Coloniality of knowledge,hybridisation, and indigenous survival: exploring transnational higher education development in Africa from the 1920s to the 1960s

This historical multi-case study uses the concepts of coloniality of knowledge, critical hybridity, and indigeneity in examining higher education development in Africa through the efforts of Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, two educational reformers and former international students in the USA. We develop a framework for examining how transnational interactions between the Global North and the Global South shape higher education development. Implications are presented for the importance of flexible theoretical understandings of transnational higher education interactions as well as higher education practices in international student and scholar exchange and other transnational higher education engagement.     

The Role of Living–Learning Programs in Women’s Plans to Attend Graduate School in STEM Fields

This paper examines the role of living–learning (L/L) programs in undergraduate women’s plans to attend graduate school in STEM fields. Using data from the 2004–2007 National Study of Living Learning Programs (NSLLP), the only existing multi-institutional, longitudinal dataset examining L/L program outcomes, the findings show that women’s participation in women-only STEM-focused L/L programs is positively associated with STEM graduate school aspirations, in comparison to residing in co-educational STEM L/L programs, all other L/L programs, and traditional residence halls. Socially supportive residence hall climates and women’s self-assessments as performing better than men in STEM contexts were also positively associated with STEM graduate school plans, while academically supportive residence hall climates and visiting the work setting of a STEM professional held negative relationships with the outcome. Implications are discussed for L/L programs and the utility of women-only programming within coeducational institutions of higher education.     

Science and Engineering Doctoral Student Socialization,Logics, and the National Economic Agenda: Alignment or Disconnect?

This study explores the institutional logics and socialization experiences of STEM doctoral students in the context of the current American economic narrative that is specific to science and technology. Data from qualitative interviews with 36 students at three research universities first reveals a disconnect between a well-established national science and technology policy narrative that is market-oriented and the training, experiences, and perspectives of science and engineering doctoral students. Findings also indicate science and engineering doctoral students mostly understand entrepreneurship and innovation in the contexts of funding research activities and creating social impact, which parallel rather than oppose dominant academic values and norms. Based on the findings, we contend that it is both possible and prudent for universities and graduate programs to pursue strategies that align science and engineering doctoral education with the current national economic agenda and support the personal, professional values and perspectives of students without coming in conflict with the scientific core of the academy.     

Faculty perceptions of work-life balance: the role of marital/relationship and family status

Higher Education - This study examined correlates of work-life balance perceptions for faculty from various marital/relationship and family statuses, using data from the multi-institutional survey...     

Rankings or leagues or rankings on leagues? - Ranking in fair reference groups

Tertiary Education and Management - There are several well-known rankings of universities and higher education systems. Numerous recent studies question whether it is possible to compare...     

Academic culture and citizenship in transitional societies: case studies from China and Hungary

Through organizational case studies conducted at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China and Central European University in Hungary, this paper examines academic culture and citizenship in societies transitioning from communist to market-driven social and economic structures. The article presents a new model of citizenship, representing types of citizenship along the dimensions of locally informed to globally informed and individualist to collectivist. Implications emphasize the hybridization of academic culture and a reinterpretation of cosmopolitan professional identity in faculty life, expanding the concept from Gouldner’s focus on disciplinary loyalty to commitments in a global sphere.     

Women in STEM Majors and Professional Outcome Expectations: The Role of Living-Learning Programs and Other College Environments

Using data from the 2004–2007 National Study of Living Learning Programs, the only national dataset offering longitudinal information on outcomes associated with living-learning (L/L) program participation, this study investigated the role of L/L programs and other college environments in the professional outcome expectations of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. Specifically, we examined an overall measure of professional outcome expectations, along with participants’ anticipation of the chances that they will “get a good job in their field,” “achieve success in their career,” and “combine a professional career with having a balanced personal life.” Findings indicated that attending a coeducational STEM L/L program and discussing academic and career issues with peers were positively related with three of the outcome measures. Additional findings spoke to the importance of self-efficacy and interactions with diverse peers in the development of professional outcome expectations among women in STEM. Implications are presented for higher education institutions’ efforts to support coeducational and women-only STEM-related L/L programs, peer and faculty interactions, and diverse peer interactions.     

Microfluidic study of the chemotactic response of Escherichia coli to amino acids,signaling molecules and secondary metabolites

Quorum sensing and chemotaxis both affect bacterial behavior on the population level. Chemotaxis shapes the spatial distribution of cells, while quorum sensing realizes a cell-density dependent gene regulation. An interesting question is if these mechanisms interact on some level: Does quorum sensing, a density dependent process, affect cell density itself via chemotaxis? Since quorum sensing often spans across species, such a feedback mechanism may also exist between multiple species. We constructed a microfluidic platform to study these questions. A flow-free, stable linear chemical gradient is formed in our device within a few minutes that makes it suitable for sensitive testing of chemoeffectors: we showed that the amino acid lysine is a weak chemoattractant for Escherichia coli, while arginine is neutral. We studied the effect of quorum sensing signal molecules of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on E. coli chemotaxis. Our results show that N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-homoserine lactone (oxo-C12-HSL) and N-(butryl)-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL) are attractants. Furthermore, we tested the chemoeffector potential of pyocyanin and pyoverdine, secondary metabolites under a quorum sensing control. Pyocyanin is proved to be a weak attractant while pyoverdine are repellent. We demonstrated the usability of the device in co-culturing experiments, where we showed that various factors released by P. aeruginosa affect the dynamic spatial rearrangement of a neighboring E. coli population, while surface adhesion of the cells is also modulated.     

Sensitivity to rhythmic parameters in dyslexic children: a comparison of Hungarian and English

It has been proposed that sensitivity to the parameters underlying speech rhythm may be important in setting up well-specified phonological representations in the mental lexicon. However, different acoustic parameters may contribute differentially to rhythm and stress in different languages. Here we contrast sensitivity to one such cue, amplitude envelope onset (rise time), in dyslexic and normally-developing children in two languages, Hungarian and English, ages from 7 to 11. Dyslexic and control children received phonological tasks, reading and spelling tasks and auditory processing tasks. While sensitivity to rise time was related to phonological representation in both languages, clear differences were found between languages. It is suggested that these differences may reflect differential language-specific weighting of different acoustic cues to rhythm and stress.

CHANGING POLICIES AND DILEMMAS IN HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE: THE HUNGARIAN SITUATION AS COMPARED TO THAT OF OTHER EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Political change and declining economies have forced the higher education systems of the countries of east and central Europe to undergo restructuring, in particular to develop new financing mechanisms and to permit the emergence of private higher education. The Hungarian experience is described with reference to the situations in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Reference is made to the “base and addition” model of higher education finance as it evolved in eastern Europe beginning in the 1950's. This model went into crisis in the 1980's because it failed to encourage institutions to search for sources of funding other than government grants. In the post‐Communist situation, new types of funding mechanisms are being explored in the three countries. Czechoslovakia has so far made the fewest fundamental changes because of the relative strength of its economy. Poland has adopted a policy of professional co‐ordination for academic survival. Hungary is experimenting with professional and market co‐ordination.