{"title":"Job Performance of Individuals Working in Polish Higher Education Institutions","authors":"Mateusz Hauk","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70112","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70112","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to identify factors influencing job performance among higher education employees. Based on a framework developed from the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman and Oldham 1980) and its modifications, the model included 11 work characteristics as independent variables, critical psychological states as mediators, and psychological safety as a moderator. Data were collected from 378 higher education employees in Poland. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that psychological safety often strengthened the indirect effects of critical psychological states—particularly sense of responsibility and knowledge of results—on job performance, especially when psychological safety was moderate or high. This study introduces a comprehensive approach to evaluating job performance, offering preliminary insights into the mechanisms that determine proficiency within higher education.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668028","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":"Reconceptualizing Internationalization: Co-Authorship Among Locals, Returnees and Internationals in Research-Intensive Universities in China","authors":"Giulio Marini, Yangson Kim","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70125","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70125","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The contribution of internationality in pursuing research is well-known. Whilst the policy agenda in many Asian countries includes attracting academic staff (Internationals and Returnees—conceptualized here under Simmel's ‘stranger’ concept), little is known in relation to how often they work with colleagues at their institutions and, consequently, how much such collaboration yields benefits when it comes to publishing. We investigate, via observable co-authorships, the quality of publications out of different combinations of institutional collaborations in research-intensive Chinese mainland universities to unpack otherwise hidden patterns of institutional internationality. Checking a variety of covariates derived from funding acknowledgements and extra-institutional co-authorships, we predict which collaboration combinations are more likely to generate higher citations over Scopus or higher likelihood of publishing in ‘Q1’ journals. The findings reveal that, although Internationals and Returnees can bring valuable aspects in terms of internationality to institutions, they are relatively scarcely involved in co-authoring. Nevertheless, when internationals and/or Returnees publish with Locals, those circumstances reveal high degrees of success. Moreover, not all combinations yield advantages to the same extent, building up evidence that internationality within institutions is beneficial but at the same time dependent on specific research goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70125","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147667999","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":"Writing Away Responsibility: How Physicians and Ghostwriting Agencies Legitimise Academic Misconduct in China's Healthcare System","authors":"Yang Zhao","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70123","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70123","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This paper examines how physicians and ghostwriting agencies in China's healthcare system legitimise academic misconduct through strategic discourse. Integrating governmentality and accounts theories, it analyzes how participation in ghostwriting is constructed as an inevitable response to contradictory institutional demands. Critical discourse analysis of social media posts reveals three dynamics: parties position services in a grey zone between professional assistance and misconduct through boundary-drawing techniques; frame involvement as unavoidable rather than voluntary; and create complementary discourses enabling institutional requirements to be met without challenging contradictions. The study extends accounts theory by showing how neutralisation techniques serve as identity-protective mechanisms in professional contexts. It introduces ‘mediated responsibility displacement’ to explain how market actors, as intermediaries, partially assume responsibility while redirecting moral blame to systemic factors, showing how professionals navigate impossible requirements through market solutions rather than resistance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668082","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":"Writing Away Responsibility: How Physicians and Ghostwriting Agencies Legitimise Academic Misconduct in China's Healthcare System","authors":"Yang Zhao","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70123","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70123","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This paper examines how physicians and ghostwriting agencies in China's healthcare system legitimise academic misconduct through strategic discourse. Integrating governmentality and accounts theories, it analyzes how participation in ghostwriting is constructed as an inevitable response to contradictory institutional demands. Critical discourse analysis of social media posts reveals three dynamics: parties position services in a grey zone between professional assistance and misconduct through boundary-drawing techniques; frame involvement as unavoidable rather than voluntary; and create complementary discourses enabling institutional requirements to be met without challenging contradictions. The study extends accounts theory by showing how neutralisation techniques serve as identity-protective mechanisms in professional contexts. It introduces ‘mediated responsibility displacement’ to explain how market actors, as intermediaries, partially assume responsibility while redirecting moral blame to systemic factors, showing how professionals navigate impossible requirements through market solutions rather than resistance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147667970","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}
L. Leišytė, C. Cross, I. Načinovič-Braje, P. Papaioannou, I. Matijošytė, E. Oras, G. Birindelli, A. P. Iannuzzi, A. Farmaki, A. Rojo Gallego-Burín, M. Rojo Gallego-Burín, G. Pruschak, R. Kulcur, S. Baysan
{"title":"Representation of Early Career Academics in Higher Education Governance: Policies and Practices Across Europe","authors":"L. Leišytė, C. Cross, I. Načinovič-Braje, P. Papaioannou, I. Matijošytė, E. Oras, G. Birindelli, A. P. Iannuzzi, A. Farmaki, A. Rojo Gallego-Burín, M. Rojo Gallego-Burín, G. Pruschak, R. Kulcur, S. Baysan","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70122","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70122","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the representation of early career academics (ECAs) in higher education governance across nine EU countries. Drawing on cultural and organisational theories and New Public Management literature, the aim is to analyse how national and institutional policies regulate ECAs' representation in institutional decision-making and how inclusive in terms of gender this representation is in practice. Based on a documentary analysis, the study finds that various EU soft law initiatives regarding ECAs' representation are slowly being translated into national and institutional regulations. While managerialism in higher education systems is less predictive of ECAs' representation, low power distance in local culture appears to be important for fostering more inclusive regulations regarding ECAs' representation. At the institutional level, diverse practices are observed with more diverse ECAs' representation at the lower hierarchical levels. The paper offers a set of recommendations for higher education policy and practice regarding more inclusive representation of ECAs in higher education governance.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70122","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579909","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":"Using Student Learning Assessment Data to Drive Pedagogical Innovation and Quality in Higher Education: A Meta-Synthesis","authors":"Serafina Pastore","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70117","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The present article focuses on faculty members' use of student learning assessment data to drive pedagogical innovation. Fuelled by policy recommendations, the high-level commitment to assessment and data-based decision-making has proliferated in higher education contexts. However, evidence from the ground shows that these practices are still problematic. Given the relevant changes in policy and practice in higher education systems and the call for the ground-up re-development of assessment, a systematic review of qualitative studies has been performed. More specifically, this meta-synthesis considered 11 studies conducted in 4 English-speaking countries that outline the landscape of student learning assessment and data use literature over a 10-year period (2013–2022). Three main themes emerge from this study: namely, the pluralism of assessment practices and instruments; a (dis)connection between assessment practice, quality assurance, and the teaching-learning process; and the persistent concerns of faculty members about assessment and policy requirements. Implications for educational research and practice are discussed.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568348","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":"Using Student Learning Assessment Data to Drive Pedagogical Innovation and Quality in Higher Education: A Meta-Synthesis","authors":"Serafina Pastore","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70117","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70117","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The present article focuses on faculty members' use of student learning assessment data to drive pedagogical innovation. Fuelled by policy recommendations, the high-level commitment to assessment and data-based decision-making has proliferated in higher education contexts. However, evidence from the ground shows that these practices are still problematic. Given the relevant changes in policy and practice in higher education systems and the call for the ground-up re-development of assessment, a systematic review of qualitative studies has been performed. More specifically, this meta-synthesis considered 11 studies conducted in 4 English-speaking countries that outline the landscape of student learning assessment and data use literature over a 10-year period (2013–2022). Three main themes emerge from this study: namely, the pluralism of assessment practices and instruments; a (dis)connection between assessment practice, quality assurance, and the teaching-learning process; and the persistent concerns of faculty members about assessment and policy requirements. Implications for educational research and practice are discussed.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147568613","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}
Kaisa Silvennoinen, Miika Marttunen, Heidi Hyytinen, Jani Ursin
{"title":"A Qualitative Study on Variation in the Written Argumentation of Finnish Final-Stage Undergraduate Students","authors":"Kaisa Silvennoinen, Miika Marttunen, Heidi Hyytinen, Jani Ursin","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70118","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Higher education students need generic skills such as written argumentation to succeed in their studies and in modern working life. However, research has shown that some students struggle with these skills even at later stages of higher education. We examined Finnish final-stage undergraduate students' argumentative texts (<i>n</i> = 200). Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the quality of written argumentation and its variation between students representing different higher education sectors (universities and universities of applied sciences). There was notable variation in the quality of written argumentation, distributed differently between the two higher education sectors. Overall, the quality of written argumentation was higher among university students. The practical implications of this are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70118","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566035","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":"Unspeakability in Doctoral Supervision: Exploring Academic Taboos Through Metaphors in South Korea","authors":"Kyungmee Lee, Hackjung Kim, Dongil Kim","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70119","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.70119","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although doctoral supervision is central to doctoral students' academic development and well-being, students' candid perspectives on advisory relationships often remain unspoken due to academic taboos surrounding critique of advisors. This study examines how doctoral students in South Korea perceive and navigate advisory relationships under conditions of academic unspeakability shaped by Confucian cultural norms and neoliberal academic pressures. Employing metaphor analysis, the study conceptualises metaphors as both a methodological tool and empirical data that enable indirect articulation of emotionally and politically sensitive experiences. Data were collected from an online survey of 406 doctoral students and four focus group interviews with 24 participants at a research-intensive Korean university. The findings show that doctoral students use metaphors to express a wide range of emotions toward their advisors, including admiration, disappointment, fear, neglect and ambivalence, with the same metaphors often carrying contradictory meanings. The study further reveals that doctoral students actively manage unspeakability through emotional reframing, relational calibration via <i>nunchi</i> (reading the room) and pragmatic compliance or instrumentalization. These strategies sustain advisory relationships while simultaneously reproducing conditions of silence. The study highlights unspeakability as a governing condition shaping doctoral subjectivity and emotional labour.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70119","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566167","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}
Kaisa Silvennoinen, Miika Marttunen, Heidi Hyytinen, Jani Ursin
{"title":"A Qualitative Study on Variation in the Written Argumentation of Finnish Final-Stage Undergraduate Students","authors":"Kaisa Silvennoinen, Miika Marttunen, Heidi Hyytinen, Jani Ursin","doi":"10.1111/hequ.70118","DOIUrl":"10.1111/hequ.70118","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Higher education students need generic skills such as written argumentation to succeed in their studies and in modern working life. However, research has shown that some students struggle with these skills even at later stages of higher education. We examined Finnish final-stage undergraduate students' argumentative texts (<i>n</i> = 200). Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the quality of written argumentation and its variation between students representing different higher education sectors (universities and universities of applied sciences). There was notable variation in the quality of written argumentation, distributed differently between the two higher education sectors. Overall, the quality of written argumentation was higher among university students. The practical implications of this are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":51607,"journal":{"name":"HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY","volume":"80 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/hequ.70118","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147566459","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}