Chapter 11 Higher education students as consumers?

In this chapter, we draw on an analysis of English policy documents and focus groups with students at three English higher education institutions, to explore some of the complexity in the ways in which the concept of student-as-consumer is discussed by both those formulating policy and the intended recipients. In relation to policies, this is evident in some of the apparent contradictions within government documents which, on one hand, emphasise strongly many aspects of a consumer discourse (foregrounding ideas around investment, choice and ensuring value of money) but, on the other hand, also discuss in some detail the vulnerability of students and their need of protection– which is clearly at odds with the notion of an ‘empowered consumer’. With respect to students, a similar degree of complexity can be seen in their differential awareness of the student-as-consumer discourse, and their varied responses to it

European higher education students:contested constructions

There are currently over 35 million students within Europe and yet, to date, we have no clear understanding of the extent to which understandings of ‘the student’ are shared across the continent. Thus, a central aim of this article is to investigate how the contemporary higher education student understands their own role, and the extent to which this differs both within nation-states and across them. This is significant in terms of implicit (and sometimes explicit) assumptions that are made about common understandings of ‘the student’ across Europe – underpinning, for example, initiatives to increase cross-border educational mobility and the wider development of a European Higher Education Area. Drawing on data from students across Europe – and particularly plasticine models participants made to represent their understanding of themselves as students – we argue that, in many cases, there is an important disconnect between the ways in which students are constructed within policy, and how they understand themselves. The models produced by participants typically foregrounded learning and hard work rather than more instrumental concerns commonly emphasised within policy. This brings into question assertions made in the academic literature that recent reforms have had a direct effect on the subjectivities of students, encouraging them to be more consumerist in their outlook. Nevertheless, we have also shown that student conceptualisations differ, to some extent, by nation-state, evident particularly in Spain and Poland, and by institution – most notably in England and Spain, which have the most vertically differentiated higher education systems. These differences suggest that, despite the ‘policy convergence’ manifest in the creation of a European Higher Education Area, understandings of what it means to be a student in Europe today remain contested

Exploring Stress in the Field of Early Childhood Education

The teaching profession is recognized to be one of the most stressful fields worldwide (Lhospital & Gregory, 2009). This qualitative study was conducted to explore the different stresses of early childhood professionals in the workplace and further explored to see if there is a difference between general and special educators’ stress. 14 individuals participated in one-on-one interviews, 7 general educators and 7 special educators. After interviews were conducted, five major themes were found, three of which were echoed in the literature. With the key findings, it was concluded that there is virtually no difference in the stresses among general and special educators. Both general and special educators expressed that there is a lack of professional support for stress management in the workplace which contributes to their stress. In addition to that, another stress factor for educators was not receiving sufficient training for the position they are in. This study presented data and knowledge on what can be done to support educators and decrease their stress in the workplace.https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fahcs_student_capstones_hbecl/1014/thumbnail.jp

Students’ views about the purpose of higher education:a comparative analysis of six European countries

Across Europe, assumptions are often made within the academic literature and by some social commentators that students have come to understand the purpose of higher education (HE) in increasingly instrumental terms. This is often linked to processes of marketisation and neo-liberalisation across the Global North, in which the value of HE has come to be associated with economic reward and labour market participation and measured through a relatively narrow range of metrics. It is also associated with the establishment, in 2010, of the European Higher Education Area, which is argued to have brought about the refiguration of European universities around an Anglo-American model. Scholars have contended that students have become consumer-like in their behaviour and preoccupied by labour market outcomes rather than processes of learning and knowledge generation. Often, however, such claims are made on the basis of limited empirical evidence, or a focus on policies and structures rather than the perspectives of students themselves. In contrast, this paper draws on a series of 54 focus groups with 295 students conducted in six European countries (Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Spain). It shows how understandings of the purpose of HE are more nuanced than much of the extant literature suggests and vary, at least to some extent, by both nation-state and higher education institution. Alongside viewing the purpose of HE as preparing them for the labour market, students emphasised the importance of tertiary-level study for personal growth and enrichment, and societal development and progress. These findings have implications for policy and practice. In particular, the broader purposes of HE, as articulated by the students in this study, should be given greater recognition by policymakers, those teaching in HE, and the wider public instead of, as is often the case, positioning students as consumers, interested in only economic gain

Higher education students as consumers? Evidence from England

It is now widely assumed in England – by academics and social commentators alike – that, as a result of the introduction of a wide range of market reforms over the past few decades, English students have become consumers of higher education (HE). In this chapter we draw on two sources of data to interrogate critically these assumptions in relation to both students’ choice-making processes and experiences of degree-level study. Firstly, we analyse the extent to which students are constructed as consumers in contemporary policy documents, including the white paper Success as a Knowledge Economy: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice (DBIS, 2016), which provides the basis for the Higher Education Bill which has recently passed through the UK parliament. Secondly, we consider the extent to which these constructions are shared by students themselves, using data from focus groups in a diverse sample of English higher education institutions (HEIs). We explore whether students contest these constructions and/or offer their own alternatives. The structure of our chapter is as follows: we first discuss the background to the research, by outlining key facets of the higher education system in England, and some of the main theoretical debates that are pertinent to our study. We then briefly describe our research methods before going on to present our findings in some detail – comparing the degree of congruence between policy constructions and student understandings. In our conclusion, we discuss some of the systemic challenges that emerge from our data

Higher Education Timescapes: Temporal Understandings of Students and Learning

This article draws on data from six European countries (Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Spain) to explore the higher education timescapes inhabited by students. Despite arguments that degree-level study has become increasingly similar across Europe – because of global pressures and also specific initiatives such as the Bologna Process and the creation of a European Higher Education Area – it shows how such timescapes differed in important ways, largely by nation. These differences are then explained in terms of: the distinctive traditions of higher education still evident across the continent; the particular mechanisms through which degrees are funded; and the nature of recent national-level policy activity. The analysis thus speaks to debates about Europeanisation, as well as how we theorise the relationship between time and place. </jats:p

Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations

Drawing on data from students, higher education staff and policymakers from six European countries, this article argues that it remains a relatively common assumption that students should be politically engaged. However, while students articulated a strong interest in a wide range of political issues, those working in higher education and influencing higher education policy tended to believe that students were considerably less politically active than their predecessors. Moreover, while staff and policy influencers typically conceived of political engagement in terms of collective action, articulated through common reference to the absence of a ‘student movement’ or unified student voice, students’ narratives tended not to valorise ‘student movements’ in the same way and many categorised as ‘political’ action they had taken alone and/or with a small number of other students. Alongside these broad commonalities across Europe, the article also evidences some key differences between nation-states, institutions and disciplines. In this way, it contributes to the comparative literature on young people’s political engagement specifically, as well as wider debates about the ways in which higher education students are understood

Guns and gender-based violence in South Africa

Background. The criminal use of firearms in South Africa is widespread and a major factor in the country having the third-highest homicide rate in the world. Violence is a common feature of South African society. A firearm in the home is a risk factor in intimate partner violence, but this has not been readily demonstrated in South Africa because of a lack of data. Methods. We drew on several South African studies including national homicide studies, intimate partner studies, studies with male participants and studies from the justice sector, to discuss the role of gun ownership on gender-based violence. Conclusion. Guns play a significant role in violence against women in South Africa, most notably in the killing of intimate partners. Although the overall homicide data suggest that death by shooting is decreasing, data for intimate partner violence are not readily available. We have no idea if the overall decrease in gunshot homicides applies to women in relationships, and therefore gun control should remain high on the legislative agenda

Prospective observational cohort study of factors influencing trial participation in people with motor neuron disease (FIT-participation-MND): a protocol

Introduction Motor neuron disease (MND) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with limited treatment options. The Motor Neuron Disease Systematic Multi-Arm Randomised Adaptive Trial (MND-SMART) is a multisite UK trial seeking to address the paucity in effective disease-modifying drugs for people with MND (pwMND). Historically, neurological trials have been plagued by suboptimal recruitment and high rates of attrition. Failure to recruit and/or retain participants can cause insufficiently representative samples, terminated trials or invalid conclusions. This study investigates patient-specific factors affecting recruitment and retention of pwMND to MND-SMART. Improved understanding of these factors may improve trial protocol design, optimise recruitment and retention.Methods and analysis PwMND on the Scottish MND Register, Clinical Audit Research and Evaluation of MND (CARE-MND), will be invited to participate in a prospective observational cohort study that investigates factors affecting trial participation and attrition. We hypothesise that patient-specific factors will significantly affect trial recruitment and retention. Participants will complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, 9-Item Patient Health Questionnaire and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y to evaluate neuropsychiatric symptoms, the ALS-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire-Brief Form and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention-Health-Related Quality of Life for quality of life and a novel study-specific questionnaire on Attitudes towards Clinical Trial Participation (ACT-Q). Clinical data on phenotype, cognition (Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen) and physical functioning (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised) will also be collated. Caregivers will complete the Brief Dimensional Apathy Scale. After 12 months, a data request to MND-SMART will evaluate recruitment and retention. Descriptive statistics will summarise and compare assessments and participants reaching impairment thresholds. Variable groupings: attitudes, quality of life, cognition, behaviour, physical functioning, neuropsychiatric and phenotype. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression will explore association with participation/withdrawal in MND-SMART; presented as ORs and 95% CIs.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was provided by the West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 3 (20/WS/0067) on 12 May 2020. The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, presented at academic conferences and disseminated to participants and the public