Innovative Higher Education最新文献

Academic research and knowledge production are frequently pervaded by elitism (Torres-Olave et al., 2019), epistemic exclusion (Dotson, 2014; Settles et al., 2020), and racialization (Ray, 2019; Thelin, 2019; Wilder, 2013). These discriminatory, exclusionary, and biased systems delegitimize the work of minoritized scholars, stifle innovation, and deter progress toward less violent processes to engage in knowledge production. Literature documenting innovative efforts to advance these commitments is scarce (Creamer, 2004), further underscoring the need and urgency for additional research examining how scholars incorporate and center equitable approaches in knowledge production in the Academy. As such, the central purpose of this qualitative autoethnographic study is to examine our experiences as minoritized scholars who center equity in the U.S. South; a secondary purpose of this work is to document the confluence of place, counterspace creation, and linkages between humanization and scholarly knowledge production. This research revealed our different yet shared negative socialization experiences in the Academy and, centrally, how our research collective diverges from traditionalist and power-imbalanced collaborative research. We foreground how we purposefully elect to humanize our fellow co-researchers, support each other’s learning and growth, and prioritize healing for ourselves as scholars with minoritized identities and transformation of the social inequities that permeate higher education. Based on our findings, we present a conceptual model of our research collective as a counterspace (Ong et al., 2018) to de facto scholarly socialization and dehumanization within the Academy.

Emerging research suggests that first-generation queer and trans (QT) students experience disproportionate discrimination in schooling leading to disengagement early on in their educational trajectories. Although labeled as “at risk”, first-generation QT students are actually more cognitively engaged in academics than their cisgender and heterosexual peers. Administrators, teachers, counselors, and guardians (validating agents) have an ethical responsibility to foster inclusive schooling contexts for first-generation QT students. This study examines how validating agents impact first-generation QT students’ school engagement, high school GPA, and postsecondary enrollment. We posit a queer theorizing of the ecological validation model of student success and through principles of QuantCrit, we examine the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 through a path analysis. Our results reveal that both talking to parents about college and high school GPA had a positive association with college enrollment for first-generation QT students. We provide recommendations for future research and practice that demand further exploration of first-generation QT students.

The (STEM)² Network (Sustainable, Transformative Engagement across a Multi-Institution/Multidisciplinary STEM Network) is a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network-Undergraduate Biology Education funded project intended to bridge disciplinary and institutional silos that function as barriers to systemic change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in higher education. We utilized three foundational frameworks to develop an adaptable model that we posit is applicable across contexts. The model includes a core infrastructure that, combined with intentional self-reflection, results in an adaptable design that can be tailored to individual institutions, contexts, and goals. Herein, we describe the inception of the network, the foundational theoretical frameworks that guide network development and growth, and detail network structure and operations with the intention of supporting others in creating their own networks. We share the nuts and bolts of how we developed the (STEM)² Network, and include a supplemental network development planning guide to support others in utilizing the (STEM)² Network model to reach their own objectives.

This study examined the associations between race, ethnicity, help-seeking behavior and perceptions of mental health treatment among college students with depression. This cross-sectional study included pooled data from the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters for n = 654 students from one large, public university. Baseline surveys were administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of each semester. Findings indicated that Asian students with depression have a 77% increased odds (aOR = 1.77, 95% CI: (1.17, 2.68), p value = 0.007) of seeking help compared to White students with depression. Asian students with depression have two times the odds of regretting not seeking help compared to White students (aOR = 2.00, 95% CI: (1.05, 3.89), p value = 0.03) while Hispanic students with depression have 1.72 times the odds of regretting not seeking help compared to White students (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI: (0.94, 3.16), p value = 0.079). Asian race modified the effect of general anxiety on help-seeking behavior, reducing the odds of help-seeking by 53% (interaction OR: 0.47 (95% CI: (0.20, 1.10), p value = 0.08). Findings show that the psychosocial landscape of Asian minorities among students with depression is changing; future research should focus on these shifting attitudes to encourage help-seeking behavior and tailor treatment.

A significant demographic shift in community colleges reveals that more than half of enrolled students are adults aged 25 and older. In response, states are instituting reconnect programs aimed at recruiting and reengaging adult learners. Despite these initiatives, existing processes and practices within community colleges often inadequately address the unique needs of adult students. This qualitative work employs focus groups and individual interviews involving community college presidents, faculty, staff, and adult learners to formulate a robust conceptual framework meant to guide community colleges toward positive adult learner outcomes. Termed the “Five P Framework,” it strategically poses critical questions that align with the five areas of the adult learner journey: public messaging, partnerships, processes, pathways, and proximity. Acknowledging the distinct characteristics and diverse backgrounds of adult students, the framework incorporates essential theoretical perspectives. It sheds light on the intricate interplay among personal, social, and institutional factors influencing adult learners’ educational experiences. Serving as a practical guide, the framework is intended for administrators, educators, and policymakers facilitating the development of targeted policies and practices to elevate educational outcomes and overall well-being for adult learners in community college settings. The research concludes by offering implications for practice, policy enhancements, and directions for future research to support adult learners.

Although the effects of COVID-19 were felt by all students, the pandemic exacerbated the barriers to belonging for women in engineering. Little work to date has investigated women’s experiences during the pandemic in disciplines that are hallmarked by masculinity. What scholarship has been completed on pandemic-necessitated virtual instruction has not examined how women’s experiences and sense of belonging differed by the college year in which this disruption in their learning environment occurred. Utilizing data from seven focus groups conducted in March 2022 with 22 students, this study investigates how pandemic-induced virtual instruction is related to sense of belonging for women within their engineering majors. We found not only that the disruption caused by the pandemic had differential outcomes for students, but that these differences were mainly related to the year in which pandemic-induced virtual instruction occurred. This study highlights the importance of focusing on belonging and related issues as women transition into their major. We offer implications and recommendations for practice and research based on the differential outcomes found.

Near-Peer Mentoring (NPM) is an innovative form of Peer-assisted Learning that has been gaining traction in educational settings. Traditionally, NPM is characterized by a more experienced student (typically a year or more advanced) offering guidance and support to newer, less experienced students, with the aim of helping them navigate the complexities of their educational journey. This concept, however, has evolved to encompass a more inclusive and interdisciplinary approach, wherein students from different fields share their expertise, enhancing the learning experience for all involved. Research has shown that near-peer groups can significantly ease the stress associated with transitioning into higher education environments. Additionally, they play a crucial role in fostering cognitive and psychomotor development in students. The benefits of peer mentoring extend beyond academic development, contributing to a stronger sense of belonging to the educational institution, increasing student success and retention rates, and enhancing science identity and self-efficacy. In a practical application of this concept, a NPM program was implemented in an Interior Design undergraduate program at a southwestern university. The program was designed with several objectives improving student retention, reducing the workload of studio instructors, creating learning opportunities through near-peer interactions (such as workshops and brown bag sessions), and fostering a sense of belonging within the department. The outcomes of this initiative were encouraging, indicating that near-peer mentorship positively influenced students’ academic motivation, sense of belonging, and confidence in their abilities, skills, and knowledge pertaining to the college environment.

Student persistence and retention in community colleges concern scholars, policymakers, and academics in higher education at large. Previous literature suggests that a strong sense of belonging in higher education and at the institution the student is attending may be one significant factor that impacts persistence and retention. However, belonging on campus in community college settings is complex given the nature of open enrollment, lack of on-campus housing, employment status of most students, and the limited amount of time students stay at the institution. Furthermore, previous correlational studies linking a sense of belonging and academic outcomes leave scholars wondering about causation without the science to support the inquiries. Standard statistical methods of association do not allow scholars to draw causal conclusions. Direction dependence analysis (DDA) provides a new way of statistically examining the causal directionality of relationships between constructs. The current study introduces principles of direction dependence modeling and examines the causal direction of the relationship between belonging and academic self-efficacy in a large community college setting. DDA results suggest that there is evidence to suggest a causal relationship between belonging and academic self-efficacy, a strong indication that belonging causes academic motivation rather than the other way around. Implications for higher education research and potential limitations of DDA are discussed.

Striving antiracist frontline student affairs educators work from commitments to racial equity and racial justice. Yet, when responding to racist harms, they must navigate institutional investigative practices. In this institutional ethnographic study of a Predominantly and Historically White Institution (PHWI), despite frontline educators’ aims, responses resulted in limited change or adequate support for students harmed by racist incidents. Rather, investigative practices drew on white interpretations, emphasized individual responsibility, and excluded frontline educators from meaningful involvement. The findings of this study suggest that the social organization of who gets to be involved in institutional bias response processes may be racialized in ways that further harm both racially minoritized students and staff. However, the ways the educators in this study recognized the tensions and challenges in their work and actively worked to center students’ needs provide important insights for policies and practices that re-center the knowledge and aims of those at the frontline educators.

A major focus of innovation in higher education today is to improve faculty teaching, especially their focus on students’ career readiness and acquisition of workplace-relevant communication and teamwork competencies (i.e., transferable skills). Some contend that such instruction is best achieved through hiring faculty with prior work experience in industry, where the “culture” is preferable to academia where practical skills and career guidance are undervalued. However, little research exists on the topic and in this study we draw on person-centered views of culture to conceptualize industry experience as a form of cultural knowledge (i.e., cultural scripts) that can travel with a person (or not) over time and space. Using a mixed methods design where we gathered survey (n = 1,140) and interview (n = 89) data from STEMM faculty, we used thematic and HLM techniques to explore the relationships among industry experience, various situational factors, and transferable skills instruction. Results show that while most had industry experience (76.2%), transferable skills are rarely emphasized, a variety of individual (e.g., race) and institutional (e.g., discipline) factors are associated with transferable skills instruction, and that industry experience provides both generalized and specific cultural scripts for career- and skills-oriented teaching. We conclude that instead of promoting skills-focused instructional innovations via hiring policies that assume the value of one institutional culture over another, it is more useful and respectful (to faculty) to teach industry-based cultural knowledge via faculty development programming in a way similar to work-integrated learning (WIL) and communication in the disciplines (CID) initiatives.