scholarly journals An analysis of Situational Barriers Affecting Postgraduate Students in Private Universities in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-104
Author(s):  
Betty Jeruto Tikoko
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Private University ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Counselling Services ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Thesis Writing

This study investigated situational challenges affecting postgraduate students in a private university in Kenya. It was motivated by the low completion rates in postgraduate studies, with many students completing their studies far beyond the stipulated time period. While many obstacles may hinder postgraduate student progress in their studies, it was found necessary to investigate situational challenges that could hinder students’ progress. The study utilised a survey design. Using a sample of 20 postgraduate students, a survey was conducted using a questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS. Frequencies and percentages were the statistics used to make related findings and interpretation. It was found that students experienced work-related challenges, and distance to consult supervisors were the greatest challenges. However, students reported high self-confidence that they could complete their studies on time and possessed adequate proposal/thesis writing skills. It was therefore concluded that student counselling services be provided by the institution to adequately guide the students in balancing work and studies. Online supervisory platforms should also be provided to address the time that students took to travel to meet with their supervisors.

scholarly journals Postgraduate Studies in Africa: The Looming Crisis

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wisdom Tettey
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Student Enrollment ◽  
Postgraduate Student ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Staff Shortage ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Huge Challenge

Academic staff shortage has become a huge challenge for African universities, and no respite seems to be in sight. This article argues characteristics of African universities: postgraduate student enrollment, gender distribution, master's and doctoral enrollees and program choices, graduation, retention, and completion rates. To regenerate academe, African tertiary institutions will not only have to improve the relative numbers, proportion, distribution, and quality of postgraduate students who enter but also ensure that these same characteristics are reflected in postgraduate output.

Build it and They Will Come: Building the Capacity of Indigenous Units in Universities to Provide Better Support for Indigenous Australian Postgraduate Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Trudgett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Culturally Appropriate ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Indigenous Australian ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Indigenous Participation ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Australian Universities

AbstractIndigenous participation rates in higher education are significantly lower than the rates reported for non-Indigenous people in Australia – with the greatest disparity evident in the area of postgraduate studies. This problem needs to be addressed by providing culturally appropriate support mechanisms to Indigenous postgraduate students. This article draws on the findings of a doctoral thesis in which the support provided to Indigenous postgraduate students in Australia was investigated (Trudgett, 2008). Several issues and problems emerged from the data surrounding the support, or lack thereof, provided to this cohort by the Indigenous Units or centres in universities today. Nine recommendations for consideration and implementation by the Indigenous Units within Australian universities are provided. These recommendations have the potential to reduce this disparity by helping to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participation and, most importantly, completion rates in postgraduate studies.

Educational components in the supervision of chemistry postgraduate students: experiences and reflections

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liliana Mammino
Keyword(s):  
Chemistry Education ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Mathematics Knowledge ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Thesis Writing ◽  
The University

Abstract This article focuses on the educational aspects of mentoring chemistry postgraduate students, analysing the challenges encountered by students in the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate learning, and throughout the postgraduate projects up to completion of PhD level, and discussing the design of suitable addressing options by the mentor. The mentoring activity is thus viewed within a typical chemistry education paradigm. Some challenges basically continue those encountered at undergraduate level and others are specific to the postgraduate one, thus requiring new approaches. The information presented in the article is mostly based on the author’s long experience at the University of Venda (South Africa). The approach utilised in the study is a suitable adaptation of action research. The analysis aims at being comprehensive, considering the major features influencing students’ performance, and the strategies that can be adopted to counteract negative impacts and to foster the development of scientific modes of thinking and of research independence. It outlines how known major difficulties, such as diffuse poor language mastery (aggravated by second language instruction), complicate both the undergraduate-postgraduate transition—by affecting the speed and extent to which students learn new approaches—and the further stages, including thesis writing. Writing-related difficulties are given particular attention because they have great impact even for students who have acquired good abilities with the design and practical components of research projects, and because the acquisition of adequate skills in scientific writing is an inherent objective of postgraduate training. Most of the reported observations refer to postgraduate studies in computational chemistry; this enables a broad perspective, by including the common challenges of obtaining, organising and analysing data, as well as the challenges related to learning a new area of chemistry, not encountered in undergraduate studies, and those related to specific demands such as adequate mathematics knowledge, visualization abilities and the ability to abstract thinking.

Postgraduate Students’ Perceived E-Learning Acceptance

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
M. R. K. N. Yatigammana ◽  
Md. Gapar Md. Johar ◽  
Chandra Gunawardhana
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Perceived Ease Of Use ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Acceptance Model

E-learning is a method of delivering knowledge using information technology and electronic media for the remote users. The advantages of e-learning method can be fully achieved with the postgraduate studies as majority of the postgraduate students are engaged in learning while they are working and also geographically dispersed due to the family and work life thus physically appearing for the lecture sessions are difficult to them. This paper attempts to develop a framework to measure the postgraduate students’ perceived technology acceptance by developing a modified version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) which replaces perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in the original model of TAM with relative advantage and complexity and incorporate other variables of trialability, observability, compatibility, psychological wellbeing and social influence of the students. The developed model is validated using 30 postgraduate students from Sri Lanka and thus this model can be used in future researchers to measure the perceived e-learning acceptance of postgraduate students.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Postgraduate Students’ Behavioural Intention for Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3524
Author(s):  
Melor Md Yunus ◽  
Wee Shin Ang ◽  
Harwati Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Performance Expectancy ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Facilitating Conditions

Online learning has become essential in education as the spread of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought significant changes to the field. However, education should remain welcoming and supportive to all the learners as it is important to keep the students’ behavioural intention in any form of learning environment. Thus, this study is significant as online learning is leading the trend of education now. Past studies revealed that the factors of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions under the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model affect learners’ behavioural intention to use online learning. This study intended to identify the most significant factors that influence TESL postgraduate students’ behavioural intention towards the use of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examined the relationship amongst the four factors and postgraduate students’ behavioural intention to use online learning. The participants consisted of 169 postgraduate students at a public university in Malaysia. To achieve the aim, the study utilized a survey design using a questionnaire. The results from regression analysis revealed that all of the factors have positive effects on postgraduate students’ behavioural intention to use online learning. Meanwhile, performance expectancy has the greatest influence on postgraduate students’ behavioural intention. Hence, this study concludes that the practicality and the usefulness of online learning should be highlighted by the authorities.

scholarly journals Acceptance Commitment Therapy Intervention for Custodial Grandfamilies

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 928-928
Author(s):  
Manuela E Faulhaber ◽  
Amie Zarling ◽  
Jeongeun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Acceptance Commitment Therapy ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
American Children

Abstract Millions of American children under the age of 18 are being cared for by their grandparents and without the presence of the biological parents. The number of custodial grandfamilies has significantly increased over the last five years. Recent studies have shown that custodial grandparents (CPGs) are often facing specific challenges in life, such as lower emotional well-being, higher parenting burden and stress related to this unique situation. Despite these findings, few interventions take a strengths based approach to improve their mental health and resilience. We describe our efforts to address these issues by proposing intervention anchored in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), emphasizing the importance of acceptance of challenging circumstances outside of one’s control and promoting resilience among participants. The program consists of a web based ACT program with online coaching meetings, six common core sessions and six separate sessions for each age group over a time period of six months. This program is unique in the sense that it utilizes both individual and group session techniques to facilitate the learning process. Main active ingredients of this program are to promote effective coping strategies, to reduce parenting stress among grandparents and to increase life skills (i.e., decision-making, proactivity) among grandchildren. We are hypothesizing that participating in the ACT program will help CGPs to improve self-efficacy, emotional well-being, higher self-confidence, social competence, lower depressive symptoms, and parenting distress, thereby leading to positive outcomes such as improved mental health and higher resilience.

A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Affecting the Successful Completion of Postgraduate Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-161
Author(s):  
Abdul Munir Ismail Et.al
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Successful Completion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Research Findings

The study aims to highlight the current learning approaches used by postgraduate students to complete their postgraduate studies on time, as studies have shown many students have failed to finish their studies as planned. In particular, this study focuses on factors and methods that are perceived to be most effective by students to help them complete their studies on time.  Methodology: Thisstudy was based on a qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews. The study sample consisted of 14 postgraduate students and one lecturers as respondents. The research instrument was based on interview questions to elicit relevant information on their demography and learning practices. Data were collected and organized into four themes and were subsequently analyzed descriptively.     Findings: The findings showed that face-to-face discussions were the most popular practice adopted by the respondents. The findings also showed several factors had significant impacts on student learning, such as interpersonal relationships between students and supervisors, commitment, financial commitment, and moral support, which needs to be taken into account in helping students to complete on time.     Significance: The research findings can inform all the stakeholders, notably students, supervisors, and administrative officers, factors that have profound impacts on postgraduate students’ efforts to graduate on time.

scholarly journals Implementing Project-Based Experiential Learning in Post-Graduate Studies in Greece: A Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Elissavet Karageorgou ◽  
Konstantina Koutrouba
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Information ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Academic Needs ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Learning Procedure ◽  
Postgraduate Studies

The present questionnaire-based study examines the outcomes of project-based learning procedures in Greek University postgraduate classes, where the project entitled “Traffic Signs” takes place. Master in Education students at Harokopio University provided relevant information by answering a set of close-ended questions specifically designed for the research. Data elaboration and statistical analysis were performed. The results of the study showed that, according to MEd students, the teachers’ role during the carrying-out of the project remains crucial, since s/he establishes the rules of communication, defines the objectives, simplifies the learning material and intervenes in a supportive way to strengthen students’ cognitive background and self-confidence, to overcome setbacks and facilitate constructive cooperation. The research also showed that as long as projects’ implementation during postgraduate studies are well-designed, attractive and demanding regarding high-ranked cognitive and socio-affective abilities, they meet satisfactorily students’ academic needs and expectations and refresh, deepen and expand the positive outcomes of the learning procedure even in scientific domains where very often University teachers tend to avoid the use of more innovative teaching methods.

scholarly journals Challenges of Improving the Quality of Academic Supervision of Postgraduate Studies at the Faculty of Education, Damietta University

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Aly Saleh Gohar ◽  
Marwa Maher Qouta
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Analytical Method ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Heavy Load ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Faculty Of Education ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

The present research paper aims to confront the challenges of improving the quality of academic supervision of postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Education, Damietta University, identifying the theoretical and conceptual framework for academic supervision of educational postgraduate studies. It also analyzes the reality and defines the challenges of academic supervision of educational postgraduate studies. The author adopted the descriptive and analytical method and applied the tool to a sample of (30) faculty members at the Faculty of Education, Damietta University. The study concluded that the heavy load of the supervisor, the tendency of the student to choose a supervisor in a certain position, and keenness of the student to carry out the study quickly without considering quality, and poor research skills among students are the most significant challenges of improving the quality of academic supervision. The study recommended abiding by the regulations of postgraduate studies that allow supervising several theses and dissertations to enable supervisors to follow up postgraduate students honestly and objectively. It also recommended the need to respect the desire of the student when choosing a supervisor.

scholarly journals "The best part was the contact!": Understanding postgraduate students’ experiences of wrapped MOOCs

Open Praxis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasneem Jaffer ◽  
Shanali Govender ◽  
Cheryl Brown
Keyword(s):  
Student Mobility ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Student Preparedness ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Complex Relationships

Mandated to provide support to postgraduate students, the Office of Postgraduate Studies at the University of Cape Town operates in a context characterised by limited funding and resourcing, varied student preparedness for postgraduate study, and increasing student mobility. Extra-curricular academic and professional skills support is offered through a range of modes, including the wrapping of MOOCs. This research explored the contribution of face-to-face, facilitated sessions to the learning experiences of wrapped MOOC participants. Interviews, surveys and course evaluations were analysed using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. Although the CoI framework surfaced complex relationships between the three presences and students’ learning experiences, with students expressing strong appreciation for the face-to-face contact in addition to online learning, the framework does not surface the substantial impact of learner and structural factors as contributors to learning.

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