Academic Endowments in the United Kingdom – Do They Make a Difference?

This paper analyses the role and significance of the endowments for the UK higher education system. We have systematised the metrics commonly used to measure the performance of the academic endowments. To collect the data about universities and colleges, we exploited the data provided by the HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) that collect and disseminate UK higher education data and the data provided by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The size of the university and colleges endowments is valued using their respective financial statements, using endowment reserve account of the balance sheet.The academic endowments linked with the UK universities and colleges are estimated to be worth £15.8 billion in 2020. According to the number of the endowments linked with universities and colleges endowments, they play a significant role in the UK higher education system. However, there is a notable difference concerning endowment size between the few most reputable academic institutions and other universities and colleges. For example, the two largest endowments (the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge with accompanied colleges endowments) in 2020 had a share of 75% measured by the size of the endowment assets. Moreover, this 75% has been stable during the last several years.In addition, the UK academic endowments are much smaller than their US counterparts and thus generally have lesser significance for the UK higher education system, while they may play a significant role for particular institutions. The endowment size per student has also been much smaller in the UK than in the US. Except for the six universities and colleges, the share of the income coming from endowments and donations in the total income has been relatively low, 2% or less. Considering the long history and tradition of the endowments in England, their role in the UK higher education system is deeply rooted. However, with their historical performance and significance for some higher education providers, there is an opportunity for a more prominent role in the future.

The Learning Environment and Non-cognitive Values of Secondary School Students in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined the predictive influence of learning environment factors on senior secondary school students’ non-cognitive values (attitude to school, interest in school and self-concept). A random sample of 965 senior secondary 2(SS2) students was used for the study. Results revealed, among others, that the learning environment factors jointly significantly predicted each of the non-cognitive characteristics of the students. It was, therefore, concluded that the learning environment, both at home and in school was key to the affective or non-cognitive development of the school learner. It was recommended, among other things, that parents and school administrators should balance firmness and supportiveness in the administration of discipline in homes and schools, respectively.

Predicting Academic Procrastination and Academic Achievement in Private Higher Education With the HEXACO Model of Personality and Psychological Distress

Academic procrastination is one of the main problems in the private higher education sector associated with a high rate of abandonment of higher education and delays in fulfilling student obligations. In an effort to detect some of the personal predictors of this phenomenon, we examined associations between personality traits, psychological distress, academic procrastination, and academic achievement among students in private higher education. A sample of 369 participants (145 men, 224 women, 23 years on average) was taken. Participants self-reported their academic achievement and anonymously completed several questionnaires: The Studying Procrastination Scale, The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales – 21, the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised - 60. In line with prediction, the HEXACO dimensions explained an additional 24% of the variance in academic procrastination after controlling for psychological distress. In addition, Conscientiousness and psychological distress predicted academic procrastination, and Conscientiousness uniquely significantly predicted academic performance. Our results suggest that academic procrastination and academic performance are influenced by personality. Also, this study indicated that the impact of psychological distress on academic outcomes depends on the constellation of personality traits. Current findings could help to better understand personal factors associated with negative academic outcomes and prevent negative emotional states associated with student procrastination and poor academic performance.

Educators’ Perceptions on Refugee Students’ Identity Challenges Following Higher Education Through Virtual Learning

Refugees experience specific challenges when transitioning into higher education influenced by socio-cultural issues (Kong et al., 2016). Moreover, online learning may impact identity formation leading to duelling identities (Brunton et al., 2019). As virtual learning prevails in higher education due to the globalisation of new technologies, academic needs and competition with international institutions (Olaniran & Agnello, 2008), marginalisation of socially excluded groups such as refugees may surface (Crea & Sparnon, 2017).The purpose of this study is to explore educators perspectives of challenges and opportunities refugee students’ face when following higher education via a virtual space that impedes these specific students identity and sense of belonging. This paper provides the concept based on Erickson’s psychosocial development theory to extend this area of investigation by assessing the impact of learning via online spaces on identity.Five educators working within higher education were interviewed using a qualitative phenomenological methodology to generate an in-depth, unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities observed by teaching refugee students’ and focusing on identity formation. The data generated were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a computer-assisted data analysis software (CAQDAS), NVivo 12 Plus, to classify group-specific codebooks emerging from the data collection.The finding suggests that refugee students’ studying via a virtual space face specific challenges linked to their lived reality; however, pedagogy and educators need to be more culturally responsive to support students from diverse backgrounds and aid in the identity transition. Moreover, opportunities gained through online learning allow a sense of belonging to a global education and skills fostered will prove fruitful academically and beyond. This study concludes with implications for professional practice within the higher academic setting.

The Influence of Embedded Music on the Memorization of Mandarin Chinese

The purpose of this study is to determine how embedded music affects verbal memory in the language of Mandarin Chinese. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted where 40 college students were recruited as the participants. Specifically, they were first randomly allocated into four groups, namely the ‘Reading Group’, the ‘Ambient-music Group’, the ‘Embedded-music Group’, and the ‘Finger-tapping Group’. They were then tested for verbal recall of a lyric in terms of both short-term memory and long-term memory. The results showed that the ‘Ambient-music Group’ scored the highest, followed by the ‘Reading Group’, while the ‘Finger-tapping Group’ ranked the third, and the ‘Embedded-music Group’ was at the bottom. The results that the sung version of a lyric was recalled worse than the spoken version conforms to the recent findings, as compared with traditional notions that music can facilitate the memory of language.

A Study on the Level of Comprehension and Satisfaction With Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this paper is to clarify how students perceive changes in the educational environment, such as distance learning. A survey was conducted by creating questions that were narrowed down into specific methods, such as categorizing remote teaching methods as text-based, on-demand, or interactive, and sub-dividing the on-demand type into slides with sound and on-demand via video recording. As a result, the most common type of class was text-based. The one with the highest level of comprehension was the interactive type, while the on-demand type was found to have the highest level of satisfaction. It was also found that many students believe that Distance learning would continue for some time, with only a minority being willing to take classes in the classroom despite concerns about infection. While many students felt that distance learning was good for them, such as "I don’t need to commute to school" and "I can rewatch videos," some concerns included "I can’t make new friends" and "It’s hard to communicate with others.” Since students who felt lonely with Distance learning fell into two extremes, they were divided into a high loneliness group and a low loneliness group for comparison. As a result, it was found that students with high loneliness did not enjoy Distance learning and were unable to make new friends, while students with low loneliness seemed to enjoy Distance learning and were able to make new friends even when online.

Intensive Teacher Education for an EMI Context: Facilitating the Professional Development of University Teachers

In this paper we report on an intensive professional development intervention (PDI) delivered in a UK higher education setting for university teachers from different countries. These teachers were either teaching, or preparing to teach, English Medium Instruction (EMI) courses in a range of disciplines. Few previous studies have focussed on the impact of intensive training interventions on teacher participants, particularly for interventions conducted outside teachers’ local contexts. To address this, qualitative research was conducted that explores the influence of the PDI on participant teachers’ beliefs and self-reported teaching practices in their own institutional contexts. The findings suggest that the PDI resulted in significant changes in many of the participants’ beliefs about teaching pedagogy for an EMI context. The PDI also appeared to increase teachers’ self-efficacy, and to facilitate innovation in their classroom practices. As a result, the study highlights the pedagogical elements of the PDI which emerged as being significant in bringing about these changes and discusses the implications for PDI design. Overall, the study suggests the potential role that intensive PDIs delivered outside teachers’ home and national contexts can play in facilitating teacher development.

Does the Voice of the Learners Matter Under the Democratic Dispensation? The Trivialisation of the Learners’ Voice in School Governance in the Rural Schools of Stutterheim, Eastern Cape

The ushering in of a democratic dispensation in South Africa in 1994 brought about significant changes within the education landscape. The South African Schools (SASA) Act of 1996 gave recognition and a voice to learners through formal representation in school governance. The article investigates whether learners’ voice finds expression in school governance. The researcher adopted a qualitative research method where a phenomenological research was used. The phenomenological research was used in order to study experiences of stakeholders within the school environment in order to gain an insight on the participation of learners in school governance. Data was collected through conducting semi-structured research interviews. The sampled participants of the research were members of the school governing body, teachers and learners at the school and parents in the immediate vicinity of the school. The sample of the study involved ten parents, six teachers and ten learners and eleven members of the governing body. Data was analysed using coding where themes were developed and analysed to make meaning of the data. The study found that even though the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) was elected, it was never taken seriously by school management. The study also found that even though there were learners elected to the school governing body, their participation was of no significance. The study recommends empowerment of the learners so that they understand their role in governance.

Factors Affecting Indonesian Students in Learning English Pronunciation

Oral fluency is very important in communication. It involves different skills like grammar and vocabulary. Pronunciation, however, is very significant for successful communication. Many learners of the English language have major problems with English pronunciation even after years of learning the language. Certain factors affect the learners’ pronunciation learning and the present study aims to identify the factors that affect Indonesian students in learning pronunciation of English as a foreign language. Participants were 45 first-semester students who enrolled in a Pronunciation class in a private university in West Java, Indonesia. A mixed method was used to gather data. The researcher used a quantitative method by using a questionnaire to identify the factors and a qualitative method by using observation, records, and note-taking to identify the problems students have in learning pronunciation. Data were collected, categorized, and analyzed. From this study, it is identified that the factors influencing the students’ pronunciation accuracy were native language interference, phonological awareness, pronunciation instruction, corrective feedback, and the most important of all was the response students gave to achieve their goal. The researcher also suggests some strategies to help students overcome the problems concerning those factors. It is hoped that by knowing the factors affecting students in learning English pronunciation, the teachers can help students to have English pronunciation accuracy.

Psychological Development Characteristics of Contemporary College Students and New Ideas of Higher Education

This paper analyzes the new look, new contradictions and new problems arising in contemporary college students' psychological development. Then, the paper puts forward the new idea of change the innovation of higher education in a new situation, including setting up the new college students' mental development, building up the new concept of college students' learning quality, establishing new cultivation concept of higher education, building new teachers' roles in higher education, setting up the new concept of university spirit in higher education and establishing a new view of management in higher education.