Qualities honours students look for − revisited

1. Johan OffringaMarca Wolfensberger Qualities honours students look for − revisited Qualities honours students look for – revisited 1

2. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Wolfensberger (2004) Based on pilot study data obtained in 2003-2004: “There are differences between honours and non-honours students in the value they place on specific qualities of teachers, fellow-students, and courses. A learning context that is supportive of relatedness, autonomy and competenceseems to fit honours students well.” (JNCHC 5(2), p.64) Qualities honours students look for – revisited 2

3. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Since 2004 • Changes: new programmes, more honours students • Questions administered repeatedly Qualities honours students look for – revisited 3

4. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Research questions • Do honours versus non-honours students look for different qualities in • teachers, and • courses? • Are possible differences constant over time and consistent across (types of) universities? Qualities honours students look for – revisited 4

5. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Method • 1451 bachelor students surveyed in The Netherlands • Utrecht University • University of Amsterdam • HanzeUniversity of Applied Sciences Groningen • Between 2003 and 2011 • About themselves, fellows, lecturers and courses Qualities honours students look for – revisited 5

6. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Example items 5 qualities were part of all 3 data collections: • That teachers are demanding • That they challenge me • That they inspire me • That study tasks are clearly structured/explained • That they have clear criteria for what they want from me Qualities honours students look for – revisited 6

7. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Results: teachers • Consistent over the years, honours students find it more important than non-honours students that teachers have high expectations of them(E.S. around 0.5) • Honours students want to be challenged and inspired more than non-honours students(E.S.’s resp. 0.5 & 0.3) • Non-honours students have a stronger preference for clarity regarding study tasks, criteria Qualities honours students look for – revisited 7

8. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Results: teachers Table 1. Mean scores of honours versus non-honours students on ‘that they [teachers] aredemanding’ (1 = very important, 5 = totally unimportant). Table 2. Mean scores of honours versus non-honours students on ‘that teacherschallenge me’ (1 = very important, 5 = totally unimportant). Qualities honours students look for – revisited 8

9. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Results: courses • On average, honours students find it much less important than non-honours students that courses are useful for their profession or career(E.S. = 0.7; not in 2011) • Honours students put more emphasis on courses raising questionsthey never thought of before, or bringing new ideas to mindthan non-honours(E.S. around 0.5) Qualities honours students look for – revisited 9

10. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Results: constant & consistent? All 5 differences visible in all 3 data collections! So: • throughout the years • in different educational contexts(type of honours programme, type of university) Qualities honours students look for – revisited 10

11. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Conclusions & discussion • This study indicates differences between honours and non-honours students in the value that they place on specific qualities of teachers and courses. • A learning context that is supportive of relatedness, provides freedom, and encourages academic competence seems to fit honours students well. • Who is honours student (admission criteria)? • Social desirability (self-report)? Qualities honours students look for – revisited 11

12. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Future directions (1/2) Changes in academic programming? • A mentoring relationship with faculty members • Since honours students appreciate freedom, courses designed to suit their personal interests are advisable • Demanding teachers and challenging courses that enlarge their competence without promoting competition (since external outcomes seem to be irrelevant to them) Future research: join forces? Qualities honours students look for – revisited 12

13. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Future directions (2/2) Future research: join forces? We hope to see similar research on students participating in honours programmes in the United States and other countries so that we can join forces in designing honours programmesthat engender commitment, effort, wisdom, creativity, and high-quality performance. Such programmes can have strong spin-off effects on the regular curriculum and on the whole institution, ultimately allowing us to send off graduates who are willing and able to make a meaningful difference in the world. See Wolfensberger (2004), Wolfensberger & Offringa (2013) Qualities honours students look for – revisited 13

14. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Thank you for your attention! Research Centre Talent Development in Higher Education and Society g.j.offringa@pl.hanze.nl Titel presentatie aanpassen 14

15. Qualities honours students look for - revisited Appendix: sample details Table 3. Number of Respondents by University, Type of Programme and Survey Period. * Human Geography and Planning; ** Includes 11 students whose university, participation in an honours programme, or both are unclear. Qualities honours students look for – revisited 15