scholarly journals University Applicants from Refugee Backgrounds and the Intention to Drop Out from Pre‐Study Programs: A Mixed‐Methods Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Grüttner ◽  
Stefanie Schröder ◽  
Jana Berg
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
International Students ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Refugee Students ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
Effect Decomposition ◽  
Study Programs

The mixed‐methods project WeGe investigates key factors for refugees’ integration into pre‐study programs and conditions for successful transitions to higher education institutions (HEIs). In this article, we first examine the dropout intentions of international students and refugee students participating in formal pre‐study programs at German HEIs to disclose both barriers and resources. We use insights from migration research to extend theoretical student dropout models and analyse novel data from a quantitative survey with international and refugee students in pre‐study programs. Our findings show that refugee students intend to drop out from pre‐study programs more often than other international students. This difference disappears when other characteristics are controlled for. Effect decomposition shows that financial problems and perceived exclusion are driving dropout intentions of refugee students, whereas German language use in everyday life and a strong connection to the prospective field of study function as a resource and reduce the dropout risk. Depending on the reference group, deficits or resources of refugee students become apparent. This result suggests that refugees should be addressed as a student group in their own right. As a second step, we analyse qualitative expert interviews to reconstruct the staff’s perspectives on barriers and resources of refugee students to analyse how the driving factors of dropout intentions are represented in their knowledge. In particular, we show if and how this knowledge is used to address refugees and to develop inclusive educational concepts within pre‐study programs.

Understanding the Preferences for Online Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 194-208
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Alan Williams
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
International Students ◽  
Master Of Business Administration ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Value Drivers ◽  
Mba Programs ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Instrumental View

Online learning is promoted by the Malaysian Government as a key element in the Higher Education Blueprint 2015-25 (Shift 9: Globalized Online Learning), but research in the Malaysian context is very underdeveloped. This chapter aims to fill part of this gap with a simple analysis of online Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses to examine the appetite and preferences of actual and potential MBA students for online learning. Using data from local and international students studying on MBA programs in Malaysia, the authors show that the MBA students in their sample still have a largely instrumental view of the value drivers of their study programs. The key factors identified by the largest number of groups were facilities, price, certificate authenticity, duration, and flexibility of course times.

scholarly journals International Students’ Perceptions of Workplace Experiences in Australian Study Programs: A Large-Scale Survey

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Barton ◽  
Kay Hartwig ◽  
Anh Hai Le
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
International Student ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Workplace Experiences ◽  
Workplace Experience ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
Large Scale Survey ◽  
Work Integrated Learning

Across the globe, there are increased numbers of students undertaking university-level study in foreign countries. Many of the programs they enroll in include a workplace experience (also known as work integrated learning, internship, and/or practicum). The Work Placement for International Student Programs (WISP) project was conducted across Australia and aimed to identify current practices related to international students’ workplace experiences as well as develop resources to improve these experiences overall. This article focuses on an Australian large-scale survey ( n = 252) designed to explore international students perceptions of workplace experiences. Results showed that students rated overall workplace experience highly; however, their confidence in completing assessment items where reflection and self-evaluation were required was a concern. Students also rated self-perception of employability as uncertain despite having positive experiences in the workplace context. Findings showed that there is a need for universities to better support international students in completing reflective and self-evaluative assessment. In addition, more work needs to be done to improve confidence levels of international students around employability.

scholarly journals Evaluasi Program Mutu Pelaksanaan Pembelajaran pada Tahapan Transactions (Suatu Pendekatan Model Stake’s Countenance Evaluation)

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Ferdinan Ferdinan ◽  
Nurhayati Nurhayati
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Quality Assurance Agency ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Lecture Material ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
The University

  AbstrakPenelitian ini adalah penelitian evaluasi dengan menggunakan jenis penelitian kombinasi (mixed methods). Pendekatan penelitian, yaitu: pendekatan studi kasus. Sumber data penelitian ini terdiri atas Rektor, Wakil Rektor I, Ketua Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu, Ketua Unit Penjaminan Mutu Fakultas, dan Kasubdit SDM Universitas dan yang menjadi responden yaitu 32 Ketua Prodi dan 70 Ketua Tingkat. Teknik pengumpulan data yaitu wawancara, studi dokumentasi, dan lembar observasi. Penilaian untuk setiap aspek evaluasi dikategorikan menjadi tiga tingkatan: tinggi, sedang, dan rendah.  Pengambilan keputusan dikategorikan menjadi tiga tingkatan: tercapai, kurang tercapai, dan tidak tercapai. Penelitian evaluasi ini memberikan beberapa kesimpulan,  yaitu gambaran pelaksanaan pembelajaran di Unismuh Makassar pada tahapan proses (transactions) menunjukkan bahwa: 1) penguasaan dosen dalam menyusun dan menyiapkan administrasi perkuliahan dari 7 subaspek  yang dievaluasi  terdapat 6 subaspek  telah memenuhi kriteria objektif dan 1 subaspek yang kurang tercapai yaitu kemampuan dosen dalam menyusun buku ajar, 2)) penguasaan dosen dalam pelaksanaan perkuliahan menunjukkan bahwa dari 15 subaspek yang dievaluasi 13 subaspek sudah tercapai sesuai standar objektif dan 2 subaspek yang belum terpenuhi yaitu dosen tidak memberikan sanksi kepada mahasiswa yang terlambat 30 menit dalam mengikuti perkuliahan dan dosen belum menyampaikan materi kuliah dengan berbasis IT, 3) interaksi dosen dengan mahasiswa dalam perkuliahan, dari 4 subaspek yang dievaluasi semuanya telah memenuhi standar objektif, dan 4) kemampuan dosen dalam melakukan evaluasi hasil perkuliahan  menunjukkan bahwa dari 12 subaspek yang dievaluasi terdapat  10 subaspek sudah tercapai sesuai standar objektif dan 2 subaspek kurang terpenuhi. Kata Kunci: Evaluasi, Mutu Pembelajaran dan TransactionsAbstract                This study is an evaluation study using mixed methods. Research approach, namely: case study approach. The data sources of this study consisted of the Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor I, Chairperson of the Quality Assurance Agency, Chair of the Faculty Quality Assurance Unit, and the Head of Sub-directorate of Human Resources of the University and respondents, namely 32 Chairmen of Study Programs and 70 Chairmen. Data collection techniques are interviews, documentation studies, and observation sheets. Assessments for each aspect of evaluation are categorized into three levels: high, medium, and low. Decision making is categorized into three levels: achieved, less achieved, and not achieved. This evaluation study provides several conclusions, namely the description of the implementation of learning in Unismuh Makassar at the stages of transactions shows that: 1) the mastery of lecturers in preparing and preparing lecture administration from 7 sub-aspects evaluated, there are 6 sub-aspects that meet objective criteria and 1 sub-aspect is lacking achieved, namely the ability of lecturers in preparing textbooks, 2)) mastery of lecturers in lecturing shows that out of 15 sub-aspects evaluated 13 sub-aspects have been achieved according to objective standards and 2 sub-aspects that have not been fulfilled, namely lecturers do not sanction students who are 30 minutes late in attending lectures and lecturers have not delivered IT-based lecture material, 3) lecturer and student interaction in lectures, of the 4 sub-aspects evaluated all met objective standards, and 4) lecturers' ability to evaluate lecture results showed that from 12 sub the evaluated aspects have 10 sub-aspects that have been achieved according to objective standards and 2 sub-aspects have not been fulfilled.Keywords: Evaluation, Learning Quality and Transaction

scholarly journals Kohti uutta perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelmaa – opetussuunnitelmatyö paikallisten toimijoiden kokemana

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-121
Author(s):  
Laura-Emilia Siurua ◽  
Kirsi Pyhältö ◽  
Janne Pietarinen ◽  
Jenni Sullanmaa ◽  
Tiina Soini
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Implementation Strategy ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Educational Stakeholders ◽  
Perceived Success ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Local educational stakeholders have a central role in organizing district­level curriculum development in Finland. Earlier research has shown that the implementation strategy affects the effectiveness of the reform. In Finland, an interactive top­down­bottom­up strategy requires local implementers to organize and manage district­level curriculum work. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the local curriculum process as experienced by the district­level stakeholders. Survey data (N = 550) were analyzed using mixed methods. The results showed that the top­down­bottomup implementation strategy, including change management and knowledge sharing, was related to the perceived success of the reform. In addition, perceptions about the implementation strategy were related to the various ways of organizing the local curriculum process. Teachers’ professional development and engagement in the process, facilitation of participation, management of the process and coherence making were identified as the key factors in the curriculum process by the stakeholders.

A Machine Learning Approach to Detect Student Dropout at University

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 3101-3107
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Random Forest Classifier ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Dropout Rates ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
High Dropout Rate ◽  
Academic Plan

In universities, student dropout is a major concern that reflects the university's quality. Some characteristics cause students to drop out of university. A high dropout rate of students affects the university's reputation and the student's careers in the future. Therefore, there's a requirement for student dropout analysis to enhance academic plan and management to scale back student's drop out from the university also on enhancing the standard of the upper education system. The machine learning technique provides powerful methods for the analysis and therefore the prediction of the dropout. This study uses a dataset from a university representative to develop a model for predicting student dropout. In this work, machine- learning models were used to detect dropout rates. Machine learning is being more widely used in the field of knowledge mining diagnostics. Following an examination of certain studies, we observed that dropout detection may be done using several methods. We've even used five dropout detection models. These models are Decision tree, Naïve bayes, Random Forest Classifier, SVM and KNN. We used machine-learning technology to analyze the data, and we discovered that the Random Forest classifier is highly promising for predicting dropout rates, with a training accuracy of 94% and a testing accuracy of 86%.

Facebook in the International Classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 20-50
Author(s):  
Inna P Piven
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
International Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Learning Tool

The case explores international students' learning experiences with Facebook-based activities within the eight-week study term known as the intensive mode of course delivery. By implementing participant observation and two asynchronous Facebook focus groups, the study investigates the potential values of Facebook for learning from international students' perspective. In addition, the case looks at the challenges faced by students and discusses key factors that may impact international students' experiences with courses that incorporate Facebook as a learning tool. The research is framed in the context of New Zealand tertiary education and intended as a contribution to the emerging body of educational research on social media.

Burmese Refugee Students in U.S. Schools

2019 ◽  
pp. 196-213
Author(s):  
M. Gail Hickey
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Refugee Students

The recent rapid influx of refugee students into U.S. schools has been a learning experience for schools. Not only do U.S. refugees come with memories of trauma, they also have specialized educational needs that differ from international students' or voluntary migrants' needs. They have very different stories of resettlement than either immigrants or international students. This study adds to the available scholarship by advancing understanding of Burmese refugee students' specialized educational needs through personal narratives.

scholarly journals Learning to Identify At-Risk Students in Distance Education Using Interaction Counts

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Detoni ◽  
Cristian Cechinel ◽  
Ricardo Araujo Matsumura ◽  
Daniela Francisco Brauner
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
At Risk ◽  
At Risk Students ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
Vector Machines ◽  
Machine Learning Models

Student dropout is one of the main problems faced by distance learning courses. One of the major challenges for researchers is to develop methods to predict the behavior of students so that teachers and tutors are able to identify at-risk students as early as possible and provide assistance before they drop out or fail in their courses. Machine Learning models have been used to predict or classify students in these settings. However, while these models have shown promising results in several settings, they usually attain these results using attributes that are not immediately transferable to other courses or platforms. In this paper, we provide a methodology to classify students using only interaction counts from each student. We evaluate this methodology on a data set from two majors based on the Moodle platform. We run experiments consisting of training and evaluating three machine learning models (Support Vector Machines, Naive Bayes and Adaboost decision trees) under different scenarios. We provide evidences that patterns from interaction counts can provide useful information for classifying at-risk students. This classification allows the customization of the activities presented to at-risk students (automatically or through tutors) as an attempt to avoid students drop out.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Definitions of and Approaches to Integrative Medicine: A Mixed Methods Study Examining China’s Integrative Medicine Development

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weijun Zhang ◽  
Sonya E. Pritzker ◽  
Ka-Kit Hui
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Integrative Medicine ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Semistructured Interviews

Aim. This study identifies existing definitions and approaches among China’s integrative medicine (IM) experts and examines relationships with key characteristics distinguishing individual experts.Methods. Snowball sampling was used to select 73 IM experts for semistructured interviews. In this mixed methods study, we first identified definitions and approaches through analyzing core statements. Four key factors, including age, education, practice type, and working environment, were then chosen to evaluate the associations with the definitions.Results. Four unique definitions were identified, including IM as a “new medicine” (D1), as a combination of western medicine (WM) and Chinese medicine (CM) (D2), as a modernization of CM (D3), and as a westernization of CM (D4). D4 was mostly supported by those working in WM organizations, while D3 was more prominent from individuals working in CM organizations (P=0.00004). More than 64% clinicians had D2 while only 1 (5.9%) nonclinician had D2. Only 1 clinician (1.8%) had D4 while almost 30% nonclinicians had D4 (P=0.0001). Among nonclinicians working in WM organizations, 83.3% of them had D4 (P=0.001).Conclusion. Findings indicate that institutional structure and practice type are factors affecting IM approaches. These results carry implications for the ways in which western countries move forward with the definition and implementation of IM.

scholarly journals Análisis del abandono estudiantil en universidades ecuatorianas: estudio de caso, Universidad Técnica de Manabí

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Tarazona Meza ◽  
Yamila Roque Doval ◽  
Antonio Vázquez Pérez ◽  
José Gabriel Espinosa Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
The State ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
College Career ◽  
The Social ◽  
El Alto ◽  
The University ◽  
Impacto Económico

Entre los avances espectaculares que a nivel social y económico se reportan en los últimos años con la apertura de la Revolución Ciudadana en el Ecuador, cabe destacar el incremento de las posibilidades de acceso a las universidades de las clases menos favorecidas; pero paradójicamente ha surgido de manera asociada otro de los grandes males que afecta a la institución  universitaria,  que resulta el  alto  porcentaje de estudiantes  que abandonan  los estudios antes de finalizarlos, con un impacto económico negativo para los esfuerzos que realiza el estado en este sentido. En el trabajo se presenta un análisis teórico vinculado con los problemas del abandono de los estudios universitarios en el mundo, en  Latinoamérica  y especialmente en la Universidad Técnica de Manabí, donde se propone un caso de estudio con el objetivo de profundizar en la problemática, develar sus causas y proponer un conjunto de medidas encaminadas a reducir las consecuencias de esa problemática social.  Palabras   claves:   Abandono   de   estudios   universitarios,   inclusión   social,   resiliencia universitaria  Abandono estudiantil en universidades ecuatorianas www.itsup.edu.ec/myjournal     Analysis of student dropout in Ecuadorian Universities: Case Study, Technical University of Manabí  Abstract  There have been remarkable improvements in the social and economic levels of the state in recent years with the opening of the Citizens' Revolution in Ecuador. Among them, it is taken into account the possibilities of increasing the access of the lower classes to the universities. Absurdly there has appeared some troubles       affecting the university. These difficulties consists of  the highest percentage of students who drop out the studies  before  ending  each college career, and  resulting in  a negative economic impact on the efforts of the state in this regard. The work illustrates a theoretical analysis of the problems linked to the learners’ desertion of university studies in the world, especially in Latin America and particularly in the Technical University of Manabi in Ecuador, where a case study is proposed with the aim of deepening the problem presented, with the main goal of revealing its causes and to propose a set of measures to reduce the consequences of this social problem as well   Keywords: Retention, social inclusion, university resilience  

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