scholarly journals Problems Of Females’ Progression In Higher Education: Perceptions Of Female University Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-88
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amin ◽  
Ijaz Ahmad Tatlah ◽  
Arfa Afghani

The study aims to investigate the barriers that hinder in the progress of females’ higher education. The study adopted a mixed methods approach. The quantitative data is collected from 200 female students of a Pakistani public university through a structured questionnaire, whereas to generate the qualitative data semi-structured interviews are conducted from 15 female students from the same group. The findings highlight ignorant parents as major barrier in the way of females’ higher education. Moreover, cultural norms, low socio-economic status, unavailability of universities in remote areas, and stereotype thinking of families are also pointed out as main barriers of females’ progression in higher education. Some implications for policy are offered and suggestions for future research are proposed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amin ◽  
Muhammad Islam ◽  
Humera Amin

The paper is focused on exploring the factors that support females’ progression in higher education. The mixed methods approach is taken to conduct the research, consequently the study falls in pragmatic paradigm. The structured questionnaire is used to collect quantitative data from 200 university female students, and semi-structured interview protocol is used to generate qualitative data from 15 female students of the same university. Descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) has been used to analyse quantitative data, whereas content analysis has been used to analyse qualitative data. The data highlight that literate parents, global trend of females’ acquisition of higher education, media, availability of jobs and scholarships are supportive factors in females’ progression in higher education. An interesting finding revealed from the data is that ‘Islamic Perspective’ of education is also considered as encouraging factor; generally in Pakistani societal context, especially in remote areas, people use ‘Islamic Perspective’ in a distorted way to restrict their girls from getting higher education.


2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Williams ◽  
Lesley A. Smith

This study explored social and experiential differences in children's (aged 4 to 14 years) concepts of inheritance. The study utilized semi-structured interviews including four tasks that were designed to elicit judgements and explanations about different aspects of inheritance understanding. A variety of social and experiential factors were examined including, gender of participant, family composition, pet ownership, socio-economic status and urban/rural locale. The results indicated strong developmental changes and several social and environmental variations in children's knowledge of inheritance. Children from rural areas and from a higher socio-economic group showed a more sophisticated understanding of inheritance. Other variables including gender, owning a pet and having siblings had less impact on children's understanding of inheritance. Overall, children showed small variations in their inheritance concepts based on differences in experience and background. The precise causes of these differences remains an issue for future research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claude-Hélène Mayer ◽  
Rudolf M. Oosthuizen ◽  
Sabie Surtee

Orientation: This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of emotional intelligence (EI) in women leaders in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa from an inside perspective.Research purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore EI in South African women leaders working in HEIs to identify women leader’s strengths, foci and their possible areas of development. The aim is to get deeper insights in EI in women leaders because EI is associated with effective leadership qualities, creativity and innovation, as well as empathetic communication which is needed in the challenging HEI workplaces.Motivation for the study: Emotional intelligence is an important source for women leaders to increase leadership qualities. This study is motivated by a deep interest to explore aspects of EI in women leaders in this specific professional context.Research design, approach and method: The study uses a qualitative research design and an approach based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics of ‘Verstehen’ (understanding). Twenty-three women leaders of the Higher Education Research Service (HERS-SA) network were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. One researcher observed behaviour in one HEI to support the interpretation of the data. Data were analysed through content analysis.Main findings: Findings show that women leaders mainly refer to intrapersonal emotional quotient (EQ), followed by interpersonal EQ, adaptability, stress management and, finally, general mood. The most highly rated components of EQ are self-regard, followed by interpersonal relationships, problem solving, empathy, emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, impulse control and social responsibility. Findings also provide ideas on what EQ components can be further developed.Practical/managerial implications: New insights are provided on what components of EI should be developed in women leaders to increase overall EI, on cognitive and behavioural levels.Contribution/value-add: This research provides new and original context-specific insights on EI in HEIs in South Africa, which can be used as a basis for future research on women leaders while providing a knowledge base for contemporary training of EI in HEIs.


Author(s):  
Ainal Fitri ◽  
Muhammad Haekal ◽  
Almukarramah Almukarramah ◽  
Fitri Meliya Sari

This qualitative study analysed how aspects of critical consciousness in students played a role in the issue of sexual violence in a higher education institution. This research involved students, lecturers, and elements of higher education leaders of a university in Aceh, Indonesia. For the data collection method, the researchers used semi-structured interviews. The data was analysed using thematic analysis with the utilization of critical consciousness and student agency concept as the theoretical frameworks. This study found that aspects of critical consciousness played a significant role in dealing with sexual violence issues in university. Without critical consciousness, students would potentially err in analysing the issue of sexual violence. Aspects of students' critical consciousness were also influenced by the structure or discourse of higher education in viewing sexual violence. The tendency of campus to be more concerned with its good reputation also exacerbated the handling and prevention of sexual violence cases. The implication of this research is the finding that critical consciousness and institutional structure influence each other, both positively and negatively. To deal with sexual violence, a university must promote critical consciousness among students and academics, create pro survivors’ discourse and underpin students' agency, and most importantly, strive to cultivate gender equity perspective among university leaders. Future research should focus on investigating effective pedagogy to nurture critical consciousness for supporting the anti-sexual violence agenda in a higher education institution


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-438
Author(s):  
Yaw Owusu-Agyeman ◽  
Magda Fourie-Malherbe

This article is based on an empirical study of the importance of a symmetrical relationship between higher education institutions (HEIs) and cognate industry in Ghana. Using social capital theory as the theoretical underpinning of the study, the authors investigate how social structure and networks serve to explain HEI–industry relationships. The research follows a mixed-methods approach for gathering and analysing data from students, academics and industry representatives. The results suggest that the current relationships between HEIs and industry in Ghana could be improved through joint agreements, academic engagement and the development of policies that create synergy between the two entities. Additionally, the benefits to HEIs from such symmetrical relationships include the development of students’ employability skills and technology proficiency as well as the contribution of industry experts to educational programmes. The authors discuss the implications of their findings in relation to theory, practice and future research.


Autism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1575-1585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Vincent

More young people with a diagnosis of autism are enrolling and successfully completing higher education courses than ever before and this is set to increase; however, while there is a burgeoning body of literature surrounding the transition into this stage of education, there is a paucity of research that investigates the transition as this population exit higher education. This exploratory qualitative study is one of the first to identify the specific experiences of young autistic adults making this transition, drawing on semi-structured interviews with 21 students and recent graduates. Findings indicate that transition out of higher education is challenging on both practical and psychological levels, manifested by feelings of anxiety and loss. However, there is also evidence that the same phenomenon can also be understood as a positive departure with important implications for identity development. Findings are discussed in relation to future research and implications for practice in higher education institutions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony F Cupido ◽  
Brian W Baetz ◽  
Ashish Pujari ◽  
Samir Chidiac

Sustainable or green building practices have been adopted recently by many higher education institutions for their new campus buildings and major renovations. To date, no formal study has been conducted to determine if policy is essential for sustainable building practices and the implementation of LEED®for these institutional green buildings in North America. A mixed-methods approach consisting of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews was undertaken with senior facility professionals at higher education institutions in North America. The survey evaluated the institution's use of a policy, guideline, standard, law or goal related to sustainable building practices and the interview identified specific practices as well as issues such as leadership, policy compliance and barriers to adopting sustainable building policies. This paper provides a framework for an institutional sustainable building policy that is suitable to use as a template for senior facility professionals and their specific policy development. This work contributes to a foundation for future research related to sustainable/green building policy development and its application to the higher education sector.


Author(s):  
Remart Dumlao

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored language socialization through an oral academic presentation in an EFL environment. Drawing from the notions of language socialization (Ochs & Schieffelin, 2011) and Community of Practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), this paper sought to understand how learners negotiate their competence, as well as their identity in the oral academic activity. The participants were twenty-five student-teachers majoring in the English language at one Thai public university. Data were collected from classroom oral academic presentation transcript, multiple semi-structured interviews, classroom video-taped, and field notes. Results of data analyses pointed out that participants negotiated and constructed their identity in three main themes: (a) constructing their identities through epistemic stance, (b) through being passive and resistant learners, and (c) struggling sense of membership in an oral academic presentation. The findings also reflected that learner's identity in this study is a dynamic process involving many pedagogical factors, incidences, and the classroom environment. These pedagogical factors, as well as implications and considerations for future research, are discussed in the article.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-98
Author(s):  
C. Austin Langley ◽  
Gwynn M. Powell ◽  
Toni Liechty ◽  
Willaim Haller ◽  
Denise Anderson

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the leisure experiences of undocumented Latino young adults with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in order to note any potential links between leisure experience and success in reaching higher education. This population faces a unique set of challenges in their transition to adulthood and their pursuit of and access to higher education. Research suggests that 3 common factors among undocumented young adults who have been successful in reaching higher education are extra-familial mentors, positive social supports, and supplementary educational programming. This study used these 3 factors and the principles of contact theory to examine leisure experiences of undocumented young adults with DACA status. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 young adults with DACA status who were enrolled in higher education. The data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Due to the difficulty accessing this population, snowball sampling was used beginning with a volunteer database from a local Hispanic Alliance. The results support previous literature that has identified constraints this population faces when striving for higher education, as well as the capacity of populations that experience disadvantages for leisure constraint negotiation. The findings show leisure and recreational pursuits support the development of the above mentioned 3-factor support system, helpful in reaching higher education, from previous literature and document a severe drop off of both leisure and recreation participation after high school graduation. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Najla Fki

This study examines lecturers’ and learners’ perceptions on humor use in Tunisian tertiary classrooms, focusing specifically on the English major. The ultimate aim is to explore the types and frequency of humor use on the one hand and whether teachers regard humor in the same light as their students on the other. To this purpose, a mixed-methods approach consisting of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews is adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. The findings revealed that, in terms of frequency, humor is used by all interviewed teachers irrespective of their gender. Yet, the general percentage of humor use remains moderate and limited to specific oral subjects as confirmed by the students. The results also indicated the participants’ agreement on the efficiency and preference of verbal, spontaneous and relevant humor types. However, it has been shown that the lecturers use a very limited repertoire of humor forms, neglecting jokes which are more appreciated by their students. Inconsistencies between the participants’ responses are further traced at the level of their attitude towards humor use in class. While most of the teachers believe that the merits of humor are undeniable, they expressed skepticism and discomfort in dealing with this tool in class. To overcome these lacunas, this study builds on the students’ recommendations to improve their teachers’ practices and can therefore be a starting point for EFL curriculum designers in Tunisia to revise current materials for a better humor integration in higher education.


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