting-out of the room where the activity is being practised.Keywords: dance, injuries, physiotherapy, prevention, exercises, psychologyResumo.A sexualidade e a forma como deve ser abordada ainda não tem soluções e os jovens continuam a ter as atitudes/comportamentos que entendem e nem sempre os resultados que daí advêm são os melhores. O objetivo é estudar a sexualidade nos jovens estudantes que frequentam o 1º ano do ensino superior (área da saúde), considerando que na sua maioria se encontram pela primeira vez fora do seu agregado familiar, com vivências próprias dos estudantes que ingressam no ensino superior e também porque é nesta fase da vida que se inicia uma maturação sexual, muito perto da idade adulta. O estudo é de natureza quantitativa onde são evidenciadas as atitudes e os comportamentos sexuais dos jovens, que já iniciaram a sua atividade sexual (64,6%). A escala utilizada apresenta quatros dimensões que se subdividem em: Intenção comportamental: praticar “sexo seguro”, que é entendido como uso de preservativo. Reações: sentimentos positivos e negativos do sujeito face à utilização do preservativo e crenças sobre as consequências positivas ou negativas associadas ao desempenho desse comportamento. Norma subjetiva: julgamento subjetivo sobre o grau de aprovação-desaprovação de certas pessoas significativas para o sujeito (pais, amigos, companheiro) sobre o uso de preservativo. Percepção de controlo: expectativas de auto-eficácia, julgamento subjetivo sobre o grau de convicção na dificuldade ou facilidade de usar (ou fazer usar) o preservativo no próximo encontro sexual. Concluímos que existe uma grande percentagem que utiliza preservativo (36%), seguindo-se uma dupla proteção, preservativo e pilula (26,1%). A maioria dos que tiveram relações sexuais, (65%) voltaram a ter relações sexuais com o mesmo parceiro. Os profissionais de saúde devem compreender a complexidade do problema da sexualidade e ter conhecimento da realidade dos estilos de vida adotados pelos jovens, para poderem definir estratégias para a promoção da saúde e intervir nas causas.Palavras chave: sexualidade; jovens; comportamentos; atitudes; contracepção

Educating tomorrow’s reformists: factors affecting the development of undergraduates’ social progressivism

ABSTRACTResearchers have unpacked the ways in which students participate in democracy through voting and other forms of civic engagement. However, very little empirical work has delved into how students develop socially progressive values, despite their unprecedented importance to young people during their years in higher education. Rooted in a rich historical context of campus demonstration spanning the past 75 years and current events in the United States, this inspection of college students’ social progressivism was grounded by Pascarella’s model of students’ learning and cognitive development, and uses OLS (ordinary least squares) regression to investigate the phenomenon. Analyzing data collected by the Cooperative and Institutional Research Program from 159 institutions across the United States, this study explored the predictive capacity of students’ interaction with influential agents of socialization and other variables central to undergraduates’ college experiences. Results indicate that socially progressive students tended to interact more with faculty outside of office hours and had a higher cumulative GPA. Additional findings and implications are discussed.

Studium nauczycielskie w Olsztynie w latach 1954-1969. Przyczynek do badań szkolnictwa pedagogicznego na Warmii i Mazurach

The Teachers’ Training School in Olsztyn was founded in 1954 by the pedagogue Bolesław Wytrążka. Its task was to educate primary school teachers in grades V–VII to meet the needs of the Olsztyn voivodeship. The studies took place in daily and extramural forms. In the Olsztyn branch, the curriculum implemented compulsory subjects as well as compulsory classes. The programme of education consisted of compulsory subjects and ped�agogical practice, writing diploma theses and submitting diploma exams. Graduates were able to continue their studies at the third year of higher education. The Teacher Training College in Olsztyn was liquidated in 1969. His task was taken over by the Higher School of Teachers in Olsztyn. The chronicle of the Teacher’s Studies in Olsztyn presented in the annex is preserved solely in the original and not in any other copies of the manuscript. It is stored in the collections of the Archives and Museum of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The text of the chronicle was printed, and the use of cursive enabled the author to apply footnotes and to deal with shortcuts

Nine Hundred Years of Higher Education and Innovation

The author analyzes the rates of student enrollment and the cost of higher education worldwide in the twelfth century and in Russia in the nineteenth century, concluding that today’s growth has not been accompanied by the appropriate emergence of significant innovations, or of cultural and other achievements. This article offers recommendations for increasing the efficiency of higher education funding in Russia.

Entry Characteristics and Participation in a Peer Learning Program as Predictors of First-Year Students’ Achievement, Retention, and Degree Completion

Success in the first year of higher education is important for students’ retention beyond their first year and for completion of their undergraduate degree. Institutions therefore typically front-load resources and interventions in the first year. One such intervention is the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program. This program is known in the United States as Supplemental Instruction. It provides first-year students with an opportunity to learn study skills in the context of a particular unit of study (course/module). In this article, we consider the relationship between students’ prior academic achievement and participation in the PASS program, as well as the impact of participation on first-year students’ first-year grade point average, retention, and degree completion. The findings suggest that PASS does not just attract academically high-achieving students and that participation in it contributes to students’ academic achievement in their first year, retention beyond the first year, and completion of an undergraduate degree.

First to See the Light: EIT 40 Years of Higher Education

First to See the Light: EIT 40 Years of Higher Education

Social Support of Young Adults in the Light of Trust

IntroductionHigher educational institutions (HEI) have changed a lot during the past decades, mainly but not exquisitely owing to the Bologna process (Kryk, 2016). Universities used to create and foster strong communities, where teachers knew their students, developed their talents and have prepared them for life. Students used to form bonds for life and lasting friendships had been forged through/due to the demanding, but rewarding years of higher education (Baker, 2013; Androniceanu, Ohanyan, 2016; Jovovic et al., 2016; Berechet, 2016).However, the once elite education, which was available only for the selected few, has turned into something very different; showing the signs and bearing the disadvantages of mass education. The phenomenon is affecting not only the teacher-student, but the student-student relations. Students are not connected to each other the way they used to be; and the HEIs as means to create social embeddedness do not serve their purpose any more (Kezar, 2014). HEI have lost their power to retain their students (Gerdes, Mallinckrodt, 1994). Students do not identify themselves with their local university community; tend to make less and less friendships during their studies (Androniceanu, 2015; Popescu, Mourao, 2016). This lack of sufficient integration however, is affecting their commitment not only toward the HEI itself, but higher education in general (Tinto, 1987) and hence generates a vicious cycle. Online and blended learning, which is becoming a substantial component of the higher education system, is also an issue that cannot be neglected, when exploring the social embeddedness of students in HEI (Picciano, 2015; Shea, Bidjerano, 2010).Does this detachment mean that the students are lonely and lack the necessary social support because of the present way of how higher education is organised; or are the students different from those in the past favouring different kinds of contacts and connections, finding substitutes for HEIs as providers of social connections easy? Are the students of the 21st century well off regarding social support? Do they trust their peers more than their family members?The research presented in this paper aims to find answers to these questions. With the help of a quantitative research on 249 young adolescents in their bachelor studies I intend to identify the role of family and peers at the university in the social support of the respondents. Within this paper, I also tackle the importance of interpersonal trust and its effect on the social support of those in the sample.I am well aware that the research presented in the paper is not suitable to validate relations of the variables investigated, however, the data presented are indicative, and thought inducing; and it can also form a basis for further research with a more targeted sampling.1.Social supportHumans are social beings. Not only because in this modern age only very few of us would be capable of sustaining his/her life without the help of others, but because humans like to belong. Having (significant) others around provides motivation and reward, can be source of reassurance and punishment, offers resources and support in informational, tangible as well as emotional sense. Thompson (1995) defined social embeddedness as frequency of contacts with others, which has a potential to integrate individuals into a supportive community. Frequency of contact however is not the only feature to be taken into consideration when exploring social embeddedness. The social network, and its strength to provide resources and support for the individual is also dependent on the size, diversity, functionality and variability of the social network the individual possesses and the centrality of the very person within this network.According to Bourdieu (1997) social support is a form of capital - namely that of social capital, which is strongly connected to the individual and hence can provide increasing return to its owner when utilised as a resource. …

Does Postsecondary Education Result in Civic Benefits?

ABSTRACTPublic support for higher education depends in part on the idea that additional postsecondary education results in civic benefits including voting, volunteering, and donating to non-profit causes. We expanded on the literature on civic benefits of higher education by utilizing a rich set of location-based instruments to identify the relationship between additional postsecondary education and civic behaviors. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, we estimated the impact of postsecondary education on civic behaviors for a group of young people aged 29 to 33 years by 2013. These new estimates indicated that an additional year of higher education increased the probability of voting by 7.7% in the 2010 election. We also found statistically significant though substantively small impacts of postsecondary education on volunteerism and donations to nonprofits, with effect sizes of .1 for voluntarism and .13 for donations.

The first year in higher education—critical requirements from the student perspective

While study success and completion rates are important issues in educational policy, research highlights the particular relevance of the first year in higher education (HE) for students’ future academic performance and achievement. In Germany, the recent reform of degree programmes appears to have created new challenges related to students’ transition to HE, yet little is known about the specific requirements students perceive as critical for their first-year experience. The present study, therefore, seeks to explore the first-year challenges in German HE from the student perspective focusing on the nexus of the individual and institutional factors relevant for successful transition. Following the critical incident technique, data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with 25 students from all six faculties of a German university. We employed the qualitative content analysis to examine first-year challenges in terms of the critical requirements emerging from the interviews. First, the thematic analysis of the data resulted in identifying a broad range of personal, organisational, content-related and social requirements students perceived as critical for transition to HE. Second, the quantitative analysis of code occurrence suggested that personal and organisational requirements are most relevant from the students’ perspectives. Finally, the single-case analysis of the interviews disclosed that individual students experience an accumulation of first-year challenges revealing the interconnectedness of critical requirements. In sum, the findings offer a systematic overview of the first-year challenges as well as provide detailed insights on how the interplay of institutional and individual factors contributes to the transition to HE.