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This scoping review aims to survey literature that covers employability preparation and labor market outcomes for graduates from transnational higher education institutions.
Abstract
Purpose
This scoping review aims to survey literature that covers employability preparation and labor market outcomes for graduates from transnational higher education institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
This scoping literature review uses career ecosystems as a theoretical framework and the context-input-process-outcomes model as a conceptual framework.
Findings
This scoping review confirms a limited research base of approximately 50 sources that primarily use qualitative methods and socio-economic theories to center the student voice and focus on international branch campuses in the Middle East and Asia. Notably, there is a lack of focus on staff experiences regarding the process of preparing students for employment. The review also demonstrates the need for more research on career processes and outcomes in transnational higher education.
Research limitations/implications
This scoping review is relevant to higher education institutions seeking to meet the challenges of preparing graduates for more than one national labor market. It has implications for universities' ability to attract students, develop relevant labor market preparation programming and understand whether the institution is addressing local employment needs. For researchers, it offers insight and impetus into the area of inquiry regarding transnational education, graduate labor market outcomes and employability.
Practical implications
Practical implications are drawn for students, parents, policymakers and transnational and non-transnational higher education institutions, as well as those who are engaged in providing international education and career advice.
Social implications
This review offers insight into developing labor market-relevant TNE programming, which may be helpful both for host and home country transnational education stakeholders interested in impact.
Originality/value
This is one of the first reviews to systematically address literature about employability preparation and labor market outcomes for graduates from transnational higher education institutions; in using career ecosystems theory, this review offers a bridge between international higher education and career studies.
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Kelly Benati, Sophie Lindsay, Jacqueline O'Toole and Juan Fischer
To gather insight into how graduating business students are preparing for the workplace and their future careers and how this has been impacted by COVID-19.
Abstract
Purpose
To gather insight into how graduating business students are preparing for the workplace and their future careers and how this has been impacted by COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 144 business students at an Australian university who had recently completed an internship and were nearing graduation took part in the study. Group A was surveyed before COVID-19 had emerged and Group B undertook their internships during a COVID-19 lockdown when the related economic downturn had become apparent. The responses were analysed using career construction theory (CCT).
Findings
This study concludes that graduating students do not generally place greater emphasis on career planning in times of economic downturn. However, they do devote more effort to job search and networking activities. They also display more career decisiveness and are less willing to seek out information about potential careers or their suitability for them. Their confidence in embarking on a career was not impacted.
Research limitations/implications
This enables us to form a more complete picture of how graduating students perceive their work-readiness and the action they feel is important in order to improve their employability.
Practical implications
This has implications for career practitioners and employers of graduates as it adds to the knowledge of employability and the decision-making process in times of economic crisis and is particularly important for the tertiary education sector as it seeks to better target initiatives to aid employability in graduates.
Originality/value
The results increase the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on early career development and argue that early-career decision-making is a specific area requiring investigation.
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Laura N. Schram, Emma M. Flores-Scott and Paula Clasing-Manquian
The USA’s higher education leaders and professional organizations have called for increased professional development programming at graduate colleges to better prepare US graduate…
Abstract
Purpose
The USA’s higher education leaders and professional organizations have called for increased professional development programming at graduate colleges to better prepare US graduate students for their future careers. This study aims to investigate the demographic characteristics of graduate students participating in co-curricular professional development (PD) and sociocultural development (SD) programming at a graduate college at a large, selective and research-intensive public university in the Midwestern USA.
Design/methodology/approach
Using institutional data from six semesters, the authors examined the characteristics of students that attended the graduate college’s programs at one university. The authors analyzed which students were most likely to attend PD and SD programs using multinomial logistic regression models.
Findings
Female students, students from US historically marginalized racial groups, and US Pell Grant recipients (low-income students) were found to have a higher likelihood of attending both PD and SD programs at the centralized graduate college.
Practical implications
The findings will be of interest to graduate deans and educators who support graduate students. Further evaluative research on the usefulness of such programs at other institutions would help graduate colleges better understand the role they play in meeting graduate students’ needs.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the understanding of the important role of the US graduate college in the development of graduate students. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study to evaluate the backgrounds of graduate students who pursue co-curricular PD and SD opportunities.
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Evan H. Offstein, Miriam B. Larson, Andrea L. McNeill and Hasten Mjoni Mwale
Following approaches consistent with the qualitative research tradition, attempts to capture the essence of the full‐time graduate student experience. Using the constant…
Abstract
Following approaches consistent with the qualitative research tradition, attempts to capture the essence of the full‐time graduate student experience. Using the constant comparative method, analyzes several sources of data to arrive at a grounded theoretical model of the graduate student experience. Findings suggest that stress is at the core of the graduate student experience and is amplified by conflicting demands and internal conflict unique to this type of student. Additionally, international graduate students appear to face some tremendous obstacles that span both their personal and professional lives. Also identified are several of the tactics and mechanisms that students adopt to reduce hardship as they proceed through their respective programs. Finally, implications for current administrative practice and future research are discussed.
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Lori Critz, Mary Axford, William M. Baer, Chris Doty, Heidi Lowe and Crystal Renfro
This paper aims to examine the creation of a workshop series designed to help graduate students obtain the needed library research skills.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the creation of a workshop series designed to help graduate students obtain the needed library research skills.
Design/methodology/approach
Using feedback from graduate students, a library user education series of workshops was developed and later revised. Significant effort was made to apply effective marketing strategies to enhance the programs' success.
Findings
Graduate students are eager for workshops that are focused on developing the needed library research skills.
Practical implications
When developing a workshop series, feedback from the intended audience enriches the program. Furthermore, repeated fine‐tuning of content and publicity improves the final product.
Originality/value
This paper describes an innovative approach to develop and implement a graduate‐focused library instruction workshop series. The creative use of marketing strategies to incorporate ongoing user feedback and advertise the availability of sessions can significantly enhance the efficacy of a workshop series.
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Divyang Purohit, Mitesh Jayswal and Ashutosh Muduli
The purpose of this paper, systematic literature review, is twofold: to identify the factors influencing graduate job choice and to propose a theoretical model that can be useful…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper, systematic literature review, is twofold: to identify the factors influencing graduate job choice and to propose a theoretical model that can be useful for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
Thematic analysis of the literature available till June 2020 has been reviewed using electronic databases such as ABI/INFORM Complete, EBSCO, Emerald Insight, ProQuest, SAGE Journals, Science Direct (Elsevier), Scopus, Springer Link, Taylor and Francis Online, Wiley Online Library.
Findings
Out of more than 5,000 studies, 14 studies were found addressing the issue of career choice among graduating students. The thematic analysis result explored five themes such as internal factors, external factors, interpersonal factors, institutional factors and socio-demographic factors that can be considered critical for graduates’ career choice decision. Details of the subthemes are also identified.
Research limitations/implications
Implications for practitioners have been suggested from the internal factors, external factors, interpersonal factors, institutional factors and socio-demographic factors’ perspectives. The study result can be useful for conducting future research using quantitative data on graduate job choice.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt to present a comprehensive picture of past studies on graduate job choice and exploring the factors influencing graduate job choice.
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María del Carmen Arrieta and Beatrice Avolio
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and graduates.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of 29 students and 20 graduates from the Administration and Finance Program of a Peruvian private university. The data was collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews based on the students’ and graduates’ perspectives of their experiences. The collected data was subjected to content analysis.
Findings
The study identified ten factors or the underlying dimensions that drive the quality of the education service provided by a Peruvian private university. The factors are professors, lecturers, curriculum, extracurricular activities, position and recognition of the university, infrastructure, library, admission, adequate communication mechanisms with faculty and authorities and services. The main quality indicators of the education service were the professors and curriculum planning. As the students were using the education service, they were more focused on “how” they received the service, rather than “what” services they received, i.e. they evaluated the quality of the process. In contrast, graduates gave more importance to functional service quality. They evaluated the quality of “what they received,” i.e. the result.
Research limitations/implications
The study has several limitations. First, the qualitative approach does not allow generalizing data. The sample size was relatively small and only involved one Peruvian private university. The study was based on the respondent’s perceptions, which were considered accurate.
Practical implications
Based on the study findings, the authors made recommendations to meet the needs of the students and graduates. These findings can help universities to develop strategies that improve educational quality and to allocate resources more effectively. Further research could focus on factors that impact service quality in higher education at different stages of the student lifecycle, namely, applicants (service expectations), students (quality of the process) and graduates (results). The authors suggest validating these results quantitatively.
Originality/value
The study proposes a framework of the higher education service quality based on the experiences of students and graduates that can be used by higher education institutions to continue improving educational quality. The originality of the study lies in the perspective on service quality according to the experiences of students and graduates. Also, this study provides empirical evidence on service quality research in Latin American higher education institutions.
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Maura Borrego, David B. Knight and Nathan Hyungsok Choe
The purpose of this study is to better understand the nature of graduate training experiences in research groups and to identify factors that may lead to increased student…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the nature of graduate training experiences in research groups and to identify factors that may lead to increased student retention and success.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys administered at four US universities resulted in quantitative responses from 130 Master’s and 702 doctoral engineering students participating in graduate research groups. Missing data were imputed, and responses were weighted by gender, discipline, degree program and nationality. Exploratory factor analysis identified four factors describing research group experiences. Regression models were built for two outcomes: satisfaction with research group experience and intention to complete degree. Control variables included gender, discipline, degree program, nationality, year in program and institution.
Findings
Fifty-five per cent of the variance in satisfaction was described by a model including agency, support, international diversity and group climate. Sixty-five per cent of variance in intent to complete was described by a model comprising international diversity, agency and support. Several control variables were significant.
Originality/value
Agency and support in particular were the most influential predictors of both satisfaction and intention, suggesting that future efforts should emphasize stable funding, clear expectations, access to mentors and agency-building experiences to help students take an active role in their own success.
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Liquaa Wazni, Wendy Gifford, Christina Cantin and Barbara Davies
The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of graduate students who participated in the community of practice (CoP) and identify areas for improvement to support…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of graduate students who participated in the community of practice (CoP) and identify areas for improvement to support academic success.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 19 graduate students engaged in a CoP to facilitate social interactions, knowledge sharing and learning within a culture of scholarship. A descriptive qualitative research study was conducted using semistructured interviews with eight participants who had attended the CoP meeting.
Findings
All participants were from the School of Nursing and perceived the CoP to be beneficial, particularly international students who had challenges in adapting to new academic and social environments. Areas for improvement include creating a group structure that enhances belonging and learning.
Originality/value
This is the first CoP that was implemented at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the authors’ university. It has been the authors’ experience that a CoP can benefit graduate students through networking, knowledge sharing, social support and learning. The finding of this research will be used to inform a new CoP to address the needs of graduate students. The authors will be adapting the CoP to the current context that includes a virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic and will include content specific for international students.
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Mayur S. Desai and Ronald A. Johnson
– The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework that serves as a guide to develop a curriculum and instructional strategy that is systems oriented and student-centric.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework that serves as a guide to develop a curriculum and instructional strategy that is systems oriented and student-centric.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework is based on the theories in the field of education by prominent researchers. The framework is divided into four sub-systems, input, process, output, and feedback. While the input, process, and output sections discuss basic elements critical in students’ learning, the feedback section suggests how the learning environment can be controlled and corrected based on student learning outcomes.
Findings
The paper presents a framework for the student to graduate transformation process in institutions of higher education based on fundamental premise that this process is an ecosystem consisting of several interlinked and interacting sub-systems. A key driver of the transformation process should be a feasible set of expected competencies that the global market place for talent expects of college graduates. These market-valued competencies can be used to define the success of the curriculum, course design, and instructional techniques and determine the sufficiency of the resource allocation by the institution of higher education to specific academic and supporting programs.
Originality/value
The framework that is based on integration of well-grounded theories in the field of education. Thus it adds value to the development of curriculum that is needed by the education institutions to excel and compete in the global and dynamic academic environment.
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