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Consumerist views have increased in English higher education. At the same time, the wellbeing of university students is of growing concern. Some research suggests that consumerist views amongst students link to lower wellbeing and achievement. This prompted the current paper which speculates that the concept of autonomy (as depicted in self-determination theory) might provide a useful lens through which to analyse consumerist attitudes in UK higher education and their possible effects on students. Self-determination theory posits that people are fulfilled and have optimal motivation when their basic needs for competence, relatedness and autonomy are met. These three basic needs are complementary. Each could provide a lens for examining the facilitators or barriers to optimal motivation within higher education. This paper focuses on autonomy and explores possible links between a consumerist orientation and student wellbeing and achievement in English universities. Using self-determination theory, autonomy-enhancing ways of framing policy and managing the student experience and teaching and learning are outlined. The concept of autonomy offers a useful framework for potential enhancement of student motivation and wellbeing at policy, institutional and programme levels. Further empirical work could usefully explore and refine the hypotheses advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the Foundation Year of university is to prepare students for their undergraduate study. Part of this preparation is enculturation into ways of speaking. Undergraduate study involves small group interaction in which students are expected to use educational dialogue to co-construct conceptual understanding and engage in critical thinking. In this study, we were interested in whether and to what extent Foundation Year Bioscience students used educational dialogue in problem-solving tasks. Seven groups were audio recorded during online group discussions at three points during the semester. Transcripts were analysed according to a framework of educational dialogue codes. While some groups engaged in educational dialogue, there was variability amongst group members, within the session and across sessions. Based on this small case study, we argue that Foundation Year teachers can support the development of students' educational dialogue by raising metacognitive awareness of language and providing opportunities through task design. We conclude the paper with specific suggestions for classroom practice which are not restricted to Biosciences Foundation Year and relevant to all stages of university study and across disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of a diverse and challenging Higher Education (HE) environment within the United Kingdom (UK), this paper extends existing debates around extracurricular activities (ECAs) and considers students' engagement in ECAs within this context. Adopting a case study approach, and involving a team of student researchers, students' perceptions of ECA-programmes at a post-1992 Higher Education Institution (HEI) are explored. A total of 38 students took part in a series of six focus groups. The data collected was thematically analysed and two key themes emerged, namely: perceptions that there is a hierarchy of ECAs, and an enhanced awareness of the barriers to students' participation in ECAs, including the potential for harm. This paper examines the prospective impact of these findings and makes recommendations for the future development of ECA-programmes within HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A good research base exists on the benefits of structured writing retreats and similar provision for academic staff and postgraduate researchers, but to date little has been published about the worth of such events for undergraduate students. This is despite the fact that undergraduate student researchers also experience external pressures, distractions and ambivalent or negative feelings towards writing just as academic staff and postgraduate students do. This paper reports on a mixed methods study of a structured writing retreat programme with third year undergraduate students over four academic years. The resulting data confirmed that one of the biggest challenges for students was finding time and space to write, which mirrors the findings of studies focused on more experienced researchers. The group of writing retreat participants had a very different experience and data revealed the power of these events for this group of students. The data presented here suggest that retreats should much more widely offered for undergraduate students in the latter stages of their degree programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of demographic ageing, university students increasingly face the need to reconcile studying and caring for an older person. Surprisingly little is known about the lives of caregiving students or the ways institutions of higher education can (or do) support them, however. Knowing more about this group is of importance from an academic and practical perspective. This study provides the first systematic literature review on caregiving students. It aims to i) systematise the knowledge on caregiving students, and ii) identify research gaps in the literature and formulate fields of future inquiry. The primary literature search resulted in 2,205 hits, of which only six publications met the inclusion criteria. These were coded and analysed according to the standards of inductive content analysis. Four core themes were identified: (1) determinants of being/becoming a caregiving student, (2) challenges in reconciling caregiving and studying, (3) positive and negative consequences of being a caregiving student, (4) potential support structures for caregiving students. Each of these themes also discusses issues regarding four spheres: (a) the personal sphere, (b) the sphere of the caregiving relationship, (c) the social sphere, and (d) the institutional or higher education sphere. Based on the results, we identify three blind spots of current research for future inquiry: (i) the particular challenges faced by students that care for an older person compared to students involved in childcare, (ii) a bias towards 'methodological institutionalism', and, as a consequence, (iii) a negligence of the care relationship itself and the perspectives of the care-recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the attitudes of undergraduate language learners and their lecturers towards the introduction of an attendance policy in an Irish Higher Education Institution. It also analyses the relationship between the introduction of this policy and student performance (average grade) and progression (pass rates). The policy was introduced on a pilot basis on thirty core language modules delivered on first or second year undergraduate programmes. They consisted of language modules in German (beginners and intermediate), French (intermediate), Spanish (beginners and intermediate), Chinese (beginners) and Japanese (beginners). The findings suggest predominantly positive attitudes towards the attendance policy among both staff and students. They also indicate a positive impact on performance and progression in some modules, in particular first year beginner languages where attendance has been an issue in the past. The paper considers the implications of these findings both for this field of research and for practitioners particularly in university language learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the Higher Education sector, there is growing interest regarding the 'value for money' of a university education, and in response to this, universities may need to consider how to evaluate the perceived learning of students alongside their actual learning. Learning Gain maybe helpful in this regard, but there is currently no agreed method for evaluating the Learning Gain achieved, or perceived, by any particular student. This paper discusses a new model that can be used for evaluating such student perceptions. The model itself considers both the Distance Travelled (explicit knowledge) and the Journey Travelled (tacit knowledge) reported by students. The model employs a self-certified reflective survey method. A study, using a cohort of final year undergraduate dissertation students is undertaken to evaluate the potential usefulness of this model. The primary results obtained from this study provide an interesting perspective on how students perceive their own learning, which in turn has implications for understanding how our own teaching is viewed by students. The outcome of this research is that further testing is recommended using a wider variety of courses, and larger cohorts of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, research has focussed on understanding how various contextual factors facilitate students' adjustments to university as they begin their studies. However, there seems to be limited or no research and instruments that have specifically conceptualised and measured students' adjustments, considering their transitional challenges, emotional wellbeing, and barriers to seeking help. Incorporating these factors, we previously developed a model of students' adjustments, titled Transition, Wellbeing, Help-seeking and Adjustments (TWHAS). Building on this model, this paper aims to empirically validate the hypothesised TWHAS model using a validated survey and data collected from 306 first-year students transitioning to an Australian university. The strength of the predictive relations among the selected variables was tested by the significance of the path coefficients of the model. Our findings show a good fit to the theoretical model developed and demonstrate how students' sociodemographic barriers to seeking help and moods (e.g. anxiety) can create a psychological barrier (e.g. lack of openness to seeking help) and how psychological barriers can further inhibit students' overall adjustments to university. These findings have important implications for higher education policymakers, staff as well as administrators, counselling and support services future research on promoting students' the positive adjustments to transition to university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite efforts in Ireland to increase the number of part-time students in Higher Education, there was limited growth over twenty years 1997–2017. Part-time featured in widening participation strategies; however, this mode of learning has orientated towards employability. Retention of part-time students remains a problem for Higher Education. This paper draws on findings from an empirical study and explores factors that encouraged integration amongst on-campus part-time, flexible students in Higher Education Institutions. Findings indicated that students persisted in their studies despite encountering challenges. Students reported a sense of belonging at programme and department level; however, this did not equate with inclusion within the Higher Education Institutions. Students continue to experience difficulty in accessing supports and facilities. The limits of an interactionist model were explored from the perspective of non-traditional students. Tinto's model of integration does not translate straightforwardly to part-time flexible students who were not socialising on campus but were committed to completing the programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International research suggests that government policy, institutional culture and learner characteristics influence the attrition rate of first-year tertiary education students. These variables were investigated in relation to a cohort of 21 New Zealand students who failed a core literacy paper. The research utilised questionnaires, interviews with staff and students and observations around a series of workshops designed to review the literacy course. Results align with international findings, but also differ because of site-specific institutional, and student socio-cultural factors. The workshops improved students’ course content knowledge, but did not address deep-seated, literacy and culturally-based impediments that contribute to attrition. Principles of social justice and social contract theory described by Rawls (1958) and Sen (2009) are used to critique policy and pedagogical and learner characteristics. Based on this critique, the research concluded that some aspects of policy and institutional, cultural and student behaviour were unjust. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on the findings of a recent small scale study into the experiences of mature students of a foundation degree (FD) in health and social care. This was an exploratory study that evaluated one particular FD health and social care programme in order to gain an insight into some of the issues involved in delivering higher education through further education settings, and how mature students 'make sense' of themselves as learners on FD programmes. This paper examines the responses of the student interviews which depict them as making sense of themselves as 'second chance learners' on an educational programme that is 'not quite higher education'. Discussion of these themes in terms of Bourdieu's notions of habitus, field and capital will be offered alongside Weick's model of sensemaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper draws on a research project on innovative provision in an FE college for excluded and disaffected young people. The college offers places on vocational courses to students who are still of compulsory school age who have been excluded by or have persistently failed to attend or achieve in school. One set of themes to emerge relates to the experiences of the students: the role of personal relationships and, especially, relationships with teachers, in the breakdown of school placements; the importance both of good relationships with tutors, often expressed as 'being treated like an adult' and of a vocational and practical curriculum in successful re-engagement at college; and positive but highly instrumental and employment related attitudes to education. Another set of themes relates to the practical and organisational difficulties and the way that a lack of flexibility in 14-19 provision, especially while students are still of compulsory school age, creates difficulties for programmes of this kind. Finally the paper considers the tensions between pressures for accountability and outcome-driven measures and the aims of increasing participation and using education to address issues of social inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual and empirical studies on the impact of physical environments in educational settings are lacking. In comparison, consumption environments research has a rich history. In this paper we bring together these two research streams to develop (Study 1) and test (Study 2) an ‘Eduscape’ model of the effects of emotions and servicescape factors in higher education settings. Study 1 (423 students) explores aspects of the physical environment. Building on Study 1, Study 2 uses structural equation modelling (209 students) to test the proposed conceptual model. The results highlight that comfort, temperature/humidity, functionality/design and acoustics/visual features are key in determining students’ pleasure within the environment. Although Study 1 highlights that cleanliness/upkeep is important to students, Study 2 does not find statistical support for this association. The proposed model also emphasizes the links between students’ pleasure derived from the environment and their satisfaction, engagement/involvement and approach behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student-centred learning and teaching (SCLT) has become a widespread approach in higher education and is praised by students, educational researchers and policy makers alike. SCLT is believed to help students become self-directed learners by placing them at the centre of the learning process. Despite the central role currently ascribed to SCLT in higher education, systematic knowledge about how it is practiced in higher education is limited. Informed by the findings of a systematic mapping review of empirical research, this article discloses how SCLT is practised inclass, outof-class and institutionally in higher educational institutions. Overall, we find that empirical research on SCLT is diverse and covers a wide range of pedagogical approaches and methods. Even so, the main focus of the research mapped is on in-class learning activities, whereas less focus is placed on student support systems and on how to develop a SCLT culture in institutional practices. Furthermore, the review finds an extensive focus on student activation and engagement in the empirical research on SCLT. This runs contrary to the theoretical literature arguing that SCLT should promote student agency and autonomy. We therefore encourage more empirical research on the relationship between SCLT and student agency in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research project was primarily concerned with undergraduate students' attitudes and expectations of autonomous learning and their readiness for such a learning approach. The underlying assumption of the study is that students' attitudes towards and preparedness for autonomous learning will determine the level of autonomy that they could achieve in the learning process. The paper will report on the significant findings and the reflective observations which I hope will help both curriculum planners and teachers to think of ways to develop student autonomy in their specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of internationalisation of education and the emergence of English as a global language, medium of instruction (MOI) has long been a controversial issue globally. The present study examined the relationships between secondary-level MOI (English, EMI; Chinese, CMI) and learners' tertiary-level academic achievement and perceptions. 434 tertiary-level business, science, and social science students in Hong Kong completed a survey and 18 of them also attended an interview. An overall significant difference was found in tertiary-level academic achievement between the EMI and CMI students. Significant differences were also found in their self-rated performance in and preferences for some but not all kinds of assessments. When analysed by tertiary-level disciplines, business students showed no differences while science students showed some, and social science students showed the greatest differences between the CMI and EMI groups. The interviewees highlighted academic and psychological challenges facing CMI students. Implications for educators and researchers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal approaches to learning in Higher Education are acknowledged to offer an engaging and motivating approach to learning. This article argues that they can also enable students to learn more effectively, and apply this learning to their professional lives. Previous research has suggested that three of the most difficult facets of Master's level study for students are abstract thinking, unpredictability, and research skills. This practitioner study found that drawing on students' prior personal and professional experience is an effective way to develop these skills, because it provides the necessary contextualisation for learning. Interview data from one diverse cohort on a Master's in Education programme show that the students believed that this approach improved their understanding of these three areas, and their ability to use formal assignments to explore and explain their experience. This more personal and engaged approach to learning addresses a neglected area of higher education: attending to Master's students' academic skill development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the shared interest of two academics with leadership responsibilities in the UK and Sweden our ambition was to better understand student learner expectations of leadership as Higher Education leaders operate within the relatively new context of what is being defined as 'Responsible Leadership'. A search using Google Scholar, to give international reach, was carried out in late 2020 on four key themes pertinent to our research endeavour. The four themes, namely: Generation Z in Higher Education, Student Voice, Responsible Leadership and VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) were searched using a metric which included articles presenting with a generic focus and written in the last 5 years (2017–2021). Texts were excluded if, in the abstract, they contained specific reference to subject discipline, teaching method, learner ability or any other locator which gave the text a specificity of subject rather than the generality sought here. In applying a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology the ambition was to achieve summarised results to identify the debate and emerging evidence concerning our fields of interest. The research findings reveal challenging times ahead for the university sector with questions emerging about the function and purpose of Higher Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing access to university for those currently under-represented is a UK government priority. Understanding the views of under-represented students can help direct widening participation activities. In recent years, a positive trend finds increasing numbers of Black students attending university, but it is not clear why White disadvantaged student numbers have not increased. Thus, we aimed to explore the student viewpoint on barriers and facilitators to university access in disadvantaged adolescents and how this might differ by ethnicity. We used an online semi-structured interview with questions about applying to university. Seventy adolescents (mean 16.9 yr.) were recruited who are currently under-represented at university level, based on various measures of disadvantage. Black, Asian, and ethnic minority students (BAME) reported similar barriers and facilitators to applying to university as White disadvantaged students. However, there were some differences, for example, BAME participants stated 'having no choice' was a reason to apply to university while White participants did not mention this. Also ~60% of BAME students said they would prefer to study close by compared to far away, while only 46% of White participants said this. Our results support previous findings that financial issues are a key barrier to university access and that outreach activities can act as facilitators to increase university access. However, we compare the unique viewpoints on the barriers and facilitators to university access in Black, Asian and White under-represented students. Based on these views we also make recommendations for future widening participation events targeted at different ethnicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A student's experience of assessment has an important determining effect on the way in which they approach learning. This case study examines students' experience of assessment and feedback in a biomedicine degree programme. A mixed-method approach combined with an assessment audit and an analysis of formative assessment use provided a holistic view of students' experience of assessment and feedback across years 1–3 of the degree. The Assessment Experience Questionnaire was utilised together with data from open-ended narrative responses to give insight into students' assessment and feedback experiences. Students (N = 960) reported diverse views about their experiences of assessment across the three years. Third-year students rated their assessment experience significantly lower than did second-year students but not as low as did first-year students. Analysis revealed significant differences in six of eight subdimensions between year 1 and year 3. The trend was downwards, with third-year students reporting lower agreement for the categories of 'Quantity of effort', 'Coverage of syllabus', 'Use of feedback', 'Appropriate assessment', 'Clear goals and standards' and 'Overall satisfaction with the course'. An assessment audit revealed a high assessment load and high dependence on exams. Frequent assessment schedules were seen as positive and formative assessments were utilised by most students. A major issue was a lack of clarity concerning goals and standards for assessments. To enable an improvement in the student experience of assessment and feedback, a dialogue about assessment tasks involving good clear communication between teachers, policy makers and students is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events show a government in constant changes of mind about how to control implementation of frequently changing policies, and the inefficiencies and inequalities that result from capitalistic approaches to public service functions. These same factors feature within higher education (HE), demonstrating that the values, culture, decision processes and power structures of twenty-first-century capitalism have filtered into the UK higher education system and permeate the operation of quality assessment for both teaching and research, where, sponsored by government, the structures and processes – the 'commanding heights' – of policy development and delivery have been captured by a small elitist group of institutions. The result has been system inequity, process inefficiency and stress and risk to the mental health and well-being of research staff, as well as failure to meet desirable objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on data from a small qualitative study of men on care-based degree pathways in one university in England. There is little research that specifically considers the experiences of working-class men on these courses. The article explores aspects of men's experiences and responses to so-called 'active learning'. It considers knowledge in care-pathway pedagogy and how students on these programmes are enabled to draw on both disciplinary and practice-knowledge. The article argues that active learning must go beyond a dominant preoccupation with self-development to initiate students into disciplinary knowledge appropriately recontextualised for their practice careers. Classed and gendered classrooms are an example of where this might occur. Implications for access and participation and for teaching and learning on care pathways are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic misconduct is a problem encountered by many academic programmes, including programmes in the health sciences. The primary purpose of the present study was to assess doctoral student and graduate faculty perceptions of academic misconduct, specifically plagiarism. We used a cross-sectional survey design, and separate surveys were developed for students and faculty. The student survey measured student perceptions of the prevalence of plagiarism among students in general and assessed the occurrence of each student’s plagiaristic behaviours. The faculty survey measured faculty perceptions of the prevalence of plagiarism among students in general and among students in their courses specifically. Two hundred and thirty-eight students and 92 faculty completed the surveys. Students were doctoral health sciences students enrolled in a campus-based, online or hybrid programme. Compared with the self-reported behaviour of students, faculty believed more students were involved with plagiarism. Self-rated knowledge about plagiarism was significantly higher among online students and faculty than among campus-based students and faculty (p<0.001). Both students and faculty believed the most common plagiaristic activity was citing and referencing a full-text source when only the abstract was read, but only a few students reported personally doing this. Additionally, more campus-based students than online students reported working closely with another classmate on an assignment when they were not authorised to do so (p<0.001). In the present study, surveyed students and faculty believed plagiarism was prevalent among the general student population; however, few students self-reported this behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the motivations and strategies employed by respondents to a Likert-style course evaluation at a UK university. These attitude surveys, generating large amounts of quantitative data, are commonly used in quality assurance procedures across UK higher education institutions. Similar student survey results are now scrutinised by regulatory bodies undertaking external inspections, and by prospective students when making choices about their course and university of study. For respondents, I argue that the ubiquity of such evaluations has led to complacency, misunderstanding and apathy, with the adoption of completion strategies that lack deep engagement. This research also reveals that the recollection of specific key events and the existence of personal relationships are the strongest influencers in respondents allocating an attitude score. I conclude that the distinction between formative and summative evaluation could be articulated more explicitly to respondents, and that to genuinely inform future teaching and enhance satisfaction for respondents, substantive qualitative comments should be sought alongside attitudinal scoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plagiarism continues to dominate the academic world as one of its greatest challenges, and the existing literature suggests cross-cultural investigation of this critical issue may help all shareholders who detect, are confronted by and struggle with this issue to address it. Therefore, the present study, drawing upon a cross-cultural investigation using a questionnaire, aimed to investigate the differences between three groups of students, namely, Turkish (n= 106), Georgian (n= 83) and German (n= 72) regarding their tendency to conduct academic theft. It also investigated ways in which to plagiarise and reasons for and awareness of this issue. The results show that lack of time, busy schedules and weak academic writing skills are the most frequent reasons for plagiarism. However, in contrast to previous studies, the role of the Internet was found to be minimal in relation to increasing plagiarism. It is also worth noting that the German participants were found to have a higher level of sensitivity to this academic malpractice and were seen to be much more successful at identifying it. The article concludes with workable suggestions on how to discourage academic theft at universities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The number of full-time students engaging in part-time employment during their studies at university continues to rise, both in the UK and in other countries. The majority of previous studies in this area have adopted a quantitative research design, using a survey. Findings from such studies have tended to focus on demonstrating what students are doing, rather than why they are doing it. This study seeks to address that weakness in the existing literature through the use of qualitative data to provide a clearer understanding of students’ views and experiences of part-time employment. The study also examines the impact of working upon students’ academic studies and seeks to enhance our understanding of the implications of combining study and employment. Students at a large university in the UK completed an online survey which required more discursive answers than most previous surveys had. The findings indicate that part-time employment continues to be a majority experience for those students. The data also indicates that while there are negative consequences from combining study and part-time employment, there are also perceived benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The growing acceptance that students can also be viewed as consumers of higher education (HE) has acted as a catalyst for universities to place greater emphasis on issues such as student satisfaction and retention. Indeed, the UK National Student Survey covered 152 institutions in 2009. However, far less attention has been paid to the concept of student complaint behaviour - that is, how students react when they become dissatisfied with their HE institution. Dissatisfied students have a variety of potential responses at their disposal, all of which can prove potentially damaging to the university. The current study considers the attitudes of East Asian students towards the act of complaining about their university. East Asian consumers are traditionally less prepared to voice dissatisfaction than their Western counterparts, and this may be exacerbated when dealing with high-ranked academic staff. In-depth interviews, utilising the laddering technique, were conducted with East Asian students at a university in the North East UK with the aim of exploring these attitudes. The findings suggest that whilst East Asian students are generally hesitant to class themselves as consumers of the educational product, this attitude can change rapidly in cases of dissatisfaction when they expect immediate redress. Respondents reported a high level of proactive behaviour in approaching relevant staff with their problems; however this was often done via informal conversations as opposed to formal complaint channels. This study adds to the growing body of literature that considers complaint behaviour in the context of HE, and is of practical value to anyone responsible for international student retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]