Auf der diesjährigen ECER-Conference nahmen Abteilungsleiterin Erna Nairz und Christian Gehart teil. im Rahmen des Netzwerks "22. Research in Higher Education" wurden - neben der Tätigkeit als Chair und Discussant - Forschungsergebnisse der OENB-geförderten Projekte präsentiert:

Nairz: Information Capital and Resilience

Abstract: The European agenda for widening participation in Higher Education (HE) aims for a reflection of the diversity of the European population in the student body as well as equity of opportunity in education (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2015, 2020). This has led to an increase in so-called non-traditional students (NTS) entering universities throughout Europe (ibid.). The term “non-traditional student” includes but is not limited to students who, e.g., are first-generation students, are engaged in regular paid employment, belong to an ethnic or migrant minority or have care responsibilities (Gillen-O’Neel, 2021; Nairz-Wirth & Feldmann, 2018). NTS, however, are overrepresented among HE dropouts (Thaler & Unger, 2014; Tieben, 2020; Wolter et al., 2017), which contradicts the European Union’s above stated goals. This may be due to HE-institutions' predominant orientation toward “traditional” full-time students with tertiary-educated parents etc., which may cause NTS to experience additional difficulties in HE (Nairz-Wirth & Feldmann, 2018). The majority of HE dropouts happen during the transition to university (Aina et al., 2022), which can therefore be described as a particularly challenging time for students.

To deal with challenges, students need resilience, the ability to adapt to and grow during challenging times. As NTS may face additional difficulties in HE (see above), they would especially benefit from a high level of resilience. Previous empirical research established that resilient students are significantly less likely to drop out of HE than less resilient students (see e.g., Ayala & Manzano, 2018). An important dimension of resilience is the perceived self-efficacy (Jardim et al., 2021, p. 6). Bandura’s  (1994) conception of self-efficacy is employed to define a university student’s study-related perceived self-efficacy: The study-related perceived self-efficacy therefore describes the belief/expectation of a student to achieve certain levels of performance in their studies through their own abilities and actions, e.g., during an exam, which in turn affect the student’s progress, e.g., through the result of this exam.  Low-threshold access to study-related information capital strengthens the expectation of self-efficacy (Crozier & Reay, 2011), especially during the transition to university. Because students can make decisions on which skills to acquire and which actions to take to positively influence their study progress only based on appropriate information. Notably, access to informal high-quality information capital, so-called hot knowledge (Strecker & Feixa, 2020), e.g., information exchanged through informal chat with other students, is critical for a student’s perceived self-efficacy. Cold knowledge, e.g., the information displayed on the homepage of a study program, in contrast, embodies formal information capital, which often does not match the quality of hot knowledge (Strecker & Feixa, 2020). NTS, especially first-generation students, may be at a disadvantage in accessing hot knowledge, as they cannot access it through their families (Strecker & Feixa, 2020).

This contribution aims to identify study conditions, which facilitate student’s access to hot knowledge and are therefore, as conceptualized above, suitable for enhancing student’s resilience. For this purpose, Bourdieu’s relational theoretical framework with the concepts habitus, field and capital (Bourdieu, 1977, 1983) is applied and expanded by information capital as a combination of social and cultural capital (Lessky et al., 2021). As different fields of study vary greatly regarding the accessibility of hot knowledge due to differing field structures and conditions, three vastly different study programs are investigated with each being viewed as a specific social field. This leads to the central research questions of this contribution:

1. Which study conditions are suitable for facilitating student’s access to hot knowledge during the transition to university?

2. How do three different study programs compare regarding the student’s access to hot knowledge?

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Gehart: Students' Intentions to Drop Out from University during Times of Uncertainty: Findings from a 2022 Student Survey

Abstract: This paper examines empirical evidence from higher education research on student dropout intentions. Dropping out from university is associated with high individual and societal costs, a lack of innovation, a shortage of skilled workers, and a loss of competitiveness and diversity (Nairz-Wirth/Feldmann 2018; Thaler/Unger 2014). In addition, one of the European Union's goals is to achieve greater equality of educational opportunity – a goal that depends in part on reducing the number of students who drop out from university (Vossensteyn et al. 2015). With European universities already reporting high dropout rates within their specific systems (Vossensteyn et al. 2015), universities are under increasing pressure to implement measures to prevent student attrition. In this context, dropout intentions can be seen as an early warning indicator and are therefore relevant for empirical research and the design of effective prevention and intervention strategies (Deuer/Wild 2018). The present analysis combines both psychological-individual and sociological-institutional approaches (Heublein/Wolter 2011), exploring the role of institutional social capital (in terms of peers, university staff, and study group), transitional experiences, and individual resilience in relation to dropout intentions. In addition, different characteristics of non-traditional students are considered (Schuetze/Slowey 2002). Therefore, a survey was conducted in 2022 at an Austrian public university among bachelor students in economics and social sciences (n = 1.000). The results of a hierarchical logistic regression model show that high levels of social capital (in relation to other peers), high individual resilience, and positive experiences with the transition to university can have a preventive effect on dropout intentions. No significant effect was found regarding characteristics of non-traditional students, such as first-generation status. However, an extended duration of study may increase the likelihood of having intentions to drop out. Building on previous findings in higher education research during times of uncertainty (e.g. Falk 2022; Álvarez-Pérez et al. 2021; Baalmann et al. 2020; Baalmann/Speck 2020; Bano et al. 2019), the results suggest that early preparation for studying, active management of the transition process by the institution, support for building students' resilience, and promotion of social networks at the institution can prevent dropout intentions and contribute to reducing dropout rates among university students. These findings are relevant - not only during times of crisis - but also for the long term.

Weitere Links:

https://eera-ecer.de/conferences/ecer-2024-nicosia