scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study on the Chemical Knowledge of Prospective University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Thomas Waitz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Specific Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Test ◽  
Individual Subject ◽  
Chemical Knowledge ◽  
Subject Areas

Many universities face the challenge that high dropout rates (e.g. ~ 30 % in chemistry in Germany) are observed in higher education. Accordingly, the college readiness of prospective students is doubted. In this context this article focuses on the content-specific and cognitive characteristic as part of the college readiness. Within four years we examined the responses from more than 500 prospective students who participated in a content-specific prior knowledge test in chemistry. Overall, we found that content-specific prior knowledge test and average Abitur grade (final highschool grade) remained almost constant. In addition, a low correlation between the content-specific knowledge and the average Abitur grade was found. Finally, only deficits and strengths in individual subject areas of chemistry could be identified throughout the years, which are presented in this article as examples.

Japan: The "Haves" are Gaining and the "Have-Nots" are Losing

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Obara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Rural Colleges ◽  
Negative Cycle ◽  
Rural Institutions

Many Japanese private higher education institutions also face a risk of falling into the "losing group." It seems that small/rural colleges end up receiving less extra income from admissions over the tei-in (the quota for first-year students) level. This loss creates less scholarship money for capable students. The small/rural institutions are likely to lose prospective students as a negative cycle works against them. This tendency, in turn, augments the opportunities available to large, metropolitan higher education institutions. In Japan, a clear division is anticipated, with the larger institutions getting much larger and the smaller and rural ones getting much smaller. This is a hard fact that we will face in the foreseeable future.

scholarly journals FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BY PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS IN LATVIA

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 422-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezda Rika ◽  
Jana Roze ◽  
Irina Sennikova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Spearman Correlation ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Comprehensive Knowledge

Because of increasing competition among Latvian higher education institutions (HEIs), the administrators of these institutions are becoming increasingly interested in understanding how their potential students choose their institution. Comprehensive knowledge of consumer behavior allows institutions to become more effective at making good strategic marketing decisions and to better respond to customers’ needs. The purpose of this study is to understand what factors affect the decision of secondary school leavers in choosing a particular higher education provider and the variables that might predict a student’s choice. The research is based on data collected by the means of a survey distributed among final year students of Latvian secondary schools, with 644 responses analyzed using Spearman correlation and stepwise regression analysis. Analysis of four major groups of factors: cultural, social, psychological, and organizational, revealed that psychological and organizational factors are the best predictors of the choice of HEI. These explained 48% of the variance of the dependent variable (R2 = 0.48; F (1; 641) = 293.46; p < 0.001). The results provide details of the factors with great importance to young people of Latvia in choosing their higher education provider. The HEI can use these factors for designing various student attraction strategies, and thus increase their market share and competitiveness.

scholarly journals Ignorance is risk: An exploratory investigation of students’ perceptions of their education–employment pathways

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-36
Author(s):  
Edward Lock ◽  
Kate Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Career Goal ◽  
Student Expectations ◽  
Postgraduate Study ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Poor Understanding ◽  
Australian Universities

The widely held view that higher education constitutes a gateway to employment has underpinned the dramatic widening of access to university in recent decades. However, globalisation and technological development have complicated the task of enhancing the employability of students, as the future world of work has become ever-more dynamic and unpredictable. Given such conditions, the delivery of employability teaching has become a central focus of many higher education providers (HEPs). To meet their responsibilities, HEPs must understand how students perceive their respective courses in relation to the employment pathways that they seek to follow. The present study aimed to gain an understanding of prospective students’ perceptions regarding this, but also to evaluate the accuracy of these perceptions. Because some course types are more narrowly vocational than are others, a subsidiary aim was to investigate whether or not student expectations and knowledge varied depending on course-type. The findings gathered from 462 students enrolled into a wide range of courses at 15 Australian universities were profound. They highlight that, while most students commence university with a career goal in mind, many have a poor understanding of the education-employment pathways on which they have embarked. Students demonstrated a limited understanding of the careers to which their courses might lead, and of the relevance of postgraduate study to their chosen career goals. These findings varied significantly across different course-types. Overall, these findings highlight the need for HEPs to educate their students explicitly about the education-employment pathways that are available to them.

scholarly journals PROMOTING LIBERAL EDUCATION THROUGH THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF CRITICAL THINKING: A RATIONALE AND PLAN

2021 ◽  
pp. 125-144
Author(s):  
Henry Braun ◽  
Katrina Borowiec
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Liberal Education ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Professional Success ◽  
Rigorous Research ◽  
Technical Issues ◽  
Missed Opportunity

In recent years, U.S. higher education has received much criticism for inadequately preparing students for the ‘real world.’ There is substantial empirical evidence (e.g., Arum & Roksa, 2011) that many students graduate with limited proficiency in key 21st century skills such as critical thinking (CT). Despite its importance in achieving personal advancement and professional success, there has been surprisingly little rigorous research on the development of CT during the undergraduate years. We believe this is a missed opportunity for higher education to better understand the various trajectories of CT development and to generate credible evidence to inform policies, programs, and practices – while also strengthening its standing among its various stakeholders. We argue that, despite a number of challenges, it is feasible to design and implement a comprehensive, longitudinal study of the development of CT (and related constructs). Although CT is an important learning objective at all colleges, it has special resonance for schools and programs that aim to provide a liberal education. For various reasons we propose that the initial study be conducted within a particular subset of such institutions; namely, a sample of American Jesuit colleges and universities. We discuss a number of technical issues germane to such a study, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of our preferred choice of an institutional sample.

scholarly journals Ignorance is risk: An exploratory investigation of students’ perceptions of their education–employment pathways

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-36
Author(s):  
Edward Lock ◽  
Kate Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Career Goal ◽  
Student Expectations ◽  
Postgraduate Study ◽  
Exploratory Investigation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Poor Understanding ◽  
Australian Universities

The widely held view that higher education constitutes a gateway to employment has underpinned the dramatic widening of access to university in recent decades. However, globalisation and technological development have complicated the task of enhancing the employability of students, as the future world of work has become ever-more dynamic and unpredictable. Given such conditions, the delivery of employability teaching has become a central focus of many higher education providers (HEPs). To meet their responsibilities, HEPs must understand how students perceive their respective courses in relation to the employment pathways that they seek to follow. The present study aimed to gain an understanding of prospective students’ perceptions regarding this, but also to evaluate the accuracy of these perceptions. Because some course types are more narrowly vocational than are others, a subsidiary aim was to investigate whether or not student expectations and knowledge varied depending on course-type. The findings gathered from 462 students enrolled into a wide range of courses at 15 Australian universities were profound. They highlight that, while most students commence university with a career goal in mind, many have a poor understanding of the education-employment pathways on which they have embarked. Students demonstrated a limited understanding of the careers to which their courses might lead, and of the relevance of postgraduate study to their chosen career goals. These findings varied significantly across different course-types. Overall, these findings highlight the need for HEPs to educate their students explicitly about the education-employment pathways that are available to them.

scholarly journals Modelling instruction effect with different reasoning ability on physics conceptual understanding by controlling the prior knowledge

2020 ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Ike Lusi Meilina ◽  
Supriyono Koes Handayanto ◽  
Muhardjito Muhardjito
Keyword(s):  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Scientific Reasoning ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Reasoning Ability ◽  
Knowledge Test ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
Reasoning Abilities ◽  
Significant Difference

Modelling instruction is systematic instructional activity for constructing and applying scientific knowledge in Physics lesson. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of Modelling instruction with different reasoning abilities on understanding physical concepts by controlling students’ prior knowledge. This research used experimental method with 2x2 factorial design with two Modelling instruction classes and two conventional classes with a total of 176 students. The instrument used was reasoning ability test, prior knowledge test, and physics concept test. It used LCTSR (Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning) instrument. Prior knowledge test instruments consisted of 25 problems to identify how deep the students understand the topic before they undergo the learning process and physics concept test consisted of 25 problems. Based on the statistical test using two factor Ancova, it proved that there was a significant difference in students’ ability to master the physics concept between using Modelling instruction learning model and using conventional learning model. The result showed that the Modelling instruction increasing conceptual understanding better than conventional learning. There are two important parts in the Modelling instruction that are model development and model deployment. This study also confirms that there are significant differences in understanding the concepts between students of high reasoning ability and low reasoning ability. Students with high reasoning abilities have a better understanding of concepts than students with low reasoning abilities.

scholarly journals The education skills trap in a dependent market economy. Romania’s case in the 2000s

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana Tarlea ◽  
Annette Freyberg-Inan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Market Economy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Empirical Insight

We discuss the political economic development of Romania since 1989, with a focus on the evolution of higher education (HE). First, we place this evolution in the context of demand for HE by prospective students and employers, focusing on the low demand for skills in the MNC-dominated Romanian economy. Second, we provide empirical insight on indicators of quality, enrolment, and funding as key features of the HE system. We argue that Romania has evolved into a dependent market economy entrenched in a low-skills equilibrium, and that the weakness of the HE system is a key element in this process.

Tackling the Emerging New Norms in Higher Education in Post-Recession America

2017 ◽  
pp. 46-62
Author(s):  
Wayne Perry Webster ◽  
Zach P. Messitte
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Private Institutions ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Cost Structures ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
Higher Education Leaders ◽  
New Situation

This chapter will examine emerging new norms across higher education in the United States following the recession of 2008-09. Colleges and universities face an environment increasingly made up of prospective students and their families shopping and bargaining for the best college deal; institutions are struggling to control student costs by raising discount rates; administrators are seeking to find new sources of revenue and programmatic niches; and faculty are increasingly focused on how to make their curriculum more unique and relevant. Finally, higher education leaders should closely examine long-held recruitment and financial aid strategies, cost structures, academic calendars and mission to meet the new situation. This chapter will summarize the development of the new landscape in public and private higher education, including the growing similarities facing public and private institutions including their common efforts to keep higher education affordable and accessible, and conclude with recommendations for administrators as they navigate their way through the new norm.

Prospective Students' ZMOT in ICT-Based International Universities

2019 ◽  
pp. 195-214
Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Saiz-Alvarez ◽  
Oscar Alberto Hoyos-Villa
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
Zero Moment ◽  
First Moment ◽  
Traditional Strategy

The zero moment of truth (ZMOT) is a concept related to marketing that is changing gradually the traditional strategy used to select a product or service offered in the market. This concept has gained popularity among consumers due to the internet, but ZMOT has been barely analyzed during the selection process of prospective students choosing an international HEI (higher education institution). The objective of this chapter is to reflect how the combination of ZMOT, FMOT (first moment of truth), and SMOT (second moment of truth) is a successful strategy for global universities based on digital marketing to attract prospective students. An educational procedure that can be followed by technology-driven international HEIs, and by universities aiming to attract prospective students. In this sense, the authors propose a brand-new concept entitled PSA (potential for student attraction) that they apply to two campuses (Guadalajara and Mexico City) of the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico.

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