scholarly journals Would you Bribe your Lecturer? A Quasi-experimental Study on Burnout and Bribery in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina S. Weißmüller ◽  
Lode De Waele
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Influence Tactics ◽  
The Public ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Weak Factor ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Research Gap

AbstractBribery is a complex and critical issue in higher education (HE), causing severe economic and societal harm. Traditionally, most scholarship on HE corruption has focused on institutional factors in developing countries and insights into the psychological and motivational factors that drive HE bribery on the micro-level mechanisms are virtually non-existent. To close this research gap, this study investigates the connection between study-related burnout and university students’ willingness to offer bribes to their lecturers to pass important exams. Conducting a vignette-based quasi-experimental replication study with 624 university students in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands we find that university students in three countries differentiate sharply between different shades of bribery and that a majority accept using emotional influence tactics to pass (failed) exams. In contrast, offering a helping hand or money (i.e., darker shades of bribery) to their lecturer was less acceptable. Study-related burnout is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in these darker shades of bribery and students’ commitment to the public interest is but a weak factor in preventing unethical behavior. In summary, this study provides solid empirical evidence that university students are likely to use emotional influence tactics violating both the ethical codes of conduct and the formalized bureaucratic procedures of HE examination, particularly if they suffer from study-related burnout. However, the accelerating effect of burnout on bribery is conditional in that it only holds for darker shades of bribery. HE institutions may benefit from implementing the four-eye principle and from launching awareness campaigns that enable lecturers to better recognize these tactics and engage students in creating a transparent environment for testing, grading, and collaboration that is resistant to bribery.

scholarly journals Weißmüller & DeWaele - Would you bribe your Lecturer?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Sabrina Weißmüller ◽  
Lode De Waele
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Influence Tactics ◽  
The Public ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Weak Factor ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Research Gap ◽  
Micro Level

Bribery is a complex and critical issue in higher education (HE), causing severe economic and societal harm. Traditionally, most scholarship on HE corruption has focused on institutional factors in developing countries and insights into the psychological and motivational factors that drive HE bribery on the micro-level mechanisms are virtually non-existent. To close this research gap, this study investigates the connection between study-related burnout and university students’ willingness to offer bribes to their lecturers to pass important exams. Conducting a vignette-based quasi-experimental replication study with 624 university students in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands we find that university students in three countries differentiate sharply between different shades of bribery and that a majority accept using emotional influence tactics to pass (failed) exams. In contrast, offering a helping hand or money (i.e., darker shades of bribery) to their lecturer was less acceptable. Study-related burnout is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in these darker shades of bribery and students’ commitment to the public interest is but a weak factor in preventing unethical behavior. In summary, this study provides solid empirical evidence that university students are likely to use emotional influence tactics violating both the ethical codes of conduct and the formalized bureaucratic procedures of HE examination, particularly if they suffer from study-related burnout. However, the accelerating effect of burnout on bribery is conditional in that it only holds for darker shades of bribery. HE institutions may benefit from implementing the four-eye principle and from launching awareness campaigns that enable lecturers to better recognize these tactics and engage students in creating a transparent environment for testing, grading, and collaboration that is resistant to bribery.

scholarly journals The Fallacy of the Bolted Horse: Changing Our Thinking About Mature-Age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander University Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Plater ◽  
Julie Mooney-Somers ◽  
Jo Lander
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
University Education ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
The Public ◽  
Extrinsic Value ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Torres Strait

The aim of this article is to critically review and analyse the public representations of mature-age university students in developed and some developing nations and how they compare to the public representations of mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students in Australia (‘students’ also refers to graduates unless the context requires specificity). Relevant texts were identified by reviewing education-related academic and policy literature, media opinion and reportage pieces, conference proceedings, and private sector and higher education reviews, reports and submissions. What this review reveals is striking: very few commentators are publicly and unambiguously encouraging, supporting and celebrating mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students. This strongly contrasts with the discussions around mature-age university students in general, where continuous or lifelong learning is acclaimed and endorsed, particularly as our populations grow older and remain healthier and there are relatively lower numbers of working-age people. While scholars, social commentators, bureaucrats and politicians enthusiastically highlight the intrinsic and extrinsic value of the mature-age student's social and economic contributions, the overarching narrative of the mature-age Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student is one of ‘the horse has bolted’, meaning that it is too late for this cohort and therefore society to benefit from their university education. In this article we examine these conflicting positions, investigate why this dichotomy exists, present an alternative view for consideration, and make recommendations for further research into this area.

scholarly journals Attitude towards and Interest in Dog-Assisted Interventions of Students in Higher Education

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrin Rothkopf ◽  
Theresa Stark ◽  
Silke Schworm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
College And University ◽  
The University

The mental health of students is a critical issue facing institutions of higher education, as a majority of college and university students report suffering from stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that interacting with animals can enhance the mental health. Consequently, animal-assisted interventions can be used to cover the concerns of students. This study evaluated German university students´ attitude towards dogs, animal-assisted interventions and their interest in its use at their own university. Additionally, possible predictors were investigated. Another aim was the validation of the questionnaire. 560 university students answered a questionnaire consisting of the Coleman Dog Attitude Scale (C-DAS), a modification of the Attitude Towards Animal-Assisted Therapy Scale and a translated and modified version of the Cuestionario de Actitudes ante las Intervenciones Asistidas por Perros (CAINTAP). Results showed a slightly positive attitude towards dogs, animal-assisted interventions and interest in its use at the university. Furthermore, students´course of studies and sex have proven to be predictors. Thus, especially female students of educational science would welcome an implementation of animal-assisted interventions at the university. The questionnaire showed high quality with a Cronbach’s alpha α = .936.

scholarly journals Intervention in Learning Strategies: Study with New University Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Maria Mohallem Martins ◽  
Acácia Aparecida Angeli dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
University Students ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Statistical Point ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Psychoeducational intervention programs in higher education can contribute to academic success. This research aimed to verify the effects of a program for the development of learning strategies in university students. The design used was quasi-experimental, with pre-test, intervention and three post-tests. 83 students participated, of which 59 were from the Control Group and 24 from the Experimental Group. It was used in the pre-test and post-tests the Learning Strategies Scale for University Students (LSS-US). The results in the post-tests revealed qualitative but not quantitative differences. The data allowed us to reflect on the impact of enrollment in higher education and to confirm the need to teach self-regulated learning strategies from the first year of graduation. The lack of previous knowledge, high expectations, as well as the number of intervention sessions were variables that possibly interfered in the results, not allowing, from a statistical point of view, a significant increase in the scale scores.

Challenging the Multidimensional Conception of Perceived Person-Environment Fit

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Julian M. Etzel ◽  
Gabriel Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Substantial Proportion ◽  
Unique Variance ◽  
First Order ◽  
Person Environment Fit ◽  
Order Factor

Abstract. In the current study, we examined the viability of a multidimensional conception of perceived person-environment (P-E) fit in higher education. We introduce an optimized 12-item measure that distinguishes between four content dimensions of perceived P-E fit: interest-contents (I-C) fit, needs-supplies (N-S) fit, demands-abilities (D-A) fit, and values-culture (V-C) fit. The central aim of our study was to examine whether the relationships between different P-E fit dimensions and educational outcomes can be accounted for by a higher-order factor that captures the shared features of the four fit dimensions. Relying on a large sample of university students in Germany, we found that students distinguish between the proposed fit dimensions. The respective first-order factors shared a substantial proportion of variance and conformed to a higher-order factor model. Using a newly developed factor extension procedure, we found that the relationships between the first-order factors and most outcomes were not fully accounted for by the higher-order factor. Rather, with the exception of V-C fit, all specific P-E fit factors that represent the first-order factors’ unique variance showed reliable and theoretically plausible relationships with different outcomes. These findings support the viability of a multidimensional conceptualization of P-E fit and the validity of our adapted instrument.

A comparison of the cost of research in South Africa's public research and higher education institutions

2008 ◽  
Vol 104 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.R. Walwyn
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Public Research ◽  
Pricing Policy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Annual Salary ◽  
Research Sector ◽  
Salary Survey ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Comparative Information

Despite the importance of labour and overhead costs to both funders and performers of research in South Africa, there is little published information on the remuneration structures for researchers, technician and research support staff. Moreover, there are widely different pricing practices and perceptions within the public research and higher education institutions, which in some cases do not reflect the underlying costs to the institution or the inherent value of the research. In this article, data from the 2004/5 Research and Development Survey have been used to generate comparative information on the cost of research in various performance sectors. It is shown that this cost is lowest in the higher education institutions, and highest in the business sector, although the differences in direct labour and overheads are not as large as may have been expected. The calculated cost of research is then compared with the gazetted rates for engineers, scientists and auditors performing work on behalf of the public sector, which in all cases are higher than the research sector. This analysis emphasizes the need within the public research and higher education institutions for the development of a common pricing policy and for an annual salary survey, in order to dispel some of the myths around the relative costs of research, the relative levels of overhead ratios and the apparent disparity in remuneration levels.

ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF AMAZONAS

2020 ◽  
pp. 37013-37019
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The State ◽  
University Education ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Education Students

No teaching method has evolved as much as distance education, in the state of Amazonas this would not be different, especially in higher education. Distance Education is a modality where the student is separated from the teacher and uses several communication technologies around all his learning. The methods used were bibliographic, documentary and quantitative. The researched environment was the capital city of Manaus and the municipality of Maués, with the application of the closed questionnaire aimed at higher education students. Our objective was to question certain nuances as their benefits and challenges for those who study Distance Education in the different locations of the State of Amazonas. The result was the realization that among its many advantages in the execution of education, time is considered the main one, and the loss of deadlines its greatest disadvantage, besides the concept of distance education is already well known by university students. Thus, it is well known that with the passing of time and with the progress of the state's modernization, distance education is gradually becoming the most practical means of teaching.

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