scholarly journals Communities of practice for international students: An exploration of the role of Peer Assisted Study Sessions in supporting transition and learning in higher education

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Chilvers
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Legitimate Peripheral Participation ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Mutual Engagement ◽  
University Life

There is growing interest in understanding how international students can best be enabled to adjust to, participate in and learn within Higher Education (HE). This paper explores literature and examines findings from exploratory interviews in a UK institution in order to investigate the contribution the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) scheme makes to this process.Interviews with international students were analysed using Lave and Wenger’s (1991) social-learning model, Communities of Practice (CoP), for exploring the role of PASS in supporting international students’ transition and learning in HE. Using themes of community, practice and participation, findings illuminated the role of PASS in providing international students with an intermediary CoP, providing transition support into the CoP on their course and university life. PASS facilitated their social integration with students of other nationalities, developing relationships with peers and PASS leaders, contributing to an increased sense of belonging to a community. Through the mutual engagement of attendees and leaders, students developed shared language, values and practices relating to their discipline and studying in UK HE. Established PASS leaders shared first year experiences with ‘newcomer’ international students, supporting their transition into UK HE culture and enabling their legitimate peripheral participation to develop further. Participation in PASS fostered students’ engagement with learning activities and independent study habits. Limitations to the study and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Overconfidence of vocational education students when entering higher education

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark P. Bowden ◽  
Subhash Abhayawansa ◽  
John Bahtsevanoglou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – There is evidence that students who attend Technical and Further Education (TAFE) prior to entering higher education underperform in their first year of study. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of self-efficacy in understanding the performance of students who completed TAFE in the previous year in a first year subject of microeconomics in a dual sector university in Melbourne, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises data collected by surveys of 151 students. Findings – A student’s self-efficacy is positively associated with their marks in a first year subject of microeconomics. However, the relationship between final marks and self-efficacy is negative for those students who attended TAFE in the previous year suggesting that they suffer from the problem of overconfidence. When holding self-efficacy constant, using econometric techniques, TAFE attendance is found to be positively related to final marks. Research limitations/implications – The findings are exploratory (based on a small sample) and lead to a need to conduct cross institutional studies. Practical implications – The research points to the need for early interventions so that TAFE students perform well in their first year of higher education. It also points to potential issues in the development of Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) programs. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the inter-related impact of attendance at TAFE in the previous year and self-efficacy on the subsequent academic performance of TAFE students.

The Fairfield Makerspace

2019 ◽  
pp. 130-157
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Transcendental Meditation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Sustainable Living ◽  
Green Belt ◽  
The University ◽  
The Town ◽  
University Community

The Fairfield Makerspace is located in the green belt corn growing area in the southeastern portion of Iowa, USA. The town hosts the Maharishi University of Management (MUM), which is unlike any university in the Midwest in that most members of the university community practice transcendental meditation (TM). This practice has led to a general misunderstanding between the university community and those that do not practice TM. MUM opened the Fairfield Makerspace in response to the mistrust between the town and the university. The role of the makerspace is to find commonality between communities in the areas of making and sustainable living. The space was finding its footing as it began their first year of operation. Learning communities are formed through workshops and special meetups called Transformation Tuesdays, where members upcycle items. This chapter explores the Fairfield Makerspace.

scholarly journals What moderates the attainment gap? The effects of social identity incompatibility and practical incompatibility on the performance of students who are or are not Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Frings ◽  
Ilka H. Gleibs ◽  
Anne M. Ridley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
First Year ◽  
Registry System ◽  
Attainment Gap ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Abstract A successful journey through higher education is, for many, a once in a lifetime opportunity for social mobility. Unfortunately, one notable feature of higher education systems is that students from some backgrounds do not achieve the same academic attainments as do others. The current study tests the role of one particular set of processes: social identity (in)compatibility on academic performance. Participants were recruited at two time points from a pool of first year undergraduates at a modern London University (N = 215) of which 40.1% were classed as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME), 57.1% as non-BAME and 2.8% did not provide this information. A prospective design was employed: Alongside demographic data, measures at the start of the academic year consisted of measures of student and ethnic identity, and both practical and identity incompatibility. At the end of the academic year, average marks achieved were gained for each student from the university’s registry system. Results indicate that BAME students had equal levels of student identity to non-BAME students, but higher levels of ethnic identity. They also typically experienced higher levels of both practical and identity incompatibility. Finally, BAME students had lower attainment than did non-BAME students. Both practical and identity incompatibility appeared to moderate this effect. However, contrary to predictions, it was only under conditions of low and medium levels of incompatibility that BAME students attained lower marks than their non-BAME peers. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

scholarly journals Beginning teachers’ perceptions of mentors and access to communities of practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Shields ◽  
Megan Murray
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Legitimate Peripheral Participation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
School Based

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore beginning teachers’ perceptions of the role of the mentor in the early stages of developing a professional identity. The beginning teachers in the authors’ study are defined as having been awarded qualified teacher status at the end of an initial teacher education programme or having completed their first term as a new teacher with responsibility for a class of pupils. Design/methodology/approach The research design was a qualitative, inductive study. The concepts of communities of practice, legitimate peripheral participation and power dynamics within a community underpinned this study. The data set was collected over a period of 18 months, through six focus groups and 40 questionnaires with beginning teachers across 34 schools altogether. The data set was analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Findings The findings indicated that the ways in which mentors use their power to recognise (or not) the legitimacy of beginning teachers as being part of the school community influences the development of beginning teachers’ professional identities. The thematic analysis of the data indicated the different types of support that mentors may provide: “belonging”, “emotional”, “pedagogical” and “space”. Research limitations/implications Further research into how mentors perceive their role in supporting new entrants into the profession is needed. Originality/value These findings are pertinent in England, as the increase in school-based initial teacher training provision will intensify the role of school mentors. These findings will be of value to other countries that are moving towards an increase in school-based teacher training.

scholarly journals Different Forms of Civil Activity and Employment in Hungary and Abroad, and the Development of Student Drop-out

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Valéria Markos ◽  
Zsófia Kocsis ◽  
Ágnes Réka Dusa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Student Employment ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
Student Dropout ◽  
Work Related ◽  
University Life ◽  
Specific Culture

Young people involved in higher education have created a specific culture, to which, in addition to their studies, social and cultural activities associated with university life are also related (Kozma, 2006). Among these activities, student employment and participation in civic organizations should be highlighted. Voluntary and paid work among higher education students is increasing. These activities have several advantages in terms of future benefits; however, the attracting role of the labour market is one possible reason for dropout. In our current research, we emphasize the role of employment and civil activity in the development of student dropout. Masevičiūtė et al. (2018) found that a quarter of students stopped studying for work-related reasons. In addition, a negative perception of the marketability of the course they are on may lead to the interruption of university studies. In our study, we analysed the extent to which students are willing to interrupt their higher education studies in exchange for voluntary work. In our current research, we examined how often and for what reasons students who dropped out did paid work and volunteering during their studies.

scholarly journals Authentic experiential work in the socialisation of undergraduate students: an EHEA-framed epistemological consideration

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Martínez Carrasco
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Curriculum Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Growth ◽  
Epistemological Foundation ◽  
European Higher Education ◽  
Education Process

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is adamant about the role of employability in curriculum development and the overall education process of undergraduate students. This responds not only to the current emerging models of economic and social growth but also to an underlying epistemological shift regarding the very nature and characteristics of Education. This article provides the epistemological foundation of the said shift, arguing, from a post-positivist perspective, how authentic experiential work in the classroom may contribute to the progressive socialisation of students into their respective communities of practice, thus bridging the gap between the labour market and the education institutions.

scholarly journals 9. Using Communities of Practice to Foster Faculty Development in Higher Education

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Teeter ◽  
Nancy Fenton ◽  
Karen Nicholson ◽  
Terry Flynn ◽  
Joseph Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Faculty Development ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Academic Communities ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Faculty And Staff Development

Communities of practice are becoming more widespread within higher education, yet little research has explored how these social learning networks can enhance faculty development. The focus of this paper is to describe the first-year experience of a community of practice initiative at McMaster University that was designed to engage groups of faculty, staff, and students to share ideas and foster learning. Four communities were initiated: Teaching with Technology, Teaching Professors, Pedagogy, and First Year Instructors, all of which provided a forum of safety and support, encouraging new ideas and risk taking that in turn contributed to individual and collective learning. Though in its early days, we consider communities of practice an innovative way to regenerate current learning and surface teaching practices that can build dynamic academic communities to foster faculty and staff development. Communities of practice have enabled us to reach beyond formal structures (e.g., classrooms) to create connections amongst people from different disciplinary boundaries that generate learning and foster development.

scholarly journals Navigating the First Year: Transition and Adjustment Experiences of International Students of Color at a Predominantly White Institution

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina W. Yao ◽  
Jennifer N. Rutt ◽  
Kaleb Briscoe ◽  
Alexandra Kirshenbaum ◽  
Matthew W. Knight ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
International Student ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Year ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Predominantly White Institution ◽  
White Institution

International student mobility has been a highly discussed topic in higher education in the United States (U.S.). Yet current geo-political issues necessitate a re-examination of how international students, especially those who would be considered students of Color, are transitioning to U.S. higher education institutions. Findings from three interviews that spanned participants’ first year on campus include the importance of social interactions, challenges with academic adjustments, and navigating the effects of politics. Suggestions for student affairs practice are addressed, including pre-sojourn connections and peer engagement.

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