Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education最新文献

Purpose

The primary aim of this study is to delve into the causes of occupational stress and burnout amongst administrative staff members in Pakistani universities. It does so by employing a qualitative research strategy, offering a comprehensive understanding of the issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a qualitative research strategy to examine the causes of occupational stress and burnout amongst administrative staff members in Pakistani universities. Around 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted via Teams with administrative employees in renowned universities in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and the Lahore region of Pakistan. Saldana's (2014) structured inductive data analysis method was used to analyse the collected data.

Findings

The study sheds light on the harsh realities faced by university administrative staff in Pakistani universities. These include top management ineffectiveness, role ambiguity, role conflict, favouritism, inequality, a communication gap with higher authorities, disparity of rewards and recognition, no career paths and opportunities, feeble leadership, corruption, inappropriate use of power, mishandling of qualified staff and non-acceptance of shifting roles from administration to academia. These are not just academic concepts but real-life challenges that demand immediate attention.

Originality/value

The study's findings have significant implications for Pakistan's Ministry of Education. Based on these findings, the recommendations proposed can serve as a roadmap for enhancing interpersonal development, implementing career development programmes, succession planning and supporting university administrative staff. These initiatives can lay the groundwork for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal-4 targets, making this research a valuable resource for policymakers.

Purpose

This study investigates lecturers’ challenges in guiding students’ final scientific work online during the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the impact of lecturers’ digital technology proficiency on the students’ ability to compile their thoughts and produce scientific work independently.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved 45 lecturers and 140 students. Data was collected through online surveys using the Google Forms application and focus group discussions. The data were analysed qualitatively and interpretively based on the surveys and interviews.

Findings

The findings reveal three modes of mentoring: online, mixed, and offline. Many lecturers’ reluctance to use digital technology for mentoring stems from their lack of proficiency, resulting in mixed mentoring methods. This digital inadequacy affects students’ ability to write scientific work independently, as they are not accustomed to self-directed learning. The pandemic has necessitated more independent work from students, with limited physical guidance from lecturers, leading to a decline in the quality of scientific writing.

Originality/value

This paper contains the latest information related to students' scientific writing activities. Student scientific writing activities are disrupted because supervisors do not have the skills to use technology in the remote student mentoring process. Lecturers are not skilled at using technology in carrying out online tutoring assignments.

Purpose

This research work had been a double objective, to help the students achieve the learning outcomes, scientific skills and on the other hand, to develop specific scientific sub-competences, all of these related not only with the conceptual knowledge but also with the knowledge of procedurals and epistemology.

Design/methodology/approach

A didactic sequence has been designed and applied with students of the University Catholique of Louvain (Belgium) in collaboration with teachers from the University of Zaragoza (also researchers in the knowledge areas of Electronics, Applied Physics and the Didactics of Experimental Sciences). Several methodologies were applied thorough the teaching-learning sequence as the flipped classroom is. A varied sample of assessment instruments was used.

Findings

The results suggest this sequence produces a more significant learning than a more conventional teaching, however there is no increase in the number of students who passed. The students explaining phenomena scientifically, evaluating and designing experiments and making researchable questions and interpreting data and scientific evidence, which are a consequence of the development of scientific knowledge (content, procedural and epistemic). In addition, the students kept motivated by this methodological change and maintained the perception of having achieved the expected learning according to the objectives of the course.

Originality/value

Until a few years ago, research in the didactics of experimental sciences, and the application in the classroom of the results obtained, was limited to education in non-university stages. The opportunity of this work is to expand knowledge in relation to the application of didactic strategies in physics education at a higher level.

Purpose

Assessment feedback is vital in identifying learning gaps, correcting misconceptions and adjusting teaching strategies. In many teacher training programs, instructors and pre-service teachers rarely reflect on assessment feedback; hence, it does not inform teaching and learning with constructive remedies. Studies have indicated the role of e-portfolios in elevating pedagogical skills; however, this does not apply well in contexts where teachers hardly access the internet. The study explored printed-based portfolio use for AaL and AfL in developing pedagogical skills among pre-service teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an exploratory case study design in a class of 120 students, the study interviewed 14 respondents, twelve of whom were pre-service teachers and two instructors. Further, the study thoroughly reviewed 120 students’ portfolios to obtain adequate information. Researchers employed the content analysis method for data analysis.

Findings

Findings indicate that instructors and pre-service teachers underwent the learning process, un-learning and re-learning appropriate pedagogical skills by reflecting on the assessment feedback on their portfolios. Also, peer review enhanced the broadening of their perspectives regarding students and pedagogical approaches. Like instructors, the process enhanced the adjustment of teaching strategies to suit learners’ diverse needs.

Originality/value

Portfolio-based assessment feedback and development of pedagogical skills is an original work based on actual teaching practices. Instructors integrated the portfolio to enhance reflective practices, i.e. self-reflection, inquiry and self-regulated learning for pre-service teachers to adjust their pedagogical skills.

Purpose

The research enterprise within higher education is becoming more competitive as funding agencies require more collaborative research projects, higher-level of accountability and competition for limited resources. As a result, research analytics has emerged as a field, like many other areas within higher education to act as a data-informed unit to better understand how research institutions can effectively grow their research strategy. This is a new and emerging field within higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

As businesses and other industries are embracing recent advances in data technologies such as cloud computing and big data analytic tools to inform decision making, research administration in higher education is seeing a potential in incorporating advanced data analytics to improve day-to-day operations and strategic advancement in institutional research. This paper documents the development of a survey measuring research administrators’ perspectives on how higher education and other research institutions perceive the use of data and analytics within the research administration functions. The survey development process started with composing a literature review on recent developments in data analytics within the research administration in the higher education domain, from which major components of data analytics in research administration were conceptualized and identified. This was followed by an item matrix mapping the evidence from literature with corresponding, newly drafted survey items. After revising the initial survey based on suggestions from a panel of subject matter experts to review, a pilot study was conducted using the revised survey instrument and validated by employing the Rasch measurement analysis.

Findings

After revising the survey based on suggestions from the subject matter experts, a pilot study was conducted using the revised survey instrument. The resultant survey instrument consists of six dimensions and 36 survey items with an establishment of reasonable item fit, item separation and reliability. This survey protocol is useful for higher educational institutions to gauge research administrators’ perceptions of the culture of data analytics use in the workplace. Suggestions for future revisions and potential use of the survey were made.

Originality/value

Very limited scholarly work has been published on this topic. The use of data-informed and data-driven approaches with in research strategy within higher education is an emerging field of study and practice.

Purpose

The notion of using a generative artificial intelligence (AI) engine for text composition has gained excessive popularity among students, educators and researchers, following the introduction of ChatGPT. However, this has added another dimension to the daunting task of verifying originality in academic writing. Consequently, the market for detecting artificially generated content has seen a mushroom growth of tools that claim to be more than 90% accurate in sensing artificially written content.

Design/methodology/approach

This research evaluates the capabilities of some highly mentioned AI detection tools to separate reality from their hyperbolic claims. For this purpose, eight AI engines have been tested on four different types of data, which cover the different ways of using ChatGPT. These types are Original, Paraphrased by AI, 100% AI generated and 100% AI generated with Contextual Information. The AI index recorded by these tools against the datasets was evaluated as an indicator of their performance.

Findings

The resulting figures of cumulative mean validate that these tools excel at identifying human generated content (1.71% AI content) and perform reasonably well in labelling AI generated content (76.85% AI content). However, they are perplexed by the scenarios where the content is either paraphrased by the AI (39.42% AI content) or generated by giving a precise context for the output (60.1% AI content).

Originality/value

This paper evaluates different services for the detection of AI-generated content to verify academic integrity in research work and higher education and provides new insights into their performance.

Purpose

This study aimed at identifying the prevalence of statistic anxiety among students in social sciences programs and analyzing the relationship between statistics anxiety and four key variables: attitude toward statistics, statistics self-efficacy, achievement in statistics and academic procrastination.

Design/methodology/approach

Method a total of 440 students from all statistics sections offered in the social sciences programs in a four-year public medium-sized university in UAE participated in this study. Students participated by responding to a package that has four instruments: Statistics Anxiety Scale, Attitudes Toward Statistics, Current Statistics Self-Efficacy and Procrastination Assessment Scale.

Findings

More than 27% of students have above average statistics anxiety. Significant correlations were observed between statistics anxiety and each of attitude toward statistics course (−0.34), academic procrastination (0.33) and achievement (−0.35). On the other hand, Attitudes Toward Statistics and statistics self-efficacy have non-significant correlations. The four variables together predict more than 32% of the total variance of statistics anxiety, and the best predictor was procrastination followed by course attitude.

Research limitations/implications

Students from only one university participated in this study. Adding more universities and countries could increase the generalizability of the study.

Practical implications

Statistics anxiety is prevalent among students in social sciences programs. Statistics instructors must be ready to deal with reducing it. Several procedures have been suggested to reduce statistics anxiety but improving attitudes towards statistics courses is the key factor in this regard.

Social implications

Many students from social sciences and humanities programs and colleges experience anxiety or tension related to statistics courses which are required in most higher education institution. This paper tried to understand which variables affecting this phenomenon and in which directions. At the end, statistics is an important subject for all students during their academic life as well as practical life after graduation.

Originality/value

Statistic anxiety is the feeling of worrying and tension that students experience when taking statistics courses, especially in social sciences programs. Studying statistic anxiety and the related variables is crucial because this anxiety negatively and significantly affects students’ achievement and learning.

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the considerations for implementing sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions (HEIs).

Design/methodology/approach

It employs a qualitative approach. It is based on opinions gathered from 272 stakeholders (including authorities and academicians) of HEIs.

Findings

Nepalese HEIs are facing several challenges, such as the lack of a changing vision and values to create a culture of sustainability initiatives and the socioeconomic and cultural gaps between policy sources and implementation approaches for sustainability. Therefore, they need to consider several sustainability initiatives to improve their performance and competitiveness. Effective leadership, learning culture, sustainability-related policy, effective HRM, organizational structure, supportive culture, technology, rewards, and university-academia-industry linkages are the key prerequisites for implementing sustainability initiatives. Thus, HEIs must make substantial investments in such aspects. Furthermore, they have to focus on sustainability initiative context, feasible strategies, and actionable/practical solutions to implement sustainability initiatives that help in achieving performance outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

It is solely based on the opinions of authorities and academicians of Nepalese HEIs. Since it was carried out in the Nepalese context, results might vary at other times and in other nations.

Practical implications

It serves as a wake-up message to HEIs' officials about the barricades associated with sustainability initiatives and also addresses important requirements for putting such initiatives into practice.

Originality/value

It provides a holistic framework to initiate sustainability in HEIs to help them achieve expected outcomes.

Purpose

Despite noted instances of organizational cronyism in public sector Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), there is a lack of empirical evidence on its detrimental outcomes. The present investigation tested the impact of organizational cronyism on knowledge hiding via the mediating role of moral disengagement and moderating role of egoistic climate.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-stage random sample was drawn from the 312 teaching faculty working in HEIs of Lahore, Pakistan in three waves. M-plus was used to validate a longitudinal moderated mediation model based on Structural Equation Modeling.

Findings

The results showed that organizational cronyism leads to knowledge hiding. In addition, it was substantiated that moral disengagement acts as a mediator in the relationship between organizational cronyism and knowledge hiding. The strengthening impact of an egoistic climate was found in the direct and indirect association between organizational cronyism, moral disengagement, and knowledge hiding.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of research on the consequences of organizational cronyism and the understanding of the factors that underlie this association is limited. This research has bridged this gap by investigating the role of moral disengagement and egoistic climate in linking organizational cronyism and knowledge-hiding by building on social exchange and social cognitive theory.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to predict the extent to which sociodemographic factors and forms of instruction influence university students' emotional experiences of distance education. The need for this research is in designing effective pedagogical methods and educational policies for distance or online education in comparison with studies from international university settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was carried out on an empirical basis using the binary logistic regression method. Data were collected through a questionnaire. A total of 569 respondents participated in the research. The effect of gender, level of education and students' preferred form of teaching (face-to-face or online) on their emotional experience of distance education was predicted.

Findings

University students are particularly vulnerable to psychological distress due to the COVID-19 era of distance education. Women are more likely to experience negative feelings about distance education than men. The negative feelings of students are caused by online education. Bachelor's students are more likely to experience negative feelings due to their lack of digital competence.

Originality/value

This study extends existing knowledge in terms of approaches to working with specific groups of bachelor's students in distance education. This area has not yet received such attention in universities. This fact makes this study to be original. The study has practical implications for the field of educational quality assurance for digital pedagogy.