Search Results

For students studying at university, maintaining optimum mental health and wellbeing is imperative to participate and engage in all aspects of learning. Because of the repercussions from the disruptions of 2020, Australian university students have been under immense pressure as they adapted to considerably different study conditions. Prevented from being on campus and switching to online study mode differed from their previous experiences and expectations of university study. The findings from this study confirm that a significant proportion of university students - two out of three in our study - experienced high to very high levels of psychological distress.

This study provides a national snapshot of the prevalence rates of psychological distress and mapping of structures and processes available in universities that impact student wellbeing, albeit on a small scale. Recommendations and practical strategies are based on the findings from this research, acknowledging that the increased levels of psychological distress for current and future university students will remain long after the economy recovers, the borders reopen, and Australians learn to live with the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 virus. Additionally, for those students experiencing the bushfires of 2020, the effects still linger due to communities' physical devastation, negatively impacting students' wellbeing.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Student debt burdens are weighing on the economic fortunes of younger Americans, as households headed by young adults owing student debt lag far behind their peers in terms of wealth accumulation. This report presents an economic and demographic portrait of households headed by persons younger than 40 and owing student debt. It compares them to similar households that do not have outstanding student loan balances. The analysis is based on the Survey of Consumer Finances, which also provides a richer demographic context than is available in credit report data.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This report provides an overview of higher education policy and trends. It is the sixth edition of a series previously published by the Grattan Institute. Since the last edition in 2018, all chapters have been updated and new or expanded sections added on work-integrated learning, student finances, student mental health and international student migration.

The contents are as follows: Chapter 1 explains how higher education is defined in Australia, the different types of higher education provider, the various types of qualification, and what makes universities distinctive among higher education providers; Chapter 2 reports on student trends, including enrolment numbers, courses chosen, and the social background of students. It also discusses how students enter the higher education system; Chapter 3 examines the student experience, including subject pass rates, attrition, satisfaction with teaching, working while studying and mental health; Chapter 4 looks at the university workforce, including why people become academics and their employment arrangements; Chapter 5 looks at research in Australian universities, including what topics are researched and research outputs; Chapter 6 provides information on how higher education is funded, including total revenue, the [Higher Education Loan Program] HELP student loan scheme, government grants for teaching and research, and international student fees; Chapter 7 outlines how per student funding levels are determined, and how student places are distributed among higher education providers; Chapter 8 describes how the Australian Government came to dominate higher education policy, the key government departments and the higher education interest groups; Chapter 9 examines higher education's benefits to the public and employers, including whether higher education graduates meet skills needs, the quality of university research, and public satisfaction with Australian universities; and Chapter 10 reports on higher education's private benefits including graduate employment and income and, for international students, migration to Australia.

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

This report presents the fifth collection of data in a longitudinal study of a self-selected cohort of law students who enrolled in 2014 in a first year law programme at the University of Auckland, the University of Canterbury and the University of Waikato. Students who enrolled in a first year law programme at Victoria University of Wellington in 2014 participated in the study for the first time in this phase. The focus of this report is on the students' fourth year of studies in 2017. The expectations and experiences of New Zealand law students have been little studied and this longitudinal project aims to present stakeholders with comprehensive data to inform teaching practice and the design and regulation of undergraduate legal education. It is intended that, over time, a complete law student profile will be developed which will detail the expectations, views and experiences of law students during each year of their law studies and in their first years in the workforce.

Reported findings include students' motivations and values associated with the study of law and their academic engagement and outcomes. Events in students' lives occurring outside of university and which had an impact on their studies are also reported. Students' expectations and experiences are contextualised by reference to themes emerging from higher education literature on student engagement. Particular consideration is given to the extent to which findings are indicative of high quality learning. Reference is also made to the international literature on law student wellbeing and the likely link between reported wellbeing and students' law school experiences.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Current Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) data on student attrition and success is limited regarding students' reasons for continuing or leaving higher education. In terms of success, it is not yet clear which factors lead to success for students, particularly non-traditional students such as [low socioeconomic status backgrounds] LSESB, Indigenous, and regional/remote students. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly evident that conventional conceptualisations of success (i.e., passing courses, graduation, etc.) are not wholly representative of students' own conceptions of success. Success is linked to numerous important outcomes at university, including retention, progress, career outcomes, student experience, mental health and well-being, graduation rates, and employment opportunities after graduation.

This project aimed to develop a clearer and more nuanced and holistic framework within which to consider [socioeconomic status background] SESB differences in success and the factors that explain these differences. In order to understand the complex factors that students from LSESB must navigate in relation to 'success', we conducted a large-scale, multi-institution research survey. We hypothesised that students from [low socioeconomic status] LSES backgrounds will conceptualise success differently to their [higher socioeconomic status backgrounds] HSESB counterparts, and that this difference would affect the ways in which LSESB students approach and experience higher education. We also hypothesised that LSESB students will have different pathways through which they achieve success.

The project sought to test this hypothesis through two interrelated parts. Part 1 aimed to identify and explain SESB differences in success. We conducted a quantitative survey with students of all [socioeconomic status] SES backgrounds from six universities, using multidimensional measures of academic success. Part 2 aimed to understand how LSESB students define their success and the factors to which they subjectively attribute their success. Part 2 used one-on-one interviews with LSESB students. Together, Parts 1 and 2 provided a comprehensive report on (a) SES differences in multiple dimensions of success, (b) mediators and moderators of these differences, and (c) subjective attributions for these differences. This research clearly reveals the multidimensional and contextual nature of success.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Sexual harassment by guests is part of the vocational culture in many workplaces within the hospitality industry. In this study, we investigate vocational students' descriptions of sexual harassment by guests in the hospitality industry and how these instances can be understood in terms of objectifcation. The empirical material consists of focus group interviews with upper secondary school students who are training to work in the hospitality industry. The students describe four categories of sexual harassment: appearance comments, private and intrusive questions, leering, and physical contact. In the descriptions, men are sexually harassing female students or employees. The types of objectifcation in the descriptions are reduction to appearance, reduction to body, instrumental approach, denial of autonomy, denial of bodily integrity, and denial of subjectivity. Regardless of the type of objectifcation involved, a dilemma arises for the girls who have been taught that being courteous to guests is part of the professional role, while the guests are treating them as sexual objects.

Published abstract. Show less

Background: Lack of formal education is an important social determinant of health inequality and represents a public health problem. School dropout is particularly common in vocational education; however few prevention programs targeting dropout in the vocational school setting have been evaluated. The purpose of the present study was to test the effect on school dropout of a settings-based intervention program (named Shaping the Social) that targeted the school organization in order to create social and supportive learning environments. Methods: A non-randomized controlled design including four large intervention schools and six matched-control schools was used. The target population was students in technical and agricultural vocational education, which is provided to students from age 16. Students were enrolled at school start. Register-based data (n = 10,190) was used to assess the effect on school dropout during a 2-year period. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 per cent confidence intervals (CI) were calculated in logistic regression models, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, parental income, prior school dropout and type of basic course. Student survey (n = 2396) at 10-week follow-up was used to examine wellbeing at school (four subscales: school connectedness, student support, teacher relatedness, and valuing the profession) which was the hypothesized proximal intervention effect. As a secondary aim, we examined how the student wellbeing factors were associated with school dropout, independently of the intervention, and we explored whether the student wellbeing factors were potential mediators.

Results: The present study showed an intervention effect on school dropout with dropout rates lower in intervention schools (36 per cent) than control schools (40 per cent) (OR = 0.86, 95 per cent CI: 0.74, 0.99). We had no attrition on the dropout outcome. School connectedness mediated the intervention effect; no significant mediation effects were found for student support, teacher relatedness, and valuing the profession. Independently of the intervention, each student wellbeing factor prevented dropout. Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that a comprehensive, multicomponent school-based intervention could prevent dropout from vocational education by promoting school connectedness; nevertheless, the dropout rate remained high. Our results point to the need to explore how to further improve the wellbeing at school among young people in vocational education.

Published abstract. Show less

Based on an ecological view of teacher resilience, the paper investigates perceived difficulties and resources among vocational education and training (VET) teachers as a first step for investigating teachers' resilience. Given the substantial shortage of theoretical and empirical studies on this population, more research on resilience among VET teachers is necessary and relevant. In this exploratory qualitative study, interviews with VET teachers in Switzerland (n = 37) sought to identify the specific challenges faced by teachers, the resources to be addressed. As well as confirming the different critical challenges and protective factors emerging from the literature review, the results identify difficulties and resources specific to VET teachers in Switzerland. In terms of critical challenges at a macro-contextual level, teachers' low social recognition is emphasised. Moreover, exposure to curricular reforms generates stress and pressure related to the required standardisation of content and subject changes. At a micro-system level, we detected teachers' frustration in relation to students' low vocational motivation and maturity and specific emerging instructional challenges in vocational subject teaching. In terms of resources, teachers perceived the possibility of diversifying their professional role by alternating school and extracurricular activities as a supportive factor. The results provide a basis for more extensive quantitative study investigating relationship among adversities and resources and resilient strategies.

Published abstract. Show less

The aim of the paper is to examine theoretical perspectives on the decision to drop out of education among minorities in higher education. The integrative review showed that the issue of dropout is extremely complex and is characterized by diverse definitions and characteristics, so it is necessary to clearly define the concept itself. The findings also show that minority dropout decisions are influenced by factors along three different dimensions: psychological, physical, and environmental. Institutions must especially support these students in obtaining their education. The paper draws the conclusion that further research is crucial in studying the issue of dropout among ethnic minorities.

Published abstract. Show less

Most young people in the United Kingdom undertake some kind of part-time employment before they reach the minimum school-leaving age. The United Kingdom claims to protect this group of workers and meet its obligations under Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by legislation. Research clearly shows that the system is ineffective and fails to adequately protect young workers. Empirical investigations indicate that there is reason for concern about this situation. This article considers the risks to young workers with respect to education, health and safety and financial exploitation. Faced with such evidence successive governments have shown themselves unwilling to take effective action in this area. [The authors] consider potential explanations for such inaction.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less