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• Findings highlight the importance of peer support and the possibility of participatory research approaches in catalyzing peer connectivity and agency among foster scholars in higher education. • Actions and advocacy associated with Participatory Action Research have benefits for students with foster care experience and can contribute to critical consciousness raising among those within and outside of child welfare and university systems. • Integrating youth voice and perspective to our existing body of knowledge about youth with foster care experience in higher education adds a critical, often missing perspective. • Universities, child welfare system professionals, policymakers, child welfare scholars desiring to create policy and practice more affirming of young people with foster care experience should center the voices and recommendations of youth with foster care experience in their decision making. This paper presents findings from a focus group conducted as part of a larger Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) study with a cohort of university students with experience in foster care. Six foster scholars (ages 18–21) participated in a research collective offered as a collaboration between the School of Social Welfare and the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) at a large Northeastern public research university. Over the course of several semesters, students received an overview of research methods, evaluated existing research regarding the educational outcomes of youth with foster care experience, then designed an interview guide for a focus group that they later participated in. Focus group data was transcribed and then analyzed in two ways, first through thematic content analysis using ATLAS TI qualitative software, and simultaneously through participatory narrative analysis using an adapted version of Carol Gilligan's Listening Guide. The cluster of findings presented in this paper highlights co-researchers' experiences of a YPAR approach to research. Three themes emerged: validation of experience and peer support , connection to available resources, and YPAR as a tool of collective action and empowerment. An overview of the significant actions and change efforts associated with the YPAR process is also provided. Findings highlight the importance of peer support and the possibility of participatory research approaches in catalyzing peer connectivity and agency among foster scholars in higher education. Integrating youth voice and perspective to the existing body of knowledge about youth with foster care experience in higher education adds an important perspective needed to more holistically understand what resources and supports are most critical in ensuring their success. Recommendations are made for both universities and child welfare scholars desiring to center the voices and experiences of youth with foster care experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of student loans on students' (financial) behavior. For causal identification, we exploit quasi-experimental evidence using a nudge in the take-up of student loans in higher education in the Netherlands. We estimate an instrumental variable (IV) model with a first-stage Difference-in-Differences design. We find that a decline in the default student loan reduced monthly student borrowing by 141 euros. A one-euro decline in student loans reduced students' expenditures by 61 cents, but also led to a substantial increase of parental financial contributions (43 cents). Especially expenditures on leisure activities were affected. There is no evidence for increased labor earnings among students, on average. Self-reported indicators of academic performance do not worsen in response to the reform; students' GPA even improves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies often associate endogamy with lower academic performance. Alternatively, external exposure seems to be correlated with higher research quality. Consequently, when measuring the effects of endogamy, authors should account for academic inertia as well as the different types of mobility. In this study, a large longitudinal database on the Brazilian higher education system is used to measure the effects of endogamy and mobility on scientific production. This paper examines whether types of scholars–such as those who never leave their doctoral institution or those that have some experience elsewhere, especially abroad, show differential results. Furthermore, it measures the changes in scholars' productivity when controlling for the distinct types of academic mobility throughout their careers. Results suggest that information about how mobile an academic is before and during its career is relevant when estimating the effects of endogamy on academic productivity and international academic experiences are correlated with higher likelihood of publishing. • A large longitudinal database on the Brazilian higher education system is used to measure the effects of endogamy and mobility on scientific production. The paper measures the changes in scholars' productivity when controlling for the distinct types of academic mobility throughout their careers. • Results suggest that information about how mobile an academic is before and during its career is relevant when estimating the effects of endogamy on academic productivity and international academic experiences are correlated with higher likelihood of publishing at more prestigious journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of schools can be defined and measured as the ratio between the outputs produced (for example, achievement and competences) and the inputs utilized (human and technical resources). Technology holds the promise of increasing the efficiency of schools' operations, although empirical evidence on this is still scarce. This paper explores whether the ICT availability and use in 2757 schools from 10 Latin American countries are associated with higher efficiency, relying on PISA 2018. A method based on a double-bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is employed. The results highlight that the availability of ICT is positively correlated with higher school efficiency. This evidence is relevant for policy implications in setting the post-COVID priorities for educational systems in the region. • We employ the PISA (2018) for the Latin American region and DEA. • We study the impact of ICT access and its use on school efficiency in the region. • We find a level of inefficiency for the region of around 25%, with a high degree dispersion. • We find that the degree of access of ICT matters for efficiency more than ICT use. • The impact of level of ICT use on efficiency is more nuanced varying across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine the implications of college admissions criteria on students' outcomes. • Examine admissions at a large university with two admission tracks. • Regular admission track is based exclusively on academic performance while discretionary track considers non-academic qualities. • Discretionary admission students enjoy significantly higher earnings compared to marginal group of regular admission students. • Earnings advantage persists up to three years after graduation. This paper examines the implications of college admissions criteria on students' academic and non-academic performance in university and their labor market outcomes. We exploit a unique feature of the admissions system at a large university in Singapore, the National University of Singapore, that has two admission tracks – a regular admission track where admission is based exclusively on academic performance and a discretionary admission (DA) track where applicants can instead gain admission on the basis of demonstrated non-academic qualities. Comparing students admitted through each track, we find that DA students fare similarly in terms of academic performance in university as marginal students admitted through the regular route. However, they are significantly more likely to be involved in optional academic and non-academic college activities and earn substantially higher labor market earnings up to three years after graduation. These results are not driven by the DA process differentially selecting students on the basis of family background or unobserved academic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pre-college outreach programs can improve college access for underrepresented students. • The literature on pre-college programs specifically for foster youth is scant. • This paper provides an overview of NSEP, National Social Work Enrichment Program. • College students with high self-efficacy are more likely to achieve their academic performance goals. • Participants voiced an increased sense of efficacy in navigating the college campus, sharing their feelings, and increased belief in the possibilities of college. Although foster youth desire to attend college, many experience barriers to enrollment. Pre-college programs have been shown to improve college access for underrepresented students. Little is known about the impact of pre-college programs designed for foster youth. Researchers have found that youth who participate in experiential programs have an increased sense of self-efficacy. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to lift the voices of youth who participated in a six-week pre-college program called the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP). Thematic analysis was employed to explore the experiences of youth. This manuscript focuses on a subset of data from the larger qualitative study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, most universities had to switch to "emergency online learning". At the same time, academics were in search of means to combat "the infodemic", a wave of misinformation rolling over the world, affecting social and political life, and undermining efforts to deal with the pandemic. In the framework of emergency online learning, we propose an educational sciences undergraduate online course addressing fake news illiteracy by giving students an insight into the form and effects of fake news with a focus on framing. The course was built upon current fake news research and the problem-based learning approach. The research questions addressed students' perceptions of critical design elements, their fake news credibility test performance, and their academic achievement. A total of N = 102 undergraduate students participated in the course. Among various design elements, students indicated that online communication and feedback was most appealing. On the other hand, for future course iterations, they suggested improvements to the task descriptions. Fake news credibility decreased significantly (F (1, 36) = 62.64, p < 0.000, partial η 2 = 0.64) and final course papers were on average good to very good, indicating strong academic achievement. The study suggests that problem-based online courses can be appropriate learning environments, even in the context of "emergency online learning" and, furthermore, that they can serve as an instrument for combating fake news illiteracy. • We address emergency online learning and infodemic during Covid-19 pandemic. • We review current literature on online news cognitive processing and problem-based instructional design. • We design, develop and test an educational sciences undergraduate online problem-based course on fake news. • Student feedback on the appeal of certain design elements was mostly positive; improvements of others were suggested. • Student fake news credibility assessment strongly improved; course papers reflected good to very good academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effect of a large-scale scholarship introduced by the Indonesian government in 2010 that provides generous financial assistance for poor students. By using administrative data from a large public university in Indonesia, this study estimates the likely effect of the scholarship on student academic performance during university. Using matching methods of coarsened exact matching (CEM) that take into account the selection criteria used for scholarship allocation, we find that the scholarship is positively associated with student performance in terms of GPA. Furthermore, we find that these positive associations are strongest for the least advantaged group in terms of family income. • BIDIKMISI is a large-scale scholarship from the Indonesian government for poor university students. • The targeting is effective as the majority of the recipients were students from poor families. • The administrative data and matching methods provide estimations of the effect of scholarship. • We find that the scholarship positively impacts student performance in terms of GPA. • The effects are strongest for the least advantaged group in terms of family income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]