{"title":"Metasynthesis of Research on International Teaching Assistants in Higher Education","authors":"Nihan Bursalı Boz, A. Cendel Karaman","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>International teaching assistants (ITAs) have a prominent role in the internationalisation of higher education (IHE). Although ITAs are considered important actors in IHE and ITA programs have a relatively long history, there is a scarcity of review studies on empirical research focusing on ITAs. This qualitative metasynthesis explores the research foci, methods and main findings from twenty-nine studies focusing on ITAs in higher education contexts. Based on template analysis, four main categories emerged. These were: ITA perspectives, student perspectives, TA perspectives and instructional interactions. Key issues include foreignness and differences in linguistic, cultural and educational backgrounds of ITAs. This metasynthesis highlights the need for institutions to acknowledge ITAs' unique transcultural characteristics and integrate reflexivity into programs to develop awareness among individuals, thereby reducing superficial biases.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143689865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Arnau-Sabatés, Georgeta Ion, Linda Wang, Marta Kowalczuk-Walędziak
{"title":"Getting the Right Mix Between Research and Teaching: A Cross-National Study of University Teachers' Perspectives and Practices in Teacher Education and Education Studies","authors":"Laura Arnau-Sabatés, Georgeta Ion, Linda Wang, Marta Kowalczuk-Walędziak","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Integrating research into teaching gives future practitioners the opportunity to inform and enhance their own professional capacities and practices with research. This study analyses integration practices currently employed by a sample of 124 university teachers delivering teacher education and education studies courses from three research-intensive universities in Catalonia (Spain), Poland, and England. Three particular aspects of their research integration were explored: the role they perceived research to have in teaching; the level of and their strategies for research integration; and the variables explaining their use of specific research integration strategies. The majority of the participants were found to actively integrate research activities into their teaching. However, significant statistical differences were found regarding the use of four integration strategies (i.e., research-tutored, research-led, research-based and research-oriented), with participants in England practising all four more frequently than their peers in Catalonia and Poland. The most relevant variables were found to be: the country where the university is located, students' preparedness to apply research in their own professional practice and the importance given to basic research training on study programmes. Thus, this paper provides insights for education professionals and curriculum designers looking to develop mechanisms to better integrate research into teaching.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Research Assistants' Understandings of the Anger They Feel Towards Faculty Members: A Phenomenographic Study","authors":"Gökhan Özaslan, Seda Karadeniz, Serkan Güner","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The purpose of this phenomenographic study was to examine the different ways in which a group of research assistants who varied by university, department and gender understand the anger they feel towards the faculty members with whom they interact. Phenomenographic analysis was conducted on data obtained through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 15 research assistants at two state universities in Turkey. The analysis revealed that the participants understood the anger at issue in six different ways: (1) ‘an emotion one feels when exposed to an injustice’, (2) ‘an emotion that diminishes work performance’, (3) ‘an emotion that should be kept under control’, (4) ‘an emotion that causes discomfort’, (5) ‘an emotion that pushes one to look for a solution’ and (6) ‘an emotion for which one develops resilience as one gains work experience’. Implications for future research and practise were also discussed based on the findings.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marek Urban, Nikola Kallová, Dany Josué Vigil Avilés, Yeaeun Jang, Kamila Urban
{"title":"Be Our (Uninvited) Guest. Experiences and Challenges of International Doctoral Students in the Czech Republic","authors":"Marek Urban, Nikola Kallová, Dany Josué Vigil Avilés, Yeaeun Jang, Kamila Urban","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>While extensive research addresses the working conditions of international Ph.D. students in Western countries, only little explores their experiences within Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. CEE countries favour masculine values, hierarchical structures and conservatism, and English does not serve as a primary language in both academic and non-academic contexts. This study, involving seventeen international Ph.D. students in the Czech Republic, aimed to elucidate their experiences through in-depth phenomenological interviews. Inductive analysis uncovered common challenges of international Ph.D. students, including language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, discrimination by university staff and gender biases. Participants also highlighted gaps in support and unclear career prospects, which contributed to increased uncertainty. To remain resilient, the participants emphasised the need for self-care, intrinsic motivation and self-regulation. The study suggests that enhancing university language access, equity policies, mental health services and career development programming could dramatically improve inclusiveness.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143404320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Georgiana Mihut, Sevda Ozsezer-Kurnuc, Rebecca Morris, Tom Perry, Emma Smith
{"title":"Policy and Research Engagement in UK Higher Education. Policymaker and Expert Perspectives and Priorities","authors":"Georgiana Mihut, Sevda Ozsezer-Kurnuc, Rebecca Morris, Tom Perry, Emma Smith","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Policy and research engagement is a timely topic for researchers, decision-makers, and higher education institutions that aim to promote engagement and impact. Examination of the complex research-policy relationship in the higher education sector has been largely overlooked. This paper addresses this issue by presenting findings from in-depth interviews with 11 UK higher education policymakers and experts on how higher education researchers can engage with the policy process in the UK context. It also highlights the views of interviewees about policy priorities for UK higher education that may shape higher education research agendas. With relevance across fields of expertise, the paper also discusses the role of independent research in shaping policy. The paper discusses barriers to engagement, research generation and use, and the role of independent research in the broader policy evidence landscape. To conclude, we suggest possible pathways for more productive engagement between researchers and policymakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143404312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What I Wish I'd Known: The Transition From Graduate Student to Tenure Track Faculty to Tenured Faculty","authors":"Prachi B. Gala, Derek Ezell, Franklin Tillman","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The aim of this paper is to discern the difficulties tenure track faculty face as they attempt to balance their new faculty roles amid a transition from PhD student to faculty. Based on the theoretical Lazarus model of stress, this research analyzes the stressful transition of a PhD student to a tenure track professor and the underlying reasons and outcomes, as well as how a full-time professor balances responsibilities between research, teaching, and service. Qualitative research and specifically, inductive analyses were used to categorise interviews collected from various faculty across departments and schools and then encoded into themes. Six themes were found in Study 1: Self-Awareness, Time Management, Professional Independence, Politics, Professional Flexibility, and Professional Skill Development. Study 2 reveals three major themes: The Plague of the Vague, Publish or Perish, and It's Not All Work, But It Is.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143404313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Oscar Espinoza, Luis González, Noel McGinn, Luis Sandoval, Bruno Corradi, Yahira Larrondo
{"title":"Academic Performance of Persistent University Students in Chile","authors":"Oscar Espinoza, Luis González, Noel McGinn, Luis Sandoval, Bruno Corradi, Yahira Larrondo","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Academic performance (GPA) is a fundamental factor in student success in college. Therefore, knowing the factors that influence it is important for universities. The objective of this research is to identify the determinants of university student academic performance during the first 3 years of its trajectory. The conclusions are based on data describing characteristics and behaviour of students who successfully completed three consecutive years of study in 10 public and private universities in Chile. The student participants were drawn from a selected list of all non-repeating students who entered the university in 2016 or in 2017. Data were collected from admission files and using a self-administered 39-item questionnaire. The questionnaire was applied during the first semester of 2021. Data were analysed using multilevel linear regression to control for similarities between students in the same programme. The findings show that both pre and post-enrolment variables affect performance. However, the influence of each factor varies according to the year of study. While, over the years, the importance of gender and secondary school grades increases and remains the same, respectively, selection tests are particularly important in the first year. In turn, variables associated with university experience, such as the relationship with professors or the occurrence of disruptive situations, affect performance from the first to the third year.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143404319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charlotte L. Bagnall, Lucy A. James, Yvonne Skipper
{"title":"‘I Shouldn't Really Be Here’: University Students' Perceptions and Experiences of Transitioning to University With a Contextual Offer Admission","authors":"Charlotte L. Bagnall, Lucy A. James, Yvonne Skipper","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Universities may offer students from disadvantaged personal or socioeconomic contexts a lower threshold for entry compared to students from a more stable or affluent background; this is termed a contextual offer. Examples may include having a health condition, disability or living and going to school in a less affluent area. While there has been extensive debate on how to enact these offers, the experiences of students who attend university with a contextual offer have been lacking in the literature. In this study, we interviewed five students from two UK Universities to explore their experiences of transitioning to university with a contextual offer. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Our findings suggest that students felt that their offer had given them opportunities they would not have had, which not only raised their ambitions and expectations but also negatively impacted their self-belief as many students worried about their academic abilities. Students also discussed how their contextual offer had negatively impacted their sense of belonging, both academically and socially, at university, leading to feelings of difference and lower self-efficacy; however, these feelings were ameliorated by knowing others with contextual offers. Finally, students felt that there was a need for greater awareness of contextual offers to reduce stigma and ensure that others could benefit from them. Implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143380594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Value Creation for Multiple Stakeholders in Higher Education Institutions","authors":"Greici Sarturi, Paula Balardin Ribeiro Aragão","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A comprehensive understanding of value creation in higher education institutions (HEIs) and the organisational practices that drive this value is essential for strategic management. Grounded in stakeholder theory, this study adopts Harrison and Wicks' model to examine the perceptions of five stakeholder groups regarding key drivers of value. The findings extend the original model—focused on goods and services, organisational justice, affiliation and opportunity costs—by introducing reputation and inter-stakeholder relationships as complementary dimensions shaping stakeholder perceptions of value. Additionally, the study identifies stakeholder engagement as a critical outcome of the value creation process. This research advances stakeholder theory by applying and expanding it within the context of public HEIs, providing a robust framework for measuring and managing value across diverse stakeholder groups. It also offers practical insights for HEI managers to align institutional strategies with stakeholder expectations, fostering synergy, engagement and improved institutional performance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Transition From the Workplace to Higher Education During Covid-19: Postgraduate Quality and Provision","authors":"Kristyna Campbell","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Postgraduate transitions rarely feature in literature and are scarcely acknowledged in practice, owing to assumptions about competence. This diverse group are often multimembers studying in alternative modes to cope with wide-ranging demands. Despite their contributions to society and the economy, issues concerning fitness for purpose within postgraduate resources, support and provision remain, influencing transition. Expertise brought to the academy is overlooked, and student expectations of study and relationships with staff are often misaligned. This research explores the return to postgraduate study from the workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing on transition theory. A reflexive thematic analysis of focus group data revealed how workplace skills and behaviours helped manage transition; the significance of personalised relationships with colleagues, peers and staff; and how technology mitigated pandemic-related obstacles.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"79 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}