Who is even studying journalism to become a journalist?

[EN] The paper addresses the question why people are entering training programs which disseminate knowledge necessary for becoming part of the journalistic profession and how these motives go along with the intention to become a member of the profession. Therefore it draws on data collected among students in journalism related programs in Austria in 2015 (n=352) and tests the linkage between socioeconomic background of the students, their motives for entering a program and how these affect the intention to work in the field of journalism. Factor analysis allowed the identification of four main motives: political and social agency; employment driven; social benefits; and calling/talent. Results show that a) motives for entering a program differ according to the socioeconomic background of the respondents. And b) the intention to work in the field is higher if motives tied to the ideas of agency and calling are reported and lower if employment driven motives are predominant. This leads to the conclusion that the motivation of students to join the journalistic profession is deeply related to believes and normative aspirations of individuals.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Prandner, D.; Moosbrugger, R. (2018). Who is even studying journalism to become a journalist?. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 629-636. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8047OCS62963

Higher Education and Solidarity? The Integration of Refugee Students at Austrian Universities

The refugee streams of 2015 had a tremendous impact on European societies. In context of the influx of refugees, civil society showed large solidarity. Universities did so as well, organizing programs to accommodate asylum seekers and refugees on campus. As solidarity is necessary for social relationships and coordinating life chances in a just way, the effectiveness of such programs can only be understood, taking insights from refugee students’ experiences into account. In this article the case example of the Austrian MORE Initiative is used to tackle the question what kind of bonds refugee students see between themselves, the universities and the goal to become part of the new (host) society. Results show that refugee students are in danger of not being recognized, either because of their legal status or lack of opportunities and migrant sceptic surroundings. Programs like MORE – and universities in general – may contribute to lessen these effects.Prandner, D.; Moosbrugger, R. (2020). Higher Education and Solidarity? The Integration of Refugee Students at Austrian Universities. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):617-624. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11117OCS61762430-05-202

Obstacles to learning in the perspective of school leaders

Der Beitrag analysiert eine Schulleiterbefragung zu wahrgenommenen Faktoren, die das Lernen am eigenen Schulstandort beeinträchtigen. Mittels offener Fragen erhobene Daten einer österreichischen Vollerhebung auf der Sekundarstufe I (N=1.416) werden inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet und mit Befunden geschlossen erhobener Schulleiterangaben verglichen. Die Befunde zeigen, dass Schulleitungen die mangelnden Einstiegsvoraussetzungen der Schüler und Schülerinnen, die hohe Heterogenität der Lerngruppen und das wenig lernförderliche häusliche Umfeld der Schüler und Schülerinnen am häufigsten als hemmende Faktoren für das schulische Lernen identifizieren. Überraschend häufig wird auch die Beeinträchtigung des Lernens durch administrativen Aufwand genannt. Die Befunde werden vor dem Hintergrund aktueller Schulreformen in Österreich diskutiert. (DIPF/Orig.)The authors analyze data from a school leader survey on perceived obstacles to learning at school. Data was collected in an Austrian complete survey at lower secondary level (N = 1,416), using open-ended questions, and was analyzed by means of a content analysis and compared to findings from closed items. The results show that school leaders most frequently identify lacking student abilities, heterogeneous classrooms and learning groups, and less supportive student family backgrounds as obstacles to learning at school. Surprisingly often school leaders think that administrative work is hindering student learning. These findings are discussed against the background of recent school reforms in Austria. (DIPF/Orig.

Measuring the impact of student success retention initiatives for engineering students at a private research university

IntroductionStudent success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a national concern. To increase engineering retention and graduation rates at a small private institution, a university council developed a binary classifier to identify high-risk students and proposed interventions that included decoupling first-year Physics and Calculus courses, support in introductory Calculus, and Spatial Visualization (SV) training. This paper aims to validate the binary classifier used to identify the under-prepared students entering their first year and assess the impact of the interventions. We provide a comparative analysis of student success metrics for high-risk engineering students across a decade of cohorts, including 5 years before (2006–2010) and 5 years after (2011–2015) implementation of intentional strategies.MethodsWe validated the binary classifier using an accuracy measure and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC). We used the 2-population proportion test to compare STEM retention and 4- and 6-year graduation rates of High-Risk engineering students before and after interventions and compare student performance in early foundation STEM courses across the same time frame.ResultsThe binary classification model identified High-Risk students with an accuracy of 63–70% and an MCC of +0.28 to +0.30. In addition, we found statistically significant improvement (p < 0.001) in the STEM retention rates, 6-year graduation rates, and first part of Physics, Calculus, and Chemistry sequences after the interventions.DiscussionThe methodology and strategies presented may provide effective guidance for institutions seeking to improve the overall performance of undergraduate students who otherwise might struggle in their first-year engineering curriculum

Cystatin M/E Variant Causes Autosomal Dominant Keratosis Follicularis Spinulosa Decalvans by Dysregulating Cathepsins L and V

Keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans (KFSD) is a rare cornification disorder with an X-linked recessive inheritance in most cases. Pathogenic variants causing X-linked KFSD have been described in MBTPS2, the gene for a membrane-bound zinc metalloprotease that is involved in the cleavage of sterol regulatory element binding proteins important for the control of transcription. Few families have been identified with an autosomal dominant inheritance of KFSD. We present two members of an Austrian family with a phenotype of KFSD, a mother and her son. The disease was not observed in her parents, pointing to a dominant inheritance with a de novo mutation in the index patient. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a heterozygous missense variant in CST6 in DNA samples from the index patient and her affected son. In line with family history, the variant was not present in samples from her parents. CST6 codes for cystatin M/E, a cysteine protease inhibitor. Patient keratinocytes showed increased expression of cathepsin genes CTSL and CTSV and reduced expression of transglutaminase genes TGM1 and TGM3. A relative gain of active, cleaved transglutaminases was found in patient keratinocytes compared to control cells. The variant found in CST6 is expected to affect protein targeting and results in marked disruption of the balance between cystatin M/E activity and its target proteases and eventually transglutaminases 1 and 3. This disturbance leads to an impairment of terminal epidermal differentiation and proper hair shaft formation seen in KFSD

Migrant social inclusion: experiences from the Bregenzerwald and EU-funded projects

The chapter illustrates social inclusion processes based on experiences of the PlurAlps project in Bregenzerwald, Austria

From empowerment to power sharing – plan:g’s quest for equitable global health partnerships

Calls for decolonising global health have intensified in recent years. The Austrian NGO plan:g Partnership for Global Health has taken several steps to decolonise its work and to find new ways of communicating and engaging in equitable partnerships. Decolonising global health cooperation is however not without its challenges

Tertiary Education Opportunities for Refugees: MORE - Experiences and Insights (SUF edition)

Full edition for scientific use. Universities Austria organized the MORE-initiative to support refugees, if they aspire to study in Austria. After five semesters the initiative was evaluated. Part of this evaluation was a quantitative study by the University of Linz. This part of the evaluation asked present and past MORE Students, if they were satisfied with the program and if it helped them to reach their individual goals

Tertiary Education Opportunities for Refugees: MORE - Experiences and Insights (OA edition)

Reduced edition for public use. Full edition available for scientific use. Universities Austria organized the MORE-initiative to support refugees, if they aspire to study in Austria. After five semesters the initiative was evaluated. Part of this evaluation was a quantitative study by the University of Linz. This part of the evaluation asked present and past MORE Students, if they were satisfied with the program and if it helped them to reach their individual goals