scholarly journals Is Living in an Ethnic Enclave Associated With Better Cognitive Health of Older Immigrants? Results From PINE

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Man Guo ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Hanzhang Xu ◽  
Mengting Li ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
...  

Abstract This study addressed three questions: 1) Is living in Chinatown associated with better cognition among Chinese older immigrants? 2) Is the association moderated by education, acculturation level, and social engagement? 3) Does the association vary by preferred language (Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishanese), an important indicator of heterogeneity among Chinese immigrants? Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (N = 3,055). Results showed that Chinese older immigrants who lived in Chinatown had significantly poorer cognition than those who didn’t, and such a difference was largely due to educational differences between the two groups. Higher education or acculturation buffered the influence of Chinatown residence on cognitive health, but only among those who speak Mandarin. The findings indicate that living in an ethnic enclave may have a negative impact on cognitive function of Chinese older immigrants. The findings also reveal the sources of heterogeneity within the population.

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110066
Author(s):  
Man Guo ◽  
Mengting Li ◽  
Hanzhang Xu ◽  
Meredith Stensland ◽  
Bei Wu ◽  
...  

Objectives: This study addressed two questions: (1) Is age at migration associated with cognitive function among Chinese older immigrants? and (2) what personal and environmental factors confound the above relationship? Methods: Data were derived from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly ( N = 2957). Quantile and linear regressions were used to examine the associations between age at migration and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and global cognitive function, respectively. Results: Migration in late middle age (50–64) or late adulthood (65 or older) was associated with lower MMSE scores. Global cognition did not vary by age at migration. Associations between age at migration and MMSE were stronger among individuals with lower education or social engagement. Discussion: Migrating late in one’s life has important implications for cognitive health over the life course. Findings are helpful to identify vulnerable older immigrant segments and provide tailored interventions to promote their cognitive health.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gesa Sophia Borgeest ◽  
Richard Henson ◽  
Meredith Shafto ◽  
David Samu ◽  
Cam-CAN ◽  
...  

AbstractPrevious evidence suggests that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as engagement in leisure activities, might slow the age-related decline of cognitive functions. Less is known, however, about which aspects of lifestyle might be particularly beneficial to healthy cognitive ageing, and whether they are associated with distinct cognitive domains (e.g. fluid and crystallized abilities) differentially. We investigated these questions in the cross-sectional Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) data (N=708, age 18-88), using data-driven exploratory structural equation modelling, confirmatory factor analyses, and age-residualized measures of cognitive differences across the lifespan. Specifically, we assessed the relative associations of the following five lifestyle factors on age-related differences of fluid and crystallized resilience: education/SES, physical health, mental health, social engagement, and intellectual engagement. We found that higher education, better physical and mental health, more social engagement and a greater degree of intellectual engagement were each individually correlated with better fluid and crystallized cognitive resilience. A joint path model of all lifestyle factors on crystallized and fluid resilience, which allowed a simultaneous assessment of the lifestyle domains, showed that physical health, social and intellectual engagement and education/SES explained unique, complementary variance, but mental health did not make significant contributions above and beyond the other four lifestyle factors and age. The total variance explained for fluid resilience was 14% and 16% for crystallized resilience. Our results are compatible with the hypothesis that intellectually and physically challenging as well as socially engaging activities are associated with better crystallized and fluid performance across the lifespan.  Research Highlights 1.Higher education/SES, better physical and mental health, more social engagement and a greater degree of intellectual engagement are all individually associated with better cognitive health across the lifespan. 2.When all five lifestyle factors were assessed simultaneously, we found that physical health and social as well as intellectual engagement are independently associated with individual differences in cognitive health, above and beyond the effect of education/SES. Mental health makes no additional independent contributions. 3.Education/SES, physical health, intellectual engagement and social engagement show similar patterns with crystallized and fluid cognitive resilience, suggesting that the associations between lifestyle engagement and cognition are global rather than cognitive-domain specific. 4.Age-corrected residuals as a proxy of cognitive health across the lifespan may be a useful tool for future cross-sectional studies comparing different age groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Elena Blagoeva

The impact of the last global economic crisis (2008) on the European economy put a strain on higher education (HE), yet it also pushed the sector towards intensive reforms and improvements. This paper focuses on the “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2020”. With a case study methodology, we explore the strategic endeavours of the Bulgarian government to comply with the European directions and to secure sustainable growth for the HE sector. Our research question is ‘How capable is the Bulgarian HE Strategy to overcome the economic and systemic restraints of Bulgarian higher education?’. Because the development of strategies for HE within the EU is highly contextual, a single qualitative case study was chosen as the research approach. HE institutions are not ivory towers, but subjects to a variety of external and internal forces. Within the EU, this is obviated by the fact that Universities obtain their funds from institutions such as governments, students and their families, donors, as well as EU-level programmes. Therefore, to explore how these pressures interact to affect strategic action on national level, the case method is well suited as it enabled us to study the phenomena thoroughly and deeply. The paper suggests the actions proposed within the Strategy have the potential to overcome the delay, the regional isolation and the negative impact of the economic crisis on the country. Nevertheless, the key elements on which the success or failure of this Strategy hinges are the control mechanisms and the approach to implementation. Shortcomings in these two aspects of strategic actions in HE seem to mark the difference between gaining long-term benefits and merely saving face in front of international institutions.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Abambres

This work reports several issues found by the author throughout his professional career, concerning academic leadership. Topics like (i) out-of-field teaching/researching, and (ii) time management in faculty hiring or new role assignment, are addressed. Besides, the author describes which fundamental decisions he´d take if he could manage a higher education institution or academic department. The topics covered are crucial for the success of any higher education institution, such as (a) hiring, (b) social engagement, (c) student assessment, (d) open mindedness, (e) prompt communication, (f) passion in work, and (g) freedom / trust.


Author(s):  
A. Fatyhova ◽  
O. Bakanev ◽  
I. Kohanovskaya

In the digital era, the success of the professional development of future specialists in the process of obtaining higher education largely depends on their professional orientation (PN). Despite the significant interest in the subject of the study, the problem of identifying the factors that affect PN remains poorly understood. The purpose of the study is to determine the factors of the formation of PN of students enrolled in training and retraining programs, and the features of PN in the digital era. The article reveals the content and structure of the PN of future specialists in the era of digitalization. According to the results of the empirical research, the relationship of students' PN with indicators of life-meaning orientations, motives for choosing a profession and training was revealed; the relationship between students' life-meaning orientations and indicators of motives for choosing a profession and training at the stage of digitalization of education. The factors influencing the personal condition, and the factors of the formation of the personal condition of students, who are trained according to the programs of training and retraining of specialists, have been determined. As a result of an empirical study, it was concluded that a negative impact on the formation of PN is created by factors caused by various life circumstances, lack of independence of decisions in choosing a profession, low reflection of life goals, prospects for the future, rigidity of volitional and personal qualities, internal conflict in the structure of personality relationships, low pleasure training and the like. At the same time, the level of PN is significantly higher among students who receive a second higher education and who understand its importance at the stage of digitalization of education.


Author(s):  
Ahmed Bagabir ◽  
◽  
Mohammad Zaino ◽  
Ahmed Abutaleb ◽  
Ahmed Fagehi ◽  
...  

It is suggested that this study contributes by establishing a robust methodology for analyzing the longitudinal outcomes of higher education. The current research uses multinomial logistic regression. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first logistic regression analysis performed at Saudi higher education institutions. The study can help decision-makers take action to improve the academic performance of at-risk students. The analyses are based on enrollment and completion data of 5,203 undergraduate students in the colleges of engineering and medicine. The observation period was extended for ten academic years from 2010 to 2020. Four outcomes were identified for students: (i) degree completion on time, (ii) degree completion with delay, (iii) dropout, and (iv) still enrolled in programs. The objectives are twofold: (i) to study the present situation by measuring graduation and retention rates with benchmarking, and (ii) to determine the effect of twelve continuous and dummy predictors (covariates) on outcomes. The present results show that the pre-admission covariates slightly affect performance in higher education programs. The results indicate that the most important indicator of graduation is the student's achievement in the first year of the program. Finally, it is highly suggested that initiatives be taken to increase graduation and retention rates and to review the admissions policy currently in place.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-481
Author(s):  
Kajal Kotecha ◽  
Wilfred Isioma Ukpere ◽  
Madelyn Geldenhuys

The traditional advantage of using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enhance work flexibility also has a drawback of enabling academics to continue working even after regular working hours. This phenomenon has been referred to as technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW). Although TASW enhances academics’ work productively, they also have a negative impact on their family-life. The impact TASW has on academics and on higher education institutions can be understood by measuring the phenomenon properly by using a reliable and valid scale. The aim of this study is too validate a newly developed TASW scale by Fenner and Renn (2010). This study adopted a quantitative research approach and used an online survey to gather data. The sample included academic from a higher education in South Africa (n = 216). The results indicate that the TASW is a valid and reliable measure of technology among the sample of South African academics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliott Spaeth ◽  
Amy Pearson

With the number of neurodivergent students entering Higher Education increasing, it is essential that we understand how to provide an inclusive educational experience which facilitates positive wellbeing. In this reflective analysis we draw upon our position as neurodivergent academics alongside relevant theory and literature to foster understanding and provide practical strategies for those supporting neurodivergent students. We emphasise the importance of questioning normative assumptions around expected student learning behaviours, and the negative impact that these assumptions can have upon neurodivergent students. We then provide several practical strategies that can be used to develop more inclusive practice, drawing upon principles embedded within a Universal Design for Learning approach.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-202
Author(s):  
Inna N. Akhunzhanova ◽  
◽  
Aleksander P. Lunev ◽  
Yulia N. Tomashevskaya ◽  
Aleksander V. Koshkarov ◽  
...  

Currently, state institutions of higher education are under pressure from business, the population and the state, which leads to the creation of conditions for dynamic changes in the internal environment of universities. This contradiction between the internal and external environment of universities in the conditions of dynamically changing markets at the post-industrial stage has a negative impact on institutional efficiency, and in these conditions, with the acceleration of instability, a third managerial structure begins to appear that can satisfy the demand for innovations organizations to hybrid universities, which combine a professional, administrative bureaucracy and adhocracy, with no severe restrictions in its structure. In this regard, the authors adapted the features of adhocratic organizations to the conditions of higher education, considered the possibility of applying an adhocratic approach to building the structure and design of an organization on the example of the Astrakhan State University, and identified a number of factors that limit the spread of adhocracy in Russian universities. The main results of the study and the following conclusions were obtained: the organization of training should be carried out on the principles of teamwork for the implementation of complex innovative projects, for which it is necessary to create and develop an appropriate facilities and resources; socialization is one of the key practical models for preparing students in the context of project-based learning and an adhocratic approach; any adhocratic system is a self-learning system, the formation of which requires the creation of appropriate conditions for training and development of university staff; the transition from a professional university to an adhocratic one must be carried out gradually, combining both forms of bureaucracy and adhocracy.


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