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Many governments have adopted a policy of seeking to increase the number of students entering higher education and to finance this expansion by transferring costs from the state to the individual. In the United Kingdom (UK), this policy has been pursued with relatively little concern for the impact that the increasing financial burden may have on students. Research at one case-study university suggested that many students were coping with their day-to-day living costs more comfortably than they had expected to in the first year. However, those in a difficult financial position at the start of their period of study were likely to face greater problems in the course of their first year. Two difficulties in particular - having missed payments at the start of the academic programme, and having to wait for the first student loan payment - were shown to have a damaging effect on academic performance.

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This paper presents a comprehensive review of the available literature on student attrition in the Saudi higher education context. Despite the reported low student retention rates in Saudi tertiary institutions, student attrition remains an under-researched phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims to trace and collect all the available studies that addressed the issue of low student retention in Saudi higher education and to present and analyse their findings. This will help in providing evidence and empirical data that give a clearer view of the problem and pave the way for the future researchers as well as allowing for suggestions towards more effective plans and solutions. The student attrition factors reported in the reviewed Saudi studies were classified under personal, academic, social and institutional categories. However, the students' low academic abilities and institutional factors were the most common across all of the studies. These factors relate to students' experiences with the administrative system of their academic institution, including the admission, registration and disciplinary rules and policies and the availability and quality of student services and facilities.

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Large, lingering, and recently widening gaps in educational achievement exist amid growing differences in access to educational opportunity along lines of race and socioeconomic status among American students. Recognizing these gaps and developing strategies for eliminating them is essential. Previous research has documented a positive relationship between religious involvement and a wide range of adolescent outcomes. Most importantly, for the purposes of this article, these outcomes include educational resilience, attainment, and achievement. However, relatively little is known about the factors behind the relationship between religious involvement and educational outcomes especially for those students most often marginalized within the mainstream education system. This article seeks in particular to explore the influence of religious involvement on the educational outcomes of urban African American adolescents. It draws primarily on the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Christian Smith in constructing a theoretical framework employed in the qualitative analysis of interview data illustrating some mechanisms by which religious involvement can serve to promote positive educational outcomes among these students.

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The Local Learning and Employment Partnership (LLEP) was a community based project supported by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training. The LLEP aimed to provide a forum that brought together the resources of key stakeholders, including education and training providers, government agencies, local government authorities, community groups and individuals to address the needs of 15-19-year-olds. Four pilot programs in four regions were funded to achieve the best possible learning and employment outcomes for young people: the Midwest, Peel, Joondalup and Great Southern.

This environmental scan was commissioned by the Midwest Local Learning Employment Partnership in July 2003. The scan uses existing data sources to map employment education and training in the Midwest Gascoyne regions. A series of consultations were also undertaken with stakeholders in centres across the Midwest and Gascoyne Regions. Overall the Scan is designed to provide baseline data to assist the Midwest LLEP, and with its stakeholders with its program planning, development and implementation.

The report is presented in five sections: section one has a summary and the introduction; section two provides and overview of the region and its people including statewide trends and patterns relevant to the Midwest LLEP; section three provides an overview of education, training and employment provision across the region; section four summarises information from a number of regional and local studies that shed light on the concerns, aspirations and needs of young people and describes the findings of a series of consultations undertaken with community services providers across the region; and section five discusses the major findings and their implications and highlights major strategic actions for the Midwest LLEP.

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[This research examines how] Canadian Schools of Social Work improve school climate in order to enhance outcomes and success among Aboriginal students and faculty. [The author] interviewed 14 Aboriginal faculty members from seven Schools of Social Work about their experiences as students and as faculty, and [their] recommendations regarding needed changes. As learners, respondents were affected by individual, academic and relational factors, as well as teacher behaviours. As faculty, the respondents’ approaches to teaching were influenced by ‘who the students are’, their beliefs about learning, and their perceptions of their responsibilities as educators.

Recommendations to educators include having knowledge, personal characteristics, and teaching strategies. Recommendations to Schools of Social Work include strategies aimed at supporting Aboriginal students and educators. Institutional changes must include attention to overcoming the colonial dynamics which underscore academic life. In order to create healthy environments, respondents recommended providing: a welcoming and safe place; reflections of Aboriginal people; healthy boundaries and leadership; physical, cognitive, and emotional space, as well as space for ceremony and community; and support for self-determination.

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The 'Train to retain' action plan has been formulated as a response to the recommendations made in the Training Ombudsman's report 'Improving workplace practices to help reduce harassment of apprentices and trainees in Queensland'. The actions in the plan aim to build safe, supportive and productive environments in which apprentices and trainees can learn and complete their training.

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Retaining qualified career and technical education teachers (CTE) is crucial to the continued supply and reduced demand of these types of teachers. Demographic data and emerging trends of CTE teachers were analyzed for those teachers who completed a summer workshop as part of alternative licensure. Some of the emerging trends included shifts in retention rates during certain school years, years in which enrollment was highest for each gender, and changes in employment status within education. Conclusions and discussions derived from the study were a need for teacher educators to become aware of a diverse classroom of alternative CTE teachers, CTE teachers completing continuing education and degree requirements, and legislative policies that impact retention rates.

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This research, though conducted on a small sample of students at the University of Tasmania, has wider relevance for the policies and practices of other universities with regard to the recruitment and retention of mature aged students, especially from regions of rural and/or socio-economic disadvantage. Throughout the conduct of the four year study, three of those years spent tracking the academic progress of the students sampled, the main thrust of the research shifted from recruitment and selection to retention and support, in the light of the quantitative and qualitative data being analysed. This multi-phase, multi-dimensional study provides many layers of data to produce a holistic view of what it means to be a mature aged student recruited into a professional faculty of the university.

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This research study examines how e-learning was being incorporated in colleges of further education (FE) in the UK and its effects on the students’ intermediate and end-point outcomes. The main focus of the research was on detailed case studies undertaken in six general FE colleges. The aims were to: identify those aspects and measures of e-learning input at the teaching and learning interface that have an important influence on the intermediate (e.g. on understanding of, and engagement with, the subject) and end point outcomes such as retention and formal attainment; identify the main critical contextual factors within institutions which facilitate the effective use of e-learning; and determine how any positive impacts attributable to e-learning can be maximised within and across institutions. In terms of the effect on intermediate outcomes, ‘effective’ use of ILT (information and learning technology) had an important impact on students’ intermediate outcomes, that is, their acquisition of knowledge and skills and their development as autonomous learners. However, evidence of impact on end-point outcomes was inconclusive. The potential impact of e-learning is often not fully realised due to a range of factors associated with organisational vision, structure and practices, and tutors’ access to appropriate equipment, training and subject ILT expertise, which must be present to enable effective e-learning. Recommendations are made to address these issues. Show less

Maori are under-represented across all levels of education in New Zealand. Although this trend has improved over time, a gap remains between tertiary education and Maori participation rates. One question is whether universities' recruitment strategies are targeting Maori students effectively. The focus of this research on Maori was firstly, to identify significant issues which contribute to the weak educational outcomes (particularly regarding participation and completion) and secondly, to explore both why and how university recruitment strategies can target these issues more effectively. A qualitative and comparative research design was developed to explore these topics. In order to provide the research context, the literature review identifies and discusses the political, socio-economic and educational trends for indigenous peoples abroad, then moves to New Zealand and Maori. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with both staff recruiters and students at the same university. The questions were directed towards canvassing their views on university recruitment strategies and their effectiveness in engaging Maori students. This method allowed for both an organisational perspective to be presented (through staff interviews) as well as the views of the recipients (students) of the strategy implementation. A process of thematic analysis was used to distil key findings from the interviews. These findings were discussed in conjunction with the literature presented and the personal experiences and prior research of the researcher. A number of key findings emerged; worldwide, indigenous students are under-represented in higher education and this trend is reflected in New Zealand with Maori being under-represented in tertiary education. Universities are actively seeking to recruit Maori students. These reasons include legislative and moral obligations, as well as to meet aspirational targets. Parallel to universities' desire to recruit Maori are students' recruitment experiences. Findings revealed that there are a number of key influences in students' decisions. The three key factors universities can use advantageously in their recruitment were: relationships, finance and support. Relationships, finance and support can form a central part of universities' recruitment strategies and provide a foundation to help universities develop a targeted framework directed towards raising Maori representation in tertiary education. Examples of current recruitment strategies that align with these recommendations are Auckland University of Technology's Prefect Training Programme - Maori and the Maori Liaison Service. Not all Maori students are struggling to meet academic requirements however, this research has highlighted a number of key factors relevant to the educational experiences of Indigenous students; providing the 'what' and 'why' universities' recruitment strategies should target these groups. What remains outstanding is how universities can provide a culturally sensitive framework for recruitment. The experiences of Maori students, as provided through their interviews, have indicated ways in which successful recruitment could be achieved. The thesis recommends the need for universities to plan and implement proactive, successfully positioned recruitment strategies in order to successfully attract Maori students.

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