This thesis studies the effect of performance pay on effort, selection and matching assortativeness in academia, using the introduction of performance pay in German academia as a natural experiment and employing a newly constructed data set encompassing the affiliations and productivity of the universe of academics in the country. I estimate the pure effort effect in a difference-in-differences framework comparing the productivity of cohorts that started their first tenured position just before the reform, and consequently do not receive performance pay, with those starting their first tenured position after the reform, and therefore do receive performance pay. I find that the effort effect is economically large; amounting to a 35% increase in academic productivity relative to the pre-reform productivity in the control group. I estimate the selection effect by analysing the rate at which academics of different productivity levels switch to the performance pay scheme and by exploiting the fact that the old and new wage scheme compare differently for academics at different ages, which gives rise to selection incentives that are inversely related to age. I find that more productive academics are more likely to select into performance pay, and that this effect is stronger for younger academics. The empirical framework to study matching assortativeness is informed by a simple matching model in which I show that performance pay increases positive assortative matching if there are positive productivity spillovers, and that this increase is larger if complementarities are stronger. I test this hypothesis in a difference-in-difference framework using a measure of complementarity strength as a continuous treatment variable and find that assortative matching increases more in fields with stronger complementarities, thus providing empirical evidence that performance related pay increases positive assortative matching. This effect is large; amounting to a two- to threefold increase in positive assortative matching.

The thesis analyses the relationship between the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and universities in England. It considers why the QAA still appears to be misunderstood and controversial, eighteen years after its establishment. Differing representations of the QAA necessitates it using significant time and resources to explain its status and its relationship with the higher education (HE) sector. These representations also inhibit the maturation and refinement of the quality assurance system in England. The professional issue explored is: why is the QAA viewed and portrayed differently depending on who is making the assessment and in what context? The aims were to provide an improved understanding of how different types of universities and their staff perceive, construct and appropriate the QAA and to provide a reference point for quality professionals to assess their own university’s institutional practice. The theoretical framing of this issue draws upon Bernstein’s (1996) concepts of the pedagogic device and contextualisation. Empirically, thirty-two semi-structured interviews were undertaken between July 2009 and June 2011, supplemented by extensive documentary analysis. The experiences of staff at different levels within three types of English university and from the QAA itself were explored in this way. In answering the four research questions, the findings suggest that the universities consider it legitimate for the QAA to undertake certain roles, such as safeguarding academic standards, while other roles should be the sole responsibility of the universities. Reasons why the QAA is viewed differently include: the power related to perceived institutional position in the HE hierarchy of prestige, the public nature of the QAA’s reports, contestation within the Pedagogic Recontextualising Field, and the multi-dimensional nature of the QAA’s relationships. The research also suggests that the recontextualising process that the QAA undertakes is complex. Through a process of engagement, facilitation and negotiation with the different elements of the higher education sector, the QAA attempts to balance the interests of a number of different stakeholders within the Official Recontextualising Field and the Pedagogic Recontextualising Field. The complexity is added to by the frequent contestation within and between these groups. The findings also indicate that the different types of university, identified within the research have different capacities to recontextualise the QAA’s messages at institutional level into the local setting. The extent to which the messages are mediated appears to be predicated on a number of factors. There is also a degree of recontextualisation undertaken at subject level. Similarly, the extent to which the QAA has influence over what universities do also seems to be linked to the type of university. Although there appears to be some sector-wide influence in relation to internal university quality assurance structures and the specialist quality assurance language used.

<p> Engineering students entering the workforce often struggle to meet the competency expectations of their employers. Guided by constructivist theory, the purpose of this case study was to understand engineers&rsquo; experiences of engineering education, deficiencies in practical skills, and the self-learning methods they employed to advance their technical and professional competencies. Working engineers were asked about their experiences overcoming practical skill deficiencies and bridging the gap between education and practice. Interviews with 15 chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers were analyzed by coding for common statements and identifying themes. Firsthand experiences of the participants captured 3 themes: overall perceptions of engineering education, deficiencies in skills, and self-learning experiences. According to study findings, engineering education did not supply sufficient practical skills for working engineers. The study also provided descriptions of training and self-learning methods employed by practicing engineers to advance their technical and professional competencies. The study found that although universities might provide some practical skills through industry collaboration, engineering graduates still required professional development to ensure a smooth transition from academic learner to acclimated working engineer. The project is a practical training, developed for recent graduates, that could achieve positive social change by making strides toward bridging the gap between theory and practice for the participants. This study may also incite positive social change as it contributes to the evidence that there is a lack of practical experience in colleges of engineering, which may therefore improve their curriculum.</p><p>

<p> Research indicates that adjunct faculty continues to grow in the higher education setting. Overall, universities continue to hire adjunct faculty to facilitate online courses and as a cost saving measure. While institutions continue to rely on adjunct faculty, a disconnection exists between the adjunct and the higher education administrators. This study examined adjunct faculty members&rsquo; outcomes (i.e., effectiveness, extra effort, and satisfaction) based on their perceptions of department heads&rsquo; leadership styles (i.e., transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire). In addition, the researcher examined adjunct faculty members&rsquo; organizational commitment (i.e., affective, normative, and continuance) to the online and faith-based higher education environments. Participants in this study included adjunct faculty members representing two universities: a faith-based and an online university. This study utilized the full range leadership model (FRLM) and the three-pronged organizational commitment questionnaire (OCQ) to measure leadership styles, leadership outcomes, and commitment. Perceived transformational and transactional contingent reward leadership styles reflected a significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .001) positive predictive relationship with the leadership outcomes (i.e., effectiveness, extra effort, and satisfaction). Passive leadership styles showed a significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .001) negative predictive relationship with the leadership outcomes. Additionally, the adjunct faculty&rsquo;s affective commitment revealed a significant (<i>p</i> &lt; .001) positive predictive relationship with normative commitment.</p><p> The study identified the need for organizations to employ a full range of leadership styles, specifically transformational and transactional contingent reward styles, for adjuncts to exceed university administrators&rsquo; expectations in effectiveness and extra effort (Bass &amp; Avolio, 1995/2004). The study adds to leadership styles and adjunct faculty organizational commitment studies in the online education setting (DeLotell, 2014). In conclusion, this study revealed a need for further research in higher education relationships between university administrators and adjunct faculty members.</p><p>

<p>The purpose of this research study was to examine student and academic advisors? perceptions of advisement techniques to determine the connection between academic advising strategies and student retention. If student retention rates are not addressed, higher education institutions are at risk of losing students, which is costly to the institution and the student (Himes, 2014). Most college students are in a state of change and need academic advice to achieve success during a college transition (Tinto, 2012). Academic advisors can assist students in finding the right career for students? specific strengths. This qualitative study utilized Tinto?s (2012) theories of student departure and retention to provide an understanding of how student retention rates can be based on a lack of positive institutional relationships between students and academic advisors. A higher education institution must establish conditions within its own system to promote positive student experiences and outcomes (Vianden & Barlow, 2015). Four research questions guided this study. Focus groups and interviews were used to collect data from students and academic advisors. Students and academic advisors discussed academic advising experiences, student satisfaction, and information needed to achieve successful advising sessions. Themes emerged relating to developing relationships, personalized advising sessions, and a consistent campus. Tinto (2012) stated students need individualized academic and social support to properly transition into college. Findings of the study indicated progressive academic advisement strategies have a positive impact on student retention.

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze factors that predict marijuana use and grade point average among undergraduate college students using the Core Institute national database. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey was used to collect data on students&rsquo; attitudes, beliefs, and experiences related to substance use in college. The sample used in this study was delimited to include only full-time undergraduate students (N =111,664) and data were collected from 2011 to 2015. Six research questions provided the foundation of the study, which was operationalized by Astin&rsquo;s (1993) input environment outcome model (IEO).</p><p> Descriptive analysis was conducted to describe the sample in terms of individual and institutional characteristics, campus experiences, and substance use. Comparative analyses including one-way analysis of variance and two-way analysis of variance were conducted to determine statistical significance of differences between groups for gender, ethnic origin, marijuana use, and grade point average. Effect sizes were calculated for each ANOVA to determine the magnitude of the effect and practical significance for the population. Finally, inferential analyses using hierarchical, multiple regression were conducted to predict marijuana use. The regression model was also used to explore factors predicting medical marijuana and recreational marijuana use among students in the 2015 cohort. Statistically significant results were reported for each regression model. Statistically significant at p &lt; .001, the factors that explained 42.2% of the variance in the final model included: gender, ethnic origin, age, institutional control, campus locale, intercollegiate athletics, social fraternities and sororities, music and performing arts, alcohol use, illegal drug use change, perceived risk of harm from trying marijuana once or twice, and perceived risk of harm from smoking marijuana regularly. Implications for policy, practice, and future research regarding marijuana use and academic performance are included.</p><p>

There is a paucity of literature in transition to H.E. which examines transition through the context in which students learn. Much of the transition research is under theorised and draws upon a student deficit discourse. However, in recent years there has been a shift in the transition literature to consider socio-cultural influences. Such understandings demand ethnographic data to fully explore the interaction of person, process and context. The research utilised the ethnographic method to investigate the experiences of first year undergraduate psychology students making the transition in to Higher Education. A socio cultural approach to teaching and learning was taken drawing upon the work of Vygotsky, Lave and Wenger and Bronfenbrenner to understand the practices which influence transition. The study explored and analysed the academic practices which construct the transition environment leading to a reflection on professional practice in planning undergraduate curricula. The data sources included observation, informal conversation, semi structured and focus group interviews and document analysis. Narrative and theoretical thematic analyses were undertaken. The analysis considers practices which enabled participation during transition and also practices which delayed or prevented successful engagement. The key findings indicate that the notion of independent learning in H.E. influenced transition and shaped the identities and participation of both students and academics. Both proximal and distal socio cultural influences were seen to shape participation in the community. A central recommendation is made to reconceptualise the foundation year as a transition year. This would involve critical reflection on practices at the institutional, departmental and individual level.

<p> Despite more than thirty years of the underrepresentation of women in engineering being a persistent concern, research on the cause of the problem has not been successful in reversing the trend. A plethora of theories as to why females are not entering engineering exist, yet they only address issues on the surface and do not attend to a deep-rooted culture in the field; a climate that has been traditionally male-normed and identified as &ldquo;chilly&rdquo; for women. My study calls into question traditional representations of the discipline by revealing an established culture of power, privilege and exclusion. In the tradition of ethnography, my study examined the environment of engineering education from the perspective of a 30-year insider, viewing the culture from the outside for the first time. Data were collected from class observations and interviews with engineering students and engineering professors at two state-funded and one private college of engineering. I found teaching methods and deeply entrenched beliefs that transmit inherent messages of a hierarchical discourse community, a community that is not friendly to women. Through my data I depict a hegemonic culture that has changed very little in the last 30 years in light of the many calls to diversify the discipline. Convinced that traditional teaching methods must be effective, since they themselves have been successful, professors I interviewed failed to identify contexts of persistence, challenge and success, socialization and preparation tasks, and engineering communications as contributing to an inequitable learning environment. Through this research journey, not only did I come to realize how the time-honored norms in engineering education have maintained a white, male dominance, I was confronted with my own domestication (Rodr&iacute;guez, 2006) into the discipline and the regrettable role I have played in upholding inequitable practices in the face of my efforts to recruit and retain more women students.</p><p>

<p> Competency-based education (CBE), a learning model focused on demonstrated proficiency in well-defined competencies rather than on the amount of time students spend in the classroom, influenced niche higher education markets in the United States for decades. However, the lack of a consensus definition limited CBE&rsquo;s widespread acceptance by the traditional academic community. In the early 21st century, concerns about accessibility and affordability led to renewed interest in and experimentation with CBE models in higher education. Despite this resurgence of interest, defining CBE as a concept remained problematic and underscored the need to clarify the conceptual use and understanding of CBE. Settings for the research included the ERIC online library, resource libraries of three national CBE initiatives, and official policymaker websites. Rodgers&rsquo; evolutionary approach to concept analysis, emphasizing the evolution of concepts, shaped the research design of this qualitative study. Documents published in 1973&ndash;1983 and 2005&ndash;2015, 2 eras of intense postsecondary CBE experimentation, comprised the purposive sample. Using the described method, CBE characteristics were categorized in stakeholder and temporal contexts and common characteristics identified. Although this study confirmed a lack of consensus definition, it also revealed three characteristics fundamental to CBE. At its&rsquo; core, CBE is a learning model with (a) explicitly stated competencies; (b) progression determined by demonstrated performance; and (c) an individualized instruction framework well suited to mature learners with life and work experience beyond school. These core characteristics support an adaptable framework providing a foundation for CBE&rsquo;s enduring presence in the higher education landscape of the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries.</p><p>

This study explores women’s perceptions of what made them successful doctoral students and what strategies they used to cope and succeed in the academic environment of an off-campus program in South Florida. The study’s theoretical framework was built on Bandura’s (1997) theory regarding ways self-efficacy influences choices made and effort expended; and Gilligan (1982), Belenky et al. (1986) and other feminists’ theories concerning how women learn. The study included data obtained from individual, semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, documents spanning the 10 years of the program and interviews with founding faculty members. For each, academic resilience was built on (a) viewing that working on the degree was personally fulfilling, (b) believing she possessed a strong sense of academic confidence; (c) priding herself on having self discipline; (d) seeing herself as a role model; and (e) being motivated by a personal or career goal. Strategies the participants used to overcome roadblocks included (a) time management-finding time for personal, professional, and academic duties; (b) focus-making the dissertation a priority; (c) collaboration-utilizing both personal and programmatic assistance; (d), and advocacy-acting on their individual needs. Results of the study indicated that the program at the satellite campus provided structural resources that satisfied basic needs and strengthened the students' self-efficacy. This helped them become successful doctoral graduates. The women had personal fortitude and strong self-efficacy to complete the doctoral journey. They understood that their success was primarily based on the support they received from people: families, peers, and their major professors. Participants suggested that successful women students ascertain whether they have time and resources to devote to an extended study, an understanding family, and the resilience to overcome roadblocks along the way.