Search Results

Educational studies as a discipline is now a feature in many British universities, but little research has been undertaken to explore what kinds of student choose the subject, how easily they access it or how they fare as undergraduate students. This article attempts to address this paucity of research by drawing on a selection of findings from a study undertaken with undergraduate students between 2004 and 2007. The study tracks the progress of a single cohort of students, some from vocational backgrounds and some from traditional academic backgrounds, on a full-time, three-year [Bachelor of Arts] BA Honours educational studies degree. The article initially provides a discussion relating to the historical place of educational studies as a subject for study at undergraduate level and suggests how this links to the British widening-participation agenda. This provides a context for the subsequent sections, which present a selection of findings from the three-year research project. The project was designed to explore the students' experiences by asking which of them were accepted to undertake the degree by admissions staff, how they fared on the degree and, critically, whether their pre-entry qualifications had an impact on their progress and success. This article provides some answers to these questions which suggest that admissions staff are more cautious in accepting vocational entry qualifications, but that the nature of these has little bearing on ultimate success on the degree. It concludes by suggesting how this knowledge might impact on information for potential applicants and on the selection of students in the future.

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

Objective: A considerable amount of research identified socio-economic status and cognitive ability as robust predictors, the influence of student's ability to delay gratification (ADG) on their educational transition choice doesn't received researcher's attention. To address this gap, the present study examined the incremental power of students ADG in predicting the dichotomous choice i.e. the choice of general or vocational education after successful completion of compulsory schooling.

Methods: Amid [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic, cross sectional survey via an online mode was found feasible for the data collection process in our study. An online link of survey questionnaire was created in the Google forms and administered to (N=1024) grade 8 students in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Multiple binary logistic regressions were conducted to predict the students' choice, and odds ratios and average marginal effects were reported for better interpretation of results.

Results: Our results showed that students tracking choice differed significantly with respect to their gender and locale (smaller effect), ADG (medium effect), and cognitive ability and socio-economic status (larger effect). The probability of choosing the track of vocational education (with general education track as a baseline category) increases as students ADG decreases, and vice versa. This association of student's ADG with the choice of vocational education track held same over and above the covariates - socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, gender and locale.

Published abstract. Show less

This article examines the choice making behaviour, in relation to progression into and through higher education, of a small group of foundation degree students at a further education college in England. This study was conducted within the wider context of an evaluation of the impact of progression agreements within a Lifelong Learning Network and as such is influenced by other findings from the wider evaluation. The students interviewed, all of whom were high achievers at Level 3, nonetheless exhibited signs of having a tentative learner identity which constrained the choices they made in relation to progression into and through higher education. They also showed a marked reluctance to engage with formal methods of information, advice and guidance (IAG), preferring to rely on more informal sources. It is acknowledged that this is a small-scale study and as such needs to be treated as a case study rather than a generalisable piece of research. However, by comparing the initial themes emerging from the interviews with those of similar studies elsewhere in the UK (e.g. London, Scotland) it is hoped that the findings will be sufficient to provide some useful indications of the implications and impacts of some of the key activities of Lifelong Learning Networks, particularly progression agreements and IAG work.

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

In 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law provisions for what has been commonly referred to as the Post 9/11 GI Bill. This legislation substantially increased educational benefits for veterans and has led to an increase of veterans enrolling in institutions of higher education across the country. Unfortunately, [little is known] about the student veteran, aside from the recent literature that has largely focused on combat veterans and the issues they face relative to their transition from the military to college. This qualitative collective case study takes a different approach as it focuses on the experiences of 14 transfer student veterans and their satisfaction at Southeast Public University. Tinto’s (1993) model of student attrition was used as a guiding framework, as this study did not focus on the veteran’s decision to depart their previous institution but to explore their current experience at Southeast Public University.

Excerpts from published abstract. Show less

This document follows the publication of the Moments of Choice research report by The Careers & Enterprise Company which looked at how young people think about careers. The research found that career decisions present a high 'cognitive burden': many options and few ways to make sensible comparisons between them. As a result many young people disengage from thinking about their future. The research was commissioned to explore how better outcomes data could be used to inform career decisions but it raised broader issues that needed addressing. This document sets out [the author's] response to those issues and seeks comment and input from stakeholders.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

[The authors were] commissioned by The Careers & Enterprise Company to talk to young people about their future careers and aspirations, the resources they draw upon to make these decisions and the context in which decisions occur. [The authors] undertook fieldwork with young people, teachers and careers guidance professionals. [They] sought to build an understanding of young people's knowledge with respect to careers, and to understand the career decision journey navigated by young people. In addition, [the authors] explored young people's knowledge of career options more broadly and the context of their decisions. From this, [the authors] have several key findings: (1) career information on the internet is dispersed across multiple sites, difficult to evaluate and difficult to contextualise, and this contributes to young people switching off from using the full range of information available to make decisions about their future; (2)young people have varying levels of understanding about their study and career options, however, the breadth of knowledge shown was generally low, with even open and engaged young people demonstrating low awareness of the jobs actually available in the economy; (3) young people say, however, they have access to the information they want, and this is despite the fact that they often demonstrated a lack of knowledge and research about their options or even about their preferred career; (4) further insight was available from what the young people implied, but did not explicitly say, they would want to know - overall, the young people [the authors] spoke to seemed to have essentially based, or were seeking to base, the decision of their overarching career ambition on whether they had an image of themselves doing the job that they found appealing, and this image often came from a variety of sources, including family and friends, personal exposure, and the media - what seemed to vary across young people is the number of different jobs they tried to imagine themselves doing and the number of inputs they sought in order to develop that image; and (5) young people consistently named the social media networks and Google as the most common websites they visited, however, they rarely reported using social media networks beyond socialising and entertainment and were sceptical of receiving careers information, advice and guidance through Facebook in particular.

Excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

The Year 12 Student Choices survey was designed to obtain up-to-date information on the relative importance of factors influencing Year 12 students' decision making - both those who intend to go to university and those who do not. The report is based on survey data collected from 3,212 Year 12 students from across Australia. Some of the key findings include: the majority of Year 12 respondents expressed a preference for studying at university, either immediately upon completing their secondary studies (53 per cent) or following a gap year (19 per cent); the level of students' interest in university study varies among different disadvantaged groups - students from non-metropolitan regions and from low socioeconomic status backgrounds show lower levels of interest in university but greater levels of interest in TAFE or New Apprenticeships; while the focus of the study is on university, there are important findings on the reasons for choosing vocational education and training (VET), work or other pathways - students not intending to go to university were likely to perceive enrolling in vocational education or training or engaging in work as better options for their future careers; and this study confirms the findings of earlier research (e.g. James, Baldwin and McInnis, 1999), that, for those planning to go to university, choice of course rather than institution appears to play a more important role in forming student preferences.

Excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

This report looks at the pathways Indigenous students in the Northern Territory take between [vocational education and training] VET and higher education. The study explores the perspectives of students studying at higher-level VET and higher education qualifications, and aims to gain an understanding of the pathways adopted by Indigenous students, as well as their motivations to study, and their experiences while studying. The report finds that 17 per cent of Indigenous admissions to higher education at Charles Darwin University are based on previous VET qualifications. However, due to the low number of Indigenous graduates at the certificate IV, diploma and advanced diploma level, this pathway is available to relatively few students. Overall, the students were happy with the quality of their courses, and those students who made the transition from VET to higher education felt their VET study was relevant to their higher education study. However, some students were unprepared for the more academic environment of higher education and the emphasis on online learning.

Published abstract. Show less

This article considers the value of flexibility and free choice in learning, and examines the increasing recognition of the evolving and wide range of appropriate environments for learning, such as the workplace, the home, the community, and the virtual world. This 'Lifeplace Learning' is compared to the requirements and visions of the European Qualifications Framework and it is shown how this concept is ideally placed to satisfy, not only the European vision of freeing and equalising learning and qualification recognition, but also the goals of including more people in education, allowing for flexible and apposite learning, and the development of graduates who are 'fit for purpose'. A model of Lifeplace Learning is described that is based on the utilisation of any chosen life place environment for learning, combined with learner negotiated objectives, enabling formal, informal and non-formal learning to be recognised through assessment, and by the awarding of credit where this is appropriate. The model has, at its core, the development of competence in independent judgement, critical thinking, personal autonomy and reflective practice. It is concluded that, as traditional learning models deprive learners of a personal, autonomous and negotiated approach to learning (without which learners fail to develop critical competence in exercising independent judgment and critical thought considered essential and core to personal and professional development) and as Europe is striving to increase the recognition of many types of learning and ease transitions across national boundaries, this model could be an effective way forward to resolve the former and achieve the latter.

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

Purpose: The purpose of this paper, systematic literature review, is twofold: to identify the factors influencing graduate job choice and to propose a theoretical model that can be useful for future research. Design/methodology/approach: Thematic analysis of the literature available till June 2020 has been reviewed using electronic databases such as ABI/INFORM Complete, EBSCO, Emerald Insight, ProQuest, SAGE Journals, Science Direct (Elsevier), Scopus, Springer Link, Taylor and Francis Online, Wiley Online Library. Findings: Out of more than 5,000 studies, 14 studies were found addressing the issue of career choice among graduating students. The thematic analysis result explored five themes such as internal factors, external factors, interpersonal factors, institutional factors and socio-demographic factors that can be considered critical for graduates' career choice decision. Details of the subthemes are also identified. Research limitations/implications: Implications for practitioners have been suggested from the internal factors, external factors, interpersonal factors, institutional factors and socio-demographic factors' perspectives. The study result can be useful for conducting future research using quantitative data on graduate job choice. Originality/value: This is the first attempt to present a comprehensive picture of past studies on graduate job choice and exploring the factors influencing graduate job choice.

Published abstract. Show less