Effects of gender and institutional support services on commercialisation of maize in Western Kenya

In Austria, 12% of all students in higher education report a disability that, at least somewhat, limits their study activities. As they still face many barriers throughout their studies, support services play a key part in their academic success. However, data from the Austrian Student Social Survey demonstrate that every second student with a disability is reluctant to contact fellow students, lecturers, or institutional support in case of study-related difficulties. One in four students with disabilities does not seek any assistance because of stigmatisation fear. With respect to these tendencies, our article examines factors that promote or inhibit the reluctance of students with disabilities to seek support due to fear of stigmatisation. For this purpose, we construct a binary indicator of stigma fear, which encompasses items concerning social isolation or drawbacks to academic opportunities, inhibitions about contacting people or disclosing one’s disability. In a regression model, we identify influential factors such as noticeability of disability and degree of study-related limitations as well as social factors like the feeling of anonymity and sense of belonging.

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Childcare, Campus Support Services, and Other Barriers for College Students Who are Parents at a 4-Year Hispanic Serving Institution

Journal of Hispanic Higher Education ◽

10.1177/15381927211005076 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 153819272110050

Author(s):

Nancy Dayne ◽

Youngok Jung ◽

Roudi Roy

Keyword(s):

Support Services ◽

Institutional Support ◽

College Campuses ◽

Raising Children ◽

Student Parents ◽

Hispanic Serving Institution ◽

University Support ◽

Recommendations For Practice ◽

Hispanic Serving ◽

The Voice

College student parents are a unique population not always heard on college campuses. The current study reports the voice of student parents and their challenges in pursuing higher education, while raising children at a 4-year Hispanic Serving Institution. Seven hundred and eighty-six student parents participated, among whom 54% were Hispanic ( n = 387), in a survey that assessed childcare needs, barriers to the use of campus childcare, and university support. The study also found issues for student parents related to financial strains, parenting stressors, and lack of institutional support. Study implications and recommendations for practice are discussed.

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Moral Distress

10.28971/532015sm25 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Manuel Silva

Keyword(s):

Moral Distress ◽

Coping Skills ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Emotional Symptoms ◽

Employee Education ◽

Nursing Turnover ◽

Surgical Nurses ◽

Institutional Support Services ◽

Support Resource ◽

Nursing Professionals

<p>Moral distress is a common but frequently overlooked concept in the nursing profession, though not exclusive to nursing. Many professionals experience this distress, but nurses encounter this phenomenon more often than other professions. Moral distress can cause many physical and emotional symptoms that affect how a person perceives satisfaction in his/her profession. These include anxiety, fear, frustration, feeling of powerlessness, poor sense of safety and security, nursing turnover, and nursing professionals leaving the profession. This project targeted medical-surgical nurses and aimed to provide them with education to identify moral distress as well as appropriate coping skills that may be used to deal with the moral situation. The AACN Rise Above Moral Distress education plan, which uses the 4 A’s of Ask, Affirm, Assess and Act, was utilized for the staff education sessions. Nurses on the unit believed that they knew how to define moral distress, identify moral distress situations, have institutional support services, and are able to be a support resource to co-workers to help identify moral distress situations Comparison of pre-post surveys showed a 40% increase in knowledge, a 30% increase in moral distress confidence and a 15% increase in co-worker support confidence. Institutions often lack required employee education for identifying ethical and moral distress situations or the appropriate coping skills to be utilized. Training on dealing with ethical situations and development of uniform coping skills are needed. Recommendation from this study focused on the need for increased training on moral distress in specific areas.</p>

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What do first-year students need? Digital badges for academic support to enhance student retention

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/jarhe-12-2018-0258 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 86-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dana-Kristin Mah ◽

Dirk Ifenthaler

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Student Retention ◽

Support Services ◽

Academic Support ◽

Institutional Support ◽

First Year ◽

Digital Badges ◽

Academic Support Services ◽

First Year Students ◽

Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse data on first-year students’ needs regarding academic support services and reasons for their intention to leave the institution prior to degree completion. On the basis of the findings, a digital badge outline is proposed which could contribute to improved communication of academic requirements in order to help students to better adapt to higher education demands. Digital badges might also serve as an indicator for students’ needing additional academic support services. Design/methodology/approach An online-questionnaire was conducted with 730 first-year students at a German university. Participants’ responses to open-ended questions were coded and categorised. On the basis on these findings, an outline for a digital badge programme is proposed. Findings Participants seek the most institutional support regarding research skills and organisational aspects. Main reasons for participants’ intention to withdraw from the institution include difficulties with their programme choice. Practical implications These findings may enable higher education institutions to provide targeted support services that meet first-year students’ needs. On the basis of the findings, higher education institutions can create digital badge programmes, which may improve communication of academic requirements and may also serve as a platform for a staff-student conversation about expectations and demands for a successful first-year experience. Besides, further research and discussion may address using digital badges for learning analytics algorithms to even better identify students’ strengths and needs for targeted academic support services and enhanced student success in higher education. Originality/value Little is known about first-year students’ needs for institutional support and reasons for thinking about dropout in Germany. Understanding the student perspective is crucial for enhancing student retention. Digital badges are an emerging educational technology in higher education and they have the potential to target academic requirements, which may guide first-year students and help them to better adjust to universities’ demands.

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Come Hell or High Water: Doctoral Students’ Perceptions on Support Services and Persistence

International Journal of Doctoral Studies ◽

10.28945/2327 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

pp. 501-518 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Melanie Greene

Keyword(s):

Doctoral Students ◽

Support Services ◽

Student Persistence ◽

Institutional Support ◽

Doctoral Degree ◽

High Water ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Graduate Studies

While a lack of support has been identified as a contributing factor to non-persistence in graduate studies, there is an absence of literature that matches the provision of specific types of support services with outcomes at the doctoral level. The following questions were addressed in this study: (1) What is the role of institutional support in the persistence and success of graduate students? (2) What do students feel are some of the biggest barriers to graduate student persistence? (3) What do students feel are some of the factors that have a positive influence on persistence? Qualitative methods were employed; eleven interviews were conducted with current and former students who were currently or had previously been enrolled in a doctoral degree program in the social sciences and humanities disciplines. The study was undertaken at a large comprehensive university in Atlantic Canada. Overall findings point to the need to make transparent to doctoral students the role of institutional units and the support services they provide and the need to promote and raise awareness of these services. Five key themes emerged from this study with regards to doctoral student persistence and the role of support services: (1) the unclear role of institutional support; (2) financial considerations; (3) the culture and structure of academia; (4) individual characteristics; (5) support of others. Recommendations for policy, practice, and further research are presented.

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