scholarly journals Doctoral Students’ Learning Experiences in Ghana: Exploring a New Curriculum Using Bourdieu’s Concepts

10.28945/4879 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 777-794
Author(s):  
Inusah Salifu ◽  
Joseph Seyram Agbenyega

Aim/Purpose: To utilize Pierre Bourdieu’s (1984, 1986) concepts of capitals, habitus, and field to explore and critically analyze doctoral students’ learning experiences with a new doctoral curriculum introduced by a Ghanaian university. Background: Global competition and labor market reforms have ignited the need for higher education institutions to reimagine their doctoral programs, develop and align them with labor market demands and national priorities. Methodology: The research was conducted as a qualitative inquiry based on which the purposive sampling technique was used with 18 doctoral students from a Ghanaian university. Participants took part in individual interviews and data were analyzed using thematic coding procedures developed based on Bourdieu’s (1984; 1986) theorization of capital, habitus, and field Contribution: The study may benefit universities in monitoring the quality of doctoral students’ learning experiences. Findings: The research found that, although the participants were broadly satisfied with some aspects of their programs, the additional cost associated with its duration, the lack of quality and timely feedback from supervisors, and difficulty accessing conference funding were key challenges to achieving the ultimate goals of the new doctoral curriculum. Recommendations for Practitioners: The paper draws attention to human dispositions, values, and beliefs (habitus) which operate with different forms of capital in fields of doctoral training. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers may focus on tools that help to transform supervisor habitus and the kinds of support that work for individual students. Impact on Society: The strongest message gleaned from this study is that to improve doctoral students’ learning experiences, it is necessary first to develop a student-supervisor relationship built on mutual respect, clear timelines for achieving supervision targets, and commitment to achieving the targets. The research further challenges the higher education system in Ghana and in deed, the world at large, to look beyond the objectified capital (certificates) and to develop relevant skills that students require to be professionally ready for the labor market. Future Research: One of the study’s limitations is that the sample was selected from one university in Ghana. Future research may compare doctoral curriculums and students’ learning experiences across several Ghanaian universities. Again, this research used the perspectives of only students. A future study may draw on multiple perspectives to provide depth and breadth of knowledge on the doctoral program.

10.28945/4005 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 193-210
Author(s):  
Christina W. Yao ◽  
Louise Michelle Vital

Aim/Purpose: Learning to conduct research, including considerations for concepts such as reflexivity, is a key component of doctoral student preparation in higher education. Yet limited attention is given to doctoral student training for conducting international research, particularly in understanding researcher reflexivity within international contexts. Background: Incorporating reflexive practices in one’s scholarship is of particular importance because international research often includes U.S.-based researchers working with cultural groups and contexts that are very different from them. Thus, we examined the following: how do novice U.S. trained researchers understand the role of their reflexivity in qualitative international research? Methodology: We utilized qualitative inquiry to answer the study’s research question. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 participants representing 11 higher education doctoral programs in the United States. Contribution: This study provides insight on how U.S. doctoral students reflect on their researcher reflexivity as emerging international researchers utilizing three types of reflexivity as outlined by the conceptual perspectives that frame this study: introspection, social critique, and discursive deconstruction Findings: Most participants believed that self-reflection is a critical component of reflexivity in international research. Several participants demonstrated an awareness of the privilege and power they bring to their international research based on their identities as Western-trained researchers. Participants utilized different forms of self-reflection when collecting, analyzing, and interpreting their data in order to ensure that the voices of their participants were appropriately represented in their research Recommendations for Practitioners: Our recommendations for graduate preparation programs include helping doctoral students to understand reflexivity as both a research concept and an applied practice in international context. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend that novice researchers learn how to incorporate reflexive practices when conducting research because as emerging scholars they can have a better sense of how who they are and how they think about research influences their research activities. Impact on Society: Implications from this study affect Western-based education programs that seek to internationalize curriculum and research priorities. Future Research: In terms of next steps, we recommend research that explores how faculty train doctoral students to participate in the global contexts of educational research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-480
Author(s):  
R.B. Galeeva

Subject .This article discusses the need to bring into line with the future activities of specialists the content of their preparation, the formation of a system model of higher education, which takes into account today's and prospective requirements of the labor market. Objectives. The article aims to research the labor market in four regions of the Volga Federal District of the Russian Federation: the Republic of Tatarstan, Mari El Republic, Chuvash Republic, and the Ulyanovsk oblast, as well as discuss problems and prospects of interaction of universities with enterprises and organizations of these regions. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of logical and statistical analyses, and in-depth expert survey. Results. The article analyzes the state of regional labor markets, presents the results of the expert survey of labor market representatives and heads of the regional education system, and it defines possible ways of harmonizing the interaction of universities with the labor market. Conclusions. The article notes that although the number of employed with higher education is growing, at the same time there is a shortage of highly qualified personnel in certain professions, on the one hand, and unskilled workers, on the other. Also, the article says that the universities do not prepare the necessary for the regions specialists in a number of professions or they provide a set of competencies different from the requirements of the labor market, so it is necessary to form and develop effective directions of cooperation between educational institutions and employers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Nur Zihan Abd Rashid ◽  
Tuan Nur Athirah Nabilah Tuan Ismail ◽  
Bibianah Thomas

Service quality is a very crucial element in ensuring the competitiveness of various institutions. By having a good service quality, the reputation of the organization will enhance and thus become their added competitive advantage. In higher education institution, service quality is important to ensure the students whom are their primary stakeholders are able to have a good learning experience in which will then influence their satisfaction. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the correlation between five elements in SERVQUAL dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy) and the student satisfaction. The questionnaires were distributed among the students in various faculties in UiTM Sabah by using convenience sampling technique and 250 questionnaires were managed to be collected for analysis. Overall, the result shows that the students are satisfied with service quality in UiTM Sabah. Specifically, all five SERVQUAL dimensions correlate with student satisfaction. Reliability, responsiveness and empathy dimensions have strong correlation with student satisfaction. Meanwhile, both tangibility and assurance have moderate correlation with student satisfaction. This study is hoped to contribute towards the new knowledge in the field of service quality especially in higher education institutions Future research is also proposed at the final section of this study to discover new findings from different perspectives of service quality. Keywords: servqual; students’ satisfaction; service quality; higher education institution; service delivery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
S. Bespalyy ◽  
◽  
Ye. Ifutina ◽  

Computer systems and technologies are changing our society significantly. These changes are interconnected with both social and production spheres. Innovative digital technologies have a huge impact on the labor market and professional activity, contributing to their transfer to the electronic environment. Using digital technologies, modern people set new goals and solve problems with an increasing speed of problem solving, capitalizing on the possibilities of collaborative distributed actions within networks. In this regard, new competencies of specialists are in demand. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the education system and the development of skills and thinking for learning. Methods: When conducting scientific research, economic and statistical methods were used. These methods were also used in comparative analysis, as well as in assessing data and indicators of the higher education system, taking into account the impact of the fourth industrial revolution. The analytical method was used to consider the characteristics and factors influencing the development of skills and thinking for learning in modern conditions. The abstract-logical method is used to identify problems affecting the development of the labor market under the influence of digital technologies. Results and their value: The result of the study is that conclusions are drawn about the upcoming changes. Automation and digitalization are likely to lead to significant unemployment in most countries, so adaptation innovation policies are needed to help offset unemployment due to digitalization. Governments need to invest heavily in higher education as an economic development tool for their citizens. Lifelong learning should be identified as a critical element of success in the era of the fourth industrial revolution. Curricula should develop digital skills and address workforce disruptions due to automation.


Author(s):  
Ирина Ивановна Широкорад ◽  
Олеся Михайловна Фадеева ◽  
Елена Геннадьевна Пафнутова

Система высшего образования развивается не в изоляции. Она находится в непосредственной зависимости от школьной системы и от рынка труда. С одной стороны, образовательные результаты, полученные в университете, зависят от уровня знаний и навыков, которые получили студенты на предыдущем этапе образования, с другой стороны, ожидаемое высокое качество жизни, которое является ключевой мотивацией для поступления в вуз для большинства населения, определяется состоянием и структурой рынка труда. Именно наличие спроса на продуктивную рабочую силу определяет результативность системы высшего образования. The higher education system does not develop in isolation. It is directly dependent on the school system and the labor market. On the one hand, the educational results obtained at the University depend on the level of knowledge and skills that students received at the previous stage of education, on the other hand, the expected high quality of life, which is a key motivation for entering the University for the majority of the population, is determined by the state and structure of the labor market. It is the demand for productive labor that determines the effectiveness of the higher education system.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trung Tran ◽  
Thao-Phuong-Thi Trinh ◽  
Cuong-Minh Le ◽  
Linh-Khanh Hoang ◽  
Hiep-Hung Pham

In recent years, the Vietnamese government has put significant effort into the internationalization of research in the higher education system via the use of international publications (i.e., publications indexed by citation databases such as ISI Web of Science and Scopus) in evaluating their academic staff and doctoral students. Academic staff in Vietnam, who traditionally have low numbers of international publications, have thus been pushed to improve their competencies in order to meet the new requirements for research productivity. However, we have little understanding of the factors influencing international publication as perceived by Vietnamese academic staff. This study aims to fill the gap by using the Delphi method. Academic staff with at least one international publication were invited, via purposeful sampling, to participate in a two-round Delphi survey. The survey revealed 14 key factors, which were further classified into three dimensions: “policy-related factors,” “capability-related factors,” and “networking-related factors”. These factors were the key determinants in the success of international publishing, according to the study participants. The findings provide implications for policymakers and university leaders for enhancing the research capacities of Vietnamese universities, forming a basis for the sustainable development of the higher education sector in Vietnam.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3/1) ◽  
pp. 136-142
Author(s):  
O. A. GANINA ◽  
G. I. SELETKOVA ◽  
V. A. FEDOTOVA

Stable reproduction of resources in the labor market, as well as their  adaptation to current trends, largely depend on the awareness  of potential employees of their capabilities and prospects. Such views are formed already at the initial stages of mastering the  profession - in obtaining higher education. These representations are  an important indicator especially in the context of the  transformation of the higher education system, in particular in  connection with the updated GEF HE. In this article, the authors  consider approaches to studying the youth labor market and focus  their attention on issues of professional self-determination and  gaining experience in labor activity. Based on the focus group study,  the authors disclose the expectations and self-assessments of  students regarding their professional prospects in the labor market. Researchers identify specific features of selfassessment of  professional perspectives depending on the course of study, on the  level of professional education and other factors. As it turned out,  undergrads tend to assess the degree of their readiness to enter the  labor market rather high, but nevertheless feel undefined. According  to the students, frequent short-term internships in specific  enterprises could increase their confidence and expand the prospects  for successful employment. At the same time, students  are more focused on working in specific organizations than actually  on professional self-actualization. 


10.12737/5560 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Вера Гневашева ◽  
Vera Gnevasheva

The book is devoted to questions of professional formation of youth in the conditions of modern Russia taking into account their change during reforming of society and social and economic processes in the state. Basis of work are the conducted author´s monitoring researches on problems of professional formation and labor socialization of youth, formation of professional competences of young specialists through higher education system during 2001-2014. Research is directed on system studying of motivation of youth in the course of formation by it(her) of professional competences, features of vocational guidance of young people of modern social and economic conditions, youth expectations from the received professional competences for the purpose of identification of the developed tendencies of social and economic behavior of youth in the course of professional formation, identification of existing disproportions, their social and economic assessment. The monograph is devoted to features of interaction of a labor market and the market of educational services in the conditions of current trends of globalization and intercountry integration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 273 ◽  
pp. 12009
Author(s):  
Almagul Zhussupova ◽  
Svetlana Shmachilina-Tsibenko ◽  
Gulmira Suleimenova ◽  
Dinara Shakhmetova ◽  
Ainagul Yermekova

At present, the priority goal of the higher education system is the formation of a personality not only professionally competent, but also tolerant, capable of creativity, able to predict his role in a dynamic world, responsible and passionate. Actually, all these characteristics are set by the labor market for the training of qualified and competitive personnel. However, as scientific research and teaching practice show, not all students can independently achieve the necessary results due to their lack of adaptation to higher education. Therefore, we need specialists who can help them in this and show them the right direction. In this regard, there is a growing interest in the study of curatorial activity, its role and place in the higher education system. The article, within the framework of the "School of Curators" created at S. Seifulin Agro Technical University, analyzes the results of diagnostics in order to identify the pedagogical competence of curators, focuses on a number of reasons that impede their activities, as well as a number of tested areas of activity that contribute to their elimination, offers a number of measures aimed to improve the pedagogical culture of curators of student groups who do not have a basic pedagogical education.


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