Diversity in Students’ Study Practices in Higher Education

A plethora of studies document the profound contextual changes leading amongst other things to diversity of the student population in the higher education sector in the developed world in the last two decades. However, the existing literature is less clear about (a) patterns of students’ study practices, and (b) how the factors underpinning diversity of the student population shape their study practices. This paper seeks to fill this gap. Employing a large data set of survey responses from a leading Australian university, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of students’ perceptions about their study practices in the teaching and learning process. Analysis of the survey data entailed two stages. First, factor analysis explored themes (or dimensions) within the survey. Multivariate analysis of variance was then undertaken using students’ factor scores as dependent variables, with their age, sex, ethnicity, study discipline, study level, and academic performance as grouping variables. Four factors, (Concordance and Engagement; Disconnection and Disengagement; Reflection and Realisation; and Learning Impediments) reflected students’ study practices. The core difference between students in their study practices was influenced by age, ethnicity, academic performance, and sex-ethnicity interaction.

Changing Academic Environment and Diversity in Students’ Study Philosophy, Beliefs, and Attitudes in Higher Education

The diversity of students in higher education in Australia and elsewhere has changed significantly over the past two decades. The existing literature has provided limited clarity in terms of their effects on teaching and learning or on the way in which social and cultural changes shape what university students think about the teaching and learning process. Employing a large data set of survey responses from a leading Australian university, this paper provides an analysis of student perceptions of the teaching and learning process, in regard to their study philosophy, beliefs, and attitudes. Survey data were analysed in two stages. First, factor analysis was used to explore themes (or dimensions) within the survey. Multivariate analysis of variance was then undertaken using students’ factor scores as dependent variables, and age, sex, ethnicity, study discipline, study level, academic performance, and sex-ethnicity interaction as grouping variables. Three factors (Deep Learning, Expediency, and Responsibility) appeared to reflect students’ study philosophy, beliefs, and attitude toward teaching and learning. Students’ response on the three factors varied according to age, sex, ethnicity, study discipline, and academic performance, and sex-ethnicity effects. Students in business-related disciplines appeared to display greater expediency than peers in other disciplines, treating university education like any other commodity.

Explaining Diversity in Students’ Views and Expectations about Teaching and Learning Process in Higher Education

This paper provides a quantitative analysis of student perceptions in regard to their views and expectations about the purpose of university study. Over 800 survey responses from students attending a leading Australian university forms the empirical basis. Factor analysis was used to explore themes (or dimensions) based on data collected via a paper-and-pencil survey. Multivariate analysis of variance was then undertaken using students’ factor scores as dependent variables, and age, sex, ethnicity, study discipline, study level, and academic performance as grouping variables. Four factors (Approach to Teaching, Active Participation, Communication and Feedback, and Clarity of Focus and Purpose) reflected students’ views and expectations about the university teaching and learning process. These labels typified behaviour that reflected students’ keen interest in the lecturer’s teaching approach, active participation in the teaching and learning process, and the lecturers’ responsiveness to students’ needs. In turn, students’ perceived views about and expectations were affected by their sex, ethnicity, study discipline, level of study, sex-ethnicity interaction.

Amortised Inference in Neural Networks for Small-Scale Probabilistic Meta-Learning

The global inducing point variational approximation for BNNs is based on using a set of inducing inputs to construct a series of conditional distributions that accurately approximate the conditionals of the true posterior distribution. Our key insight is that these inducing inputs can be replaced by the actual data, such that the variational distribution consists of a set of approximate likelihoods for each datapoint. This structure lends itself to amortised inference, in which the parameters of each approximate likelihood are obtained by passing each datapoint through a meta-model known as the inference network. By training this inference network across related datasets, we can meta-learn Bayesian inference over task-specific BNNs

Identifying and Removing Blockages to Successful Collaborations Between Counsellors, Teachers and Parents

Collaboration is becoming an increasingly familiar term in the counselling and special education literatures. Notwithstanding this, collaboration still appears to be an infrequently used process despite the numerous articles that extol the virtues of consultation, team building and a team approach to educational problems. This paper identifies a number of blockages which inhibit the development of collaborative endeavours between counsellors, teachers and parents. These include the establishment of hierarchies and professional attitudes to other stakeholders in the education community which may not promote equality and reciprocity in collaborative problem solving activities. The training of counsellors and teachers at both preservice and inservice levels are needed to ensure that participants have the communication and problem-solving skills that are essential for effective collaboration. In addition, parents must be encouraged to participate in school activities and be provided with the opportunity to learn how to work with school personnel

Learners and environments

Being different can be a source of satisfaction and pride, but it can also have its problems. These problems are no more apparent than for those who have an impairment or a disability (these terms are discussed later in this section) that limits opportunities and progress in school and in adult life. Curiously, being different can also present significant challenges for learners with very high ability. For many gifted students, school can be a very lonely, frustrating, or unhappy place because advanced intellectual ability is not often appreciated by others and can lead to rejection by age peers. To begin our discussion of teaching-learning ecologies and educational practices, it will be useful to first reflect on the past

Impulsivity in juvenile delinquency: Differences among early-onset, late-onset and non-offenders

The present research investigated differences in levels of impulsivity among early-onset, late-onset, and non-offending adolescents. 129 adolescents (114 males, 15 females), of whom 86 were institutionalised (M age=15.52 years) and 43 were regular school students (M age=15.40 years) participated. Each participant completed the Adapted Self-Report Delinquency Scale, Stroop Colour and Word Test, Time Perception task, Accuracy Game, Risk-Taking Game, and the Eysenck Impulsiveness Questionnaire. Results suggest that adolescents who display rapid cognitive tempo, poor mental inhibitory control, and high impulsivity are more likely to be early-onset offenders. Offender and non-offender groups showed significant differences on several measures of impulsivity, which may suggest that late-onset offenders acquire or exacerbate impulse-related problems through social mimicry of early-onset offender peers. Potentially important implications for our understanding of delinquency and the design and provision of prevention programs are highlighted

Developmental social case work : a process model

Abstract: Social development has been adopted as South Africa’s social welfare approach and is increasingly being adopted in Africa and other parts of the developing world. The translation of developmental social welfare to social work has, however, been difficult for many social workers. A particularly challenging aspect of this translation concerns the practice of social case work within a social development approach, a topic that has received virtually no attention in the social development literature. This paper constructs a process model for a form of social case work that is informed by social development principles and priorities

Frontal EEG asymmetry moderates the effects of stressful life events on internalizing symptoms in children at familial risk for depression

This study examined whether frontal alpha electroencephalographic ( EEG ) asymmetry moderates the association between stressful life events and depressive symptoms in children at familial risk for depression. Participants included 135 children ages 6 to 13, whose mothers had either a history of depression or no history of major psychiatric conditions. Frontal EEG was recorded while participants watched emotion‐eliciting films. Symptoms and stressful life events were obtained via the C hild B ehavior C heck L ist and a clinical interview, respectively. High‐risk children displayed greater relative right lateral frontal activation ( F 7/ F 8) than their low‐risk peers during the films. For high‐risk children, greater relative left lateral frontal activation moderated the association between stressful life events and internalizing symptoms. Specifically, greater relative left lateral frontal activation mitigated the effects of stress in at‐risk children.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90560/1/psyp1332.pd