Search Results

Canadian medical schools do not enrol representative numbers of Aboriginal or rural Canadians. At the same time, Aboriginal and rural communities face shortages of medical personnel and relatively poor health outcomes, compared to the rest of the country. Research suggests that efforts to train greater numbers of doctors from under-represented communities will have the added benefit of improving health services and outcomes in these communities.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remain significantly under-represented in higher education systems. There are significant disparities in university completion rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts. The poor-retention and high-attrition rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students come at significant financial and personal cost for the individual, families, community, universities and governments. Existing evidence in relation to attrition has identified complex and multifaceted reasons including ill health, family and community responsibilities, financial difficulties, lack of social support, academic disadvantage and issues surrounding personal well-being. The current study aimed to add to evidence of the academic, financial, social support and well-being factors affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student's decision to continue or withdraw from their university studies. Contrary to expectation, students' decision to withdraw was not related to academic and social factors. It was found that students between 22 and 25 years old strongly agreed they were likely to withdraw from studies. There was a significant association between withdrawal and type of enrolment. This study provided important insights into the factors that contribute to a students' decision to withdraw from their university studies, with implications for future educational interventions.

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

This briefing paper provides initial analysis of national data on university enrolments, tracking students from commencement to completion of university. The research briefing focuses on the completion of university among key equity groups in higher education, offering new insight into the outcomes for a number of groups underrepresented in the higher education sector. This work is part of a larger project funded by a research grant from the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE). The project explores the outcomes of equity groups using complex administrative data that allows for the tracking through university of all undergraduates enrolled in Australia. The research discussed in this briefing offers a new perspective on analyses of equity in higher education by focusing on the outcomes of those disadvantaged students who succeed in reaching university. The underlying question that guides this research is - are outcomes equal once students are through the gates of the university?

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This report details the findings from a research project funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) that explores new data tracking student cohorts through the higher education system – from commencement to completion. In a time of rapid growth in the Australian higher education system, resulting in expanded opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, it is critical to understand which characteristics are linked to a lower likelihood of completion, in order to target retention policies for 'at-risk' groups at the national and institutional levels.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This publication presents summary information on equity groups in vocational education and training (VET) delivered in 2014 by [4,601] Australian training providers. The equity groups presented in this publication are: Indigenous students, students with a disability, students from a non-English speaking background, and students from rural/remote locations.

In 2014, there were: 146,500 Indigenous students (3.7 per cent of all students); 201,000 students with a disability (5.1 per cent of all students); 527,100 students from a non-English speaking background (13.5 per cent of all students); 558,100 students from rural/remote localities (14.3 per cent of all students). The subject load pass rate for all students was 83.4 per cent in 2014, compared with: 74.4 per cent for Indigenous students; 74.6 per cent for students with a disability; 80.7 per cent for students from a non-English speaking background; 85.6 per cent for students from rural/remote localities. It is important to note that 2014 is a transition year in which a number of training providers were granted exemption from reporting and others did not report their training activity. The coverage and completeness of the data should improve over time once reporting exemptions are removed and training providers adapt to mandatory reporting requirements.

Published abstract and edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Deferral and leave-taking behaviour substantially affects enrolment and retention rates across Australian universities. Almost ten per cent of commencing students defer their university offer every year, while over 20 per cent of continuing students take leave from their university within three years of commencing a Bachelor degree. Our research confirms that around one third of deferring students do not return to the university sector. Many more return to the sector but enrol in a different course or university from which they deferred. More worryingly, less than a third of continuing students who take leave subsequently return to study within the next two years.

Universities have become more flexible in enabling students to leave, but arguably not as flexible and motivated to accommodate their return. An equity lens can be applied to these national figures. Under-represented students, including those from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds, are generally thought to be more likely to defer and to take leave. Previous research suggests that they are also less likely to return to study from that leave, creating a compound effect that contributes to lower degree completion rates. Until this report, there had been little national data analysis of the many factors correlated with leave-taking and returning to study.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

The growth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in Australian higher education from 1959 to the present is notable statistically, but below population parity. Distinct patterns in government policy-making and programme development, inconsistent funding and political influences, together with Indigenous representation during the last 50 years have shaped the higher education participation of Australia's Indigenous populations. In this article, the authors identify a constant ideological flux between welfare, equity and economic priorities in successive Australian government approaches impacting on equal opportunities for Indigenous Australians in higher education. Maintaining and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in higher education requires a continued focus on targets for higher education enrolments, governance and working with Indigenous educators.

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

Ensuring access to postsecondary education (PSE) for all qualified individuals is key to Ontario's future competitiveness and equally critical from an equity perspective. This paper provides an empirical analysis of access to PSE among a number of under-represented (and minority) groups in Ontario, including comparisons to other regions. Having parents that did not attend PSE is the most important factor across the country, and the effects are even greater in Ontario than in some other regions. Being from a low-income household is considerably less important than parental education, and the income effects are even smaller in Ontario than in certain other regions. Aboriginal and disabled youth are also strongly under-represented groups in PSE in Ontario, driven entirely by their lower university participation rates, offset to different degrees by higher college participation rates. Rural students are also significantly under-represented (though to a lesser degree) in university, but again go to college at somewhat higher rates. Furthermore, for these latter groups, Ontario does not compare favourably to other regions. The children of immigrants are much more likely to go to university but somewhat less likely to attend college almost everywhere. Being from a single parent family has little independent effect on access to PSE, as is also the case for being a Francophone outside of Quebec, the latter effect in some cases actually being positive. Intriguingly, although females generally have significantly higher PSE (especially university) attendance rates than males, females in under-represented groups are generally more disadvantaged than males.

Published abstract. Show less

Previous research has found that Aboriginal students, first-generation students (that is, those who are the first in their families to attend postsecondary education), students with disabilities, those from rural areas, and those who have a low family income are underrepresented in Ontario's universities. What are Ontario's universities doing to improve access for under-represented groups? This study sought to answer that question through systematic analyses of the universities' websites, viewbooks for prospective applicants, the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) instruction booklet, the strategic mandate agreement (SMAs) between each university and Ontario's Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), and semi-structured interviews with administrators from 16 of Ontario's 20 provincially supported universities. The focus was on first-entry programs (that is, programs such as bachelor's programs that do not require previous postsecondary education [PSE]) at those universities.

The findings suggest that Ontario's universities recognize the need to improve access to PSE for under-represented groups. Each university has one or more initiatives to improve access to PSE for under-represented groups. Nevertheless, there exist issues that complicate the provision of access. For instance, the intersectionality of under-represented groups and reliance on self-identification pose challenges for universities in providing equitable access and in being able to accurately evaluate the impact of access initiatives.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

In 2002 the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney began a major initiative to improve the participation of Indigenous Australians in the information technology (IT) sector. This followed an initial study which showed that very few Indigenous students undertook studies in IT at university and therefore few found employment as IT professionals. As a result of the new programme, the Faculty’s first Indigenous staff were hired, an Indigenous resource centre was established and the first postgraduate students recruited. In addition, an IT tertiary preparation short course, the Indigenous Pre-IT Program, was launched successfully, the Faculty’s first Indigenous-specific course. With the project, Indigenous student enrolments have increased, mainly as part of the Pre-IT Program and as a result of recruitment of undergraduates from amongst successful Pre-IT Program students. However, retention of undergraduates recruited via special admission provisions has proved difficult despite attempts to secure scholarships and to provide academic support. This paper traces the development of the project and analyses the achievements and challenges in the first three years.

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