Perceptions of UEL Students on the Future of University Education: Analysis of Data - Essay Example

?Introduction After successfully designing research and collecting data, the next step is analysis, which later helps the researcher to make inferences, recommendations and come to an informed conclusion on the entire research process. This is an analysis of data that was generated through a small scale research into the perceptions of UEL students about university education. After stating the question selected, the process of research development and the choice of data collection methods will be discussed. The sample and sampling techniques alongside the process of data collection will then be laid out, after which an analysis of the data will be undertaken. The research findings will be stated and presented appropriately with inferences. The limitations and areas for improvement in the future will also be highlighted. Choice of Question and the Process of Research Development The research focused on the perceptions of students at the UEL regarding the future of university education. The plan was to use a mixed research design to capture the perceptions of the students at UEL regarding the future of university education and no changes in this plan occurred over the process of undertaking the research. Choice of Data Collection Methods The use of survey and interviews were the two methods of data collection selected for this study. Application of a survey questionnaire involves translating the research questions and objectives into questions and codes that can be used to gather views from a selected sample of respondents for the purpose of research. The justification for use of survey in this study stems from the need to have both a qualitative and quantitative part, of which the latter will be effectively achieved through use of questionnaires (Rao, Scott and Benhin 2005, pp. 2-3). According to Russonelo and Stewart (2004, pp. 1-2), use of survey questionnaires is important where a targeted identifiable audience is present whose attitudes the researcher intends to establish. The fact that this study aims to collect attitudinal variables (perceptions on the future of university education) and also the view that an opportunity for obtaining a targeted sample presents itself (students and the UEL) informs the decision to use survey as a method of data collection. The second method of data collection selected is the use of interviews. Kvale (2001, p. 1) argues that use of interviews in research is one of the best way of understanding something from the subjects perspective/ point of view. Woods and Pratt (2006) weigh in, stating that interviews provide the researcher to tap into the depths of reality of the in terms of the situation being investigated. These views inform the decision to apply the use of interviews in the investigation of student’s perception on the future of university education; the focus of the study is on the students’ perception and thus the method of data collection should effectively capture their views, which can best be done through well-structured interviews. The other options that were considered for this study include the use primary observation, use of focus groups for the qualitative aspect and cohort studies for the quantitative aspects of the research. Primary observation would not be as effective as use of interviews in terms of collecting data on the perceptions of students since they would not be as involved as would be the case in the interviews. According to Ellsberg and Heise (2005 p. 77), focus groups are most suited for use in situational analysis investigations directed at establishing communal or institutional beliefs and attitudes. Cohort studies are essentially follow-up or incidence studies that involve tracing a selected group over time for the subject of research (Ellsberg and Heise 2005 p 65). This would not apply to the present study since the focus of the study is not in investigating the trajectories of students in terms of university education. Coding was planned in terms of the demographics of the study participants including making considerations for gender, level of study and nationality (home, EU or international student). It was also planned according to the responses in terms of the likert questionnaire that was used in the survey (level of agreement/disagreement). Ethics and Access The importance of conducting ethical research cannot be overstated with Resnik (2011) discussing the two-pronged essentiality of ethics in research; protection of subjects and promotion of the aims of research in terms of knowledge, truth and maximizing error avoidance. Hesse-Bieber and Leavy (2005, p. 45) supports this argument, stating that the researcher should at all times ensure ethics remains a critical part of the substructure of the entire process of research from inception, operations, interpretation and publishing. Exempt review involves research projects that have least risk to the welfare of the human participant; expedited review involves minimal risk projects; lastly, full review is for projects with more than minimal risk (Indiana University, 2006). Basing on this, the current study is on exempt review from the Institutional review Board. To avoid any problems and ensure personal commitment to ethics, permission was first sought from University administration to conduct the study. Verbal and written assurance (during interviews and in the questionnaire respectively) of safety of data and process was provided to the study participants in terms access to this information, protection of identity and use of password-protected computers to store and analyze the data. Hence, ethical issues and participant access problems did not arise. Sampling The population from which the study participants were sought is the students in UEL. Since the requirement was a small scale research, sample size considerations meant that it would not be large. A sample size of 30 was selected; 10 to take part in the interview and the remaining 20 to take part in the survey part of the study. The sample size was also informed by the qualitative part of the study which does not require very big sample sizes so long as saturation is achieved (the sample size where more interviews no longer yield new information) (Ellsberg and Heise 2005 p. 105). Random sampling was undertaken with the study setting being within the UEL compound. Data Collection Data collection for the survey was undertaken through distributing the questionnaires to students as they entered lectures and collecting the complete questionnaires through locked boxes left in the halls which were then accessed by the researcher at the end of the day. Before the actual data collection, a pilot study involving 10 participants was undertaken to pre-test the questionnaire to ensure it could be relied upon in conducting the survey. No changes were made since the questionnaire was found effective. For the second part, ten interviews were conducted with students within the UEL after obtaining their willingness and cooperation to take part in the study. The setting was in terms of the student’s convenience after attending lectures. Semi-structured interview questions were used to collect the data as opposed to closed or open questions since they allowed for appropriate control by the interviewer alongside appropriate level of openness to gather information on the perceptions of the respondents. Data Analysis Since the study design was mixed, it follows that the analysis of the data is both qualitative and quantitative. In terms of the qualitative part, analysis of data generated through the interviews is undertaken through following the steps of data immersion, coding, display and reduction finally leading to interpretation. Data immersion involves reading and rereading each set of notes and transcripts from the interview to ensure the researcher is intimately familiar with the content in them. Data coding is then undertaken, involving the attaching of labels/codes to different segments of the text in terms of their association to different issues. Coding enhances the separation of data into different categories or themes for eventual sorting, comparisons and other avenues of interpreting the data. The next step is data display, where information is organized and assembled in a manner that allows conclusions to be made. Data reduction then involves selection, focusing, simplification and abstracting that effectively transforms data into information based on the objectives of the study finally resulting in arrival at conclusions (Ellsberg and Heise 2005 p. 204). Data analysis for the quantitative part involves display of frequencies of categories and executing calculations guided by the objectives of the study. The first step here is to prepare the data for analysis, which involves re-visiting the objectives of the study and establishing the aspects under investigation. An important aspect of quantitative data analysis is presentation depicting the different frequencies in a manner that allows ease of drawing inferences. Different methods can then be used to describe the item under investigation including use of histograms, tabulation, pie charts, graphs and overlap Venn diagrams among others (Ellsberg and Heise 2005 p. 189). Study Findings Interview Basing on the codes established for the data from the interviews, the following results were established. Table 1: Matrix of perceptions on future education and the reasons behind the perceptions as established from interviews Code Reasons provided Improved quality More emphasis on higher education Advent of e-learning Decline in quality Reduced government spending Commercialization of higher education Increased importance Increased need for specialists/experts to drive industrial sectors Education as an attractive source of livelihood Decline in importance Global economic decline results in laying off of people in white collar jobs (educated) Negative impact of fee increments Exclude students who will not be able to afford No impact of fee increment Rise will not affect popularity of UEL Importance of popularity Always has positive impact in attracting students and thus higher enrolments Indifferent The current state of the entire education system is ineffective The findings indicate that students at UEL think that the quality of education will improve in the future due to the increased emphasis being placed on it as demonstrated by expansion of existing tertiary education institutions and establishment of new ones. The quality is also deemed to be on the rise due to the advent of online education which reduces burdens on the busy nature of lives that characterize contemporary life and allow for convenience and thus lead to more learning achievements. However, perceptions on reducing quality of higher education are also present, attributed to government priority being elsewhere leading to reduced spending which translates to limited research opportunities and higher tutor/student ratios. University education is also deemed to have become commodified, with a degree being just a paper that can be bought at the expense of the intellectual component of education. This will ultimately lead to decline in quality of university education. Students at UEL feel that university education is headed towards being more important in the future due to increased need for specialists to drive the economy which will drive individuals towards higher levels of education. This goes hand in hand with the emphasis being placed on education as an effective way to get a source of livelihood. The recent economic crisis was accompanied by numerous lay-offs in many industries hence alternative avenues to a source of livelihood appear attractive. Entrepreneurship was cited as one of the options. The impact of fee increments at UEL are deemed to reduce enrolment in the future since it will exclude a number of students based on financial ability. However, it does not have an effect on popularity since this is instead influenced by other considerations such as quality of education. Popularity plays an important part in determining enrolment to a university. Elements of indifference also pervade among the students of UEL, feeling that the state of education is ineffective, problematic and not value-based and hence does not elicit concern. Survey The following depicts the information collected about the study participants: Gender- 11 males, 9 females; citizenship- 9 home students. 6 EU students, 5 international students; Age- 11 students 18-25 years, 5 26-35 years, 4 36-45 years, 0 45+ years; level of study- 7 1st years, 6 2nd years, 7 3rd years; education financing- 3 pay own fee, 4 pay part of own fee, 5 receive student finance aid, 5 have sponsors and 3 have other bodies; 12 of the students are attending university for the first time in their lives while the remaining 8 are not. Table 2: Results from the survey: Value for money of UEL university education: Yes No I don’t know Gender Male 5 6 0 Female 5 4 0 Nationality Home 4 4 1 EU 4 2 0 International 4 1 0 Age 18-25 4 6 1 26-35 4 1 0 36-45 3 1 0 Education financing Contributes 4 2 1 Sponsored 6 6 1 The table shows that 45.45% males feel that education at UEL has good value for money. Females 55.5%, home students 44%, EU 66%, international 80%, below 25 years 36%, 26-35 years 80%, above 35 years 75%, self contributors to fee 66% and Sponsored 46%. Impact of fee increment: 54% (6/11) males feel that enrolment will decline while 63% (7/11) feel that working class students will be discouraged from attending university. For females the figures are 55% for both considerations. Home students; 55% for both, non-citizens 54% and 63% respectively, below 25 years 54% for both, above 25 years 55.5% and 77% respectively, senior students (3rd year) 71.4% and 57.15 respectively and junior students 46.1% and 38.5% respectively. Quality of teaching: Positive change Negative Both No change Males 4 5 0 2 Females 5 3 0 1 Home 3 4 1 1 International 7 3 0 1 Below 25 years 3 6 1 1 Above 25 years 6 2 0 1 Junior students 5 6 1 1 Senior students 3 3 0 1 Self-sponsored 4 2 0 1 Sponsored 6 5 1 1 From this table, 36.36% males and 55.56% females feel that education will change positively in terms of quality. 33.3% home students and 63.3% international students feel that teaching will be of higher quality. 27.2% of students below 25 years and 66.7% above 25 years are confident of higher teaching quality. 57.1% self-sponsored and 46.2% sponsored students feel that teaching quality will be higher. Impact of fee increase on selection of higher ranked universities over UEL: Yes To some extent No I don’t Know Males 4 3 3 1 Females 3 2 3 1 Home students 4 2 2 1 International students 4 3 2 1 Below 25 years 6 3 2 0 Above 25 years 4 3 1 1 Senior students 2 3 1 1 Junior students 6 5 2 0 Popularity of UEL after fee increase in 2012 on a scale of 1-5: 1 2 3 4 5 Males 3 3 1 2 2 Females 3 4 1 0 1 Home students 3 2 3 0 1 International students 4 4 1 1 1 Below 25 years 3 3 2 1 2 Above 25 years 3 3 1 1 1 Senior students 2 2 1 2 0 Junior students 3 2 4 2 2 Discussion One of the interesting insights established through the study is that female students appear to have better perceptions on the future of university education and UEL than male students. This can be seen in terms of their perceptions for value for money (55.55% versus 45.55%) and quality of teaching (36.56% and 55.56%). It is also noted that international students have positive perceptions about the future of university education and UEL than home students. This can be attributed to the view that the former have travelled all the way in search of education and thus are bound to find it highly important and of better quality, besides being confident on its future quality and importance. Another highlight of the data is that more junior level students and below 25 years students at UEL have negative perceptions on the future of university education compared to their senior and older counterparts. This can be attributed to the view that older students are in school out of choice and realization of an importance in education while undergraduate students may not have experienced this and may be in university as part of normal life development. Conclusion This study bears a number of limitations with the first being the small sample size which limits its validity to UEL students and does not allow for generalizability to students in other regions since the sample is only representative of UEL. The other limitation stems from the use of an instrument whose validity and reliability have not been tested statistically. In case this study is to be repeated, a larger sample size will be used alongside applying a questionnaire that has been tested for validity and reliability. References Ellsberg, M & Lori H 2005, Researching violence against women: A practical guide for researchers and activists, WHO-PATH, Switzerland. Hesse-Biber, SN & Leavy, PL 2005, The practice of qualitative research, Sage Publications, Inc., USA. Indiana University 2006, Protection of human subjects in non-biomedical research: A tutorial, viewed 11 December 2011, . Kvale, S 2001, Interviews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing, Sage Publications, Inc., USA. Rao, JN, Scott, AJ & Benhin, E 2003, “Undoing complex survey data structures: Some theory and applications of inverse sampling”, Survey Methodology, vol. 29, pp. 107-128. Resnik, DB 2011, What is ethics in research & why is it important? NIEHS, viewed 11 December 2011, . Russonelo, elden & Stewart, J 2004, Using survey research to evaluate communications campaigns, CCMC, viewed 11 December 2011, . Woods, Peter & Pratt, Nick 2004, Qualitative research, University of Plymouth, viewed 11 December 2011, . Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire employed in the study 1. Are you male or female? Code Male Female 1 2 2. Which of the following applies to you? Home student EU student International student 1 2 3 3. What age bracket is relevant to you? 18-25 26-35 36-45 46+ 1 2 3 4 4. What year are you in at UEL? 1st year 2nd year 3rd year 1 2 3 5. Please choose the sentence relevant to you I pay my own tuition fees 1 I pay part of my tuition fees 2 Student Finance pay my tuition fees 3 I receive sponsorship for my tuition fees `4 Another body pays my tuition fees 5 6. Is this your first time attending a university? Yes No 1 2 7. Do you feel UEL is currently good value for money? Yes No I don’t know 1 2 3 8. From 2012 student fees will increase to ?9,000. In your opinion what is likely to happen to university attendance generally in the UK? It will increase It will stay the same It will decrease I don’t know 1 2 3 4 9. “The 2012 increase in tuition fees may stop working class students applying for university” How far do you agree with this statement? I strongly agree I agree I neither agree nor disagree 1 2 3 4 5 I disagree I strongly disagree 10. From 2012 do you think the quality of teaching in universities will be affected in any of the following ways? A positive way 1 A negative way 2 Both positive and negative 3 No way at all 4 11. Once tuition fees increase to ?9000, do you think individuals will choose to go to Universities ranked higher than UEL? Yes To some extent No I don’t know 1 2 3 4 12. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the highest) how would you rate UEL’s chances of remaining popular after the 2012 tuition fee increase? 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 13. Which of the following factors are likely to influence individuals considering university in the future? (please rate in order of importance 1 being the most important) Issues with travel Tuition fees Courses available 1 2 3 4 5 Social Prospects University ranking 14. What are the likelihood people will choose to gain qualifications outside of university as of 2012? Very Likely Likely Unlikely Very Unlikely 1 2 3 4 15. If faced with the decision to attend university again after 2012 would you chose a university such as UEL again? Definitely Not I would consider it Definitely Yes 1 2 3 4 5 I would not go I don’t know Appendix 2: Sample Interview Questions Q1. What is your perception on the importance of university education in the future? Please explain. Q2. What is your perception on the quality of university education at UEL in the future? Please explain. Q3. What is the impact of fee increases on enrolment to university in the future? Please explain. Q4. How does University ranking determine popularity of an institution among prospective students? Please explain. Read More