scholarly journals Academic Engagement and Intention to Drop Out: Levers for Sustainability in Higher Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camelia Truta ◽  
Luminita Parv ◽  
Ioana Topala
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Family Background ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Early Dropout

The present paper analyses the relevance of academic engagement in the process of students dropping out of school. Previous studies have consistently shown strong associations between engagement and students’ achievement outcomes. The increased attention given to academic engagement in recent years is also visible in the efforts of stakeholders in higher education to increase engagement and, consequently, to reduce dropout. The relationships between engagement and dropout rates are somewhat fuzzier, vigor, dedication, and absorption vary inconsistently in students at risk. Using a correlation research design, we tested several dimensions of academic engagement as predictors of early dropout intentions on a sample of first-year students (N = 1063). The results showed that psychological academic engagement of students is a significant predictor of early dropout intentions. Differences in academic engagement given by family background and academic context were also tested. The implications of the results are discussed in the light of possible interventions for increasing academic engagement of university students. Also, suggestions for including employers in academic engagement and dropout interventions are given.

scholarly journals Academic preparedness of students – an exploratory study

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Du Plessis ◽  
Daleen Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Academic Preparedness ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
North West ◽  
Student Failure ◽  
High Level

The high level of student failure, accompanied by an increased drop-out rate, is problematic in higher education. It is especially a concern in programmes with the subjects of Mathematics, Accounting and Science. Over many years, models of student admission and selection have been widely researched both internationally and in South Africa. Research indicates that in the academic domain, underpreparedness results from a combination of a lack of English proficiency, mathematical ability and effective study skills. In view of the above, and government policy directives to broaden access in the scarce skills areas to increase student throughput, foundation provision was introduced for students of Commerce, Information Technology, Business, Mathematics and Informatics courses at the Vaal Triangle Campus (VTC) of North-West University (NWU) in 2010. The question at that time then arose as to what criteria should be used for placing students in the extended programme. The placement of first-year students in appropriate programmes should be done with sensitivity to enhance academic success but, at the same time, should not ‘label’ students as underprepared. This paper provides perspectives on the selection criteria available for predicting academic success/preparedness, and then reports on students’ own experiences. An action research study was conducted on the academic achievement of two cohorts of first-year students at the VTC of NWU. The quantitative results of the performance of first-year students in their core modules are compared to the results of predictive tests written after admission. The results provide valuable insight into the placement of students.Keywords: Academic preparedness, extended programmes, national senior certificate, national benchmark testDisciplines: Education management studies, higher education studies

scholarly journals Perception of Pedagogy Students About the Usefulness of Blogs in Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Zambrano-Matamala ◽  
Darío Rojas-Díaz ◽  
Pedro Salcedo-Lagos ◽  
Ociel López-Jara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
School Level ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
First Year ◽  
Ict In Education ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
University Level ◽  
Faculty Of Education

The use of blogs, given their ease of creation and functionality, can be an opportunity for teachers in training to use ICT in education. In this research we ask what perception the teaching staff in training have of the use of blogs in an academic context of higher education and what experience of use and interaction with blogs they had at school level. For this reason, in order to obtain information at university level, we used the scale of assessment of the usefulness of blogs in higher education. A semi-structured interview was applied to learn about the experience of using and interacting with blogs at school level and how it projects the use of blogs as future teachers. The sample was 100 first-year students of pedagogy, enrolled in pedagogy careers of a faculty of education of a university in the south of Chile. The results indicate that, at the school level, most students did not use or interact with blogs, and that, at the higher education level, the least favored dimension is implementing curriculum by using blogs.

scholarly journals Bullying and cyberbullying: Variables that influence university dropout

Comunicar ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (64) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Ana B. Bernardo ◽  
Ellián Tuero ◽  
Antonio Cervero ◽  
Alejandra Dobarro ◽  
Celia Galve-González
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Violent Behavior ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Dropping Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The North ◽  
Personal Variables ◽  
University Dropout ◽  
Victims Of Bullying

The increase in dropout rates in higher education is a phenomenon that has generated a lot of interest because of the need to deal with its economic, personal, and social consequences, and because of its prevalence, estimated around 30% in Spain. There is a similar interest in violent behavior in university classrooms, which has also been seen to have increased in recent years. Given that, and the fact that research has shown personal variables to be more influential in dropout from higher education, the aim of this study is to explore whether those students who are the victims of bullying (both traditional and cyberbullying) are closer to dropping out from their degree courses. To that end, 1,653 first-year students doing various degree courses in the north of Spain were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results of a Bayesian analysis showed that students who were victims of bullying were more likely to consider dropping out than students who were not victims of bullying. In addition, variables related to social integration (support from friends and teachers) exhibited a moderating effect. These findings raise the urgent need to include intervention strategies in relation to bullying in university plans to prevent dropout. El aumento del abandono en los estudios superiores es un fenómeno que suscita un gran interés por la necesidad de paliar los efectos económicos, personales y sociales que genera; y por su nivel de prevalencia, que informes recientes cifran en España en torno a un 30%. Algo semejante ocurre con los comportamientos violentos en las aulas universitarias, cuyo incremento se ha constatado en los últimos tiempos. Teniendo esto en cuenta, y dado que tal y como pone de manifiesto la investigación científica son las variables personales las que parecen ejercer un mayor peso en el abandono de los estudios superiores, el objetivo que este trabajo persigue es investigar si aquellos universitarios que están siendo víctimas de acoso (acoso tradicional y ciberacoso) pueden tener un mayor planteamiento de abandono de la titulación. Para ello, se implementó un cuestionario a 1.653 estudiantes de primer curso de varias titulaciones de una universidad del norte de España. Los resultados del análisis bayesiano realizado muestran que aquellos estudiantes que son víctimas de acoso, en comparación con aquellos que no lo son, se plantean abandonar sus estudios en mayor medida, teniendo además las variables relacionadas con la integración social (apoyo de amigos y profesores) un efecto moderador. Estos hallazgos plantean la urgente necesidad de incluir estrategias de intervención sobre el acoso en los planes de prevención del abandono universitario.

A FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS’ ADAPTATION TO DIFFICULTIES AT HIGH EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-113
Author(s):  
Nailya R. Salikhova ◽  
◽  
Aida R. Fakhrutdinova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Social Community ◽  
Transition To Higher Education ◽  
Study Participants

Data from an empirical study aimed at identifying the difficulties faced by students in their transition to higher education, the overcoming of which is important for personal development, are presented in the article. The study participants (n=179) were asked to describe the difficulties of transition from school to University in the 1st year based on analysis of their autobiographical memory. The content analysis of texts allowed identifying the main themes and compiling a list of challenges, and then the frequency of occurrence of each of them was determined. According to the results, the most actual difficulties are the different aspects of integrating into the new social community due to sharp changes in the social environment during the transition from school to University. A big challenge is the need for self-organization in educational and everyday matters, planning and organizing your time. The third most frequently mentioned is learning difficulties, especially those related to mastering the material in the new educational environment. Problematic areas of adaptation to higher education that have not been previously reflected in the sources are the establishment of a common life in the dormitory, pressure from parents, the manifestation of their individuality, the increase in the length of classes and the pace of learning, romantic relationships and language barriers. The difficulties of the first examination session are much less frequently mentioned, and are more frequently mentioned when examining the current adaptation process. The results of the study can be used for the development and subsequent implementation of a system of practical measures aimed at helping students to adapt to the new environment and conditions. Such assistance to students in building a new way of life at a university, especially at an early stage of study, is necessary not only to improve the effectiveness of the educational process, but also to facilitate the processes of personal growth and development of students

Japan: The "Haves" are Gaining and the "Have-Nots" are Losing

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Obara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Rural Colleges ◽  
Negative Cycle ◽  
Rural Institutions

Many Japanese private higher education institutions also face a risk of falling into the "losing group." It seems that small/rural colleges end up receiving less extra income from admissions over the tei-in (the quota for first-year students) level. This loss creates less scholarship money for capable students. The small/rural institutions are likely to lose prospective students as a negative cycle works against them. This tendency, in turn, augments the opportunities available to large, metropolitan higher education institutions. In Japan, a clear division is anticipated, with the larger institutions getting much larger and the smaller and rural ones getting much smaller. This is a hard fact that we will face in the foreseeable future.

scholarly journals The higher education space: connecting degree programs from individuals’ choices

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Candia ◽  
Sara Encarnação ◽  
Flávio L. Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
First Year ◽  
Revealed Preferences ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Education Systems ◽  
Higher Education Systems ◽  
Female Candidates ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Governance In Higher Education

AbstractData on the applicants’ revealed preferences when entering higher education is used as a proxy to build the Higher Education Space (HES) of Portugal (2008–2015) and Chile (2006–2017). The HES is a network that connects pairs of degree programs according to their co-occurrence in the applicants’ preferences. We show that both HES network structures reveal the existence of positive assortment in features such as gender balance, application scores, unemployment levels, academic demand/supply ratio, geographical mobility, and first-year drop-out rates. For instance, if a degree program exhibits a high prevalence of female candidates, its nearest degree programs in the HES will also tend to exhibit a higher prevalence when compared to the prevalence in the entire system. These patterns extend up to two or three links of separation, vanishing, or inverting for increasing distances. Moreover, we show that for demand/supply ratio and application scores a similar pattern occurs for time variations. Finally, we provide evidence that information embedded in the HES is not accessible by merely considering the features of degree programs independently. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the higher education systems at revealing and leveraging its non-trivial underlying organizing principles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first network science approach for improving decision-making and governance in higher education systems.

scholarly journals Personality traits and academic performance: Correcting self-assessed traits with vignettes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248629
Author(s):  
Johan Coenen ◽  
Bart H. H. Golsteyn ◽  
Tom Stolp ◽  
Dirk Tempelaar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Risk Preference ◽  
Emotional Stability ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Point Estimates

In this study, we investigate whether Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Risk Preference relate to student performance in higher education. We employ anchoring vignettes to correct for heterogeneous scale use in these non-cognitive skills. Our data are gathered among first-year students at a Dutch university. The results show that Conscientiousness is positively related to student performance, but the estimates are strongly biased upward if we use the uncorrected variables. We do not find significant relationships for Emotional Stability but find that the point estimates are larger when using the uncorrected variables. Measured Risk Preference is negatively related to student performance, yet this is fully explained by heterogeneous scale use. These results indicate the importance of using more objective measurements of personality traits.

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