Previous studies show an alarming increase in burnout in university students, yet there is a surprising lack of research regarding their burnout prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis...Show morePrevious studies show an alarming increase in burnout in university students, yet there is a surprising lack of research regarding their burnout prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of burnout prevention interventions on perceived stress and burnout in higher education. It was hypothesised that prevention interventions are effective in reducing burnout and stress, and that study background acts as a moderator. This study was a continuation of past research at Leiden University. Of the dataset, extracted in 2019, 12 studies met the following eligibility criteria: containing (1) an intervention aimed at reducing burnout in (2) residency, university, or college, (3) a burnout-outcome, and (4) were written in English, Dutch, or Greek. Qualitative results suggest that burnout prevention interventions are successful in reducing burnout and stress in the student population. Effects included reduced stress, increased relaxation, and stress-management skills. Quantitative outcomes showed burnout prevention interventions reduced stress (intervention-control: Hedges’ g 0.56, p=0.008; pre-post: Hedges’ g 0.7; p=0.004), but not burnout (intervention-control: Hedges’ g 0.12, p=0.55; pre-post: Hedges’ g 0.17, p=0.42). Study background, especially education, significantly moderated stress (Hedges’ g 0.7; p<0.001) making the interventions more effective. However, the background was not a significant moderator for burnout (Hedges’ g 0.16; p=0.36). Since stress is a precursor of burnout, the interventions could potentially prevent early-stage burnout. Further research on burnout prevention at different symptom severity is strongly suggested. This study is the first step into preventing burnout prematurely by giving students tools to detect and counteract its warning signs.Show less
This study hopes to reflect the theoretical significance of DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) institutional isomorphism theory in order to explain the growing similarity between Dutch higher education...Show moreThis study hopes to reflect the theoretical significance of DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) institutional isomorphism theory in order to explain the growing similarity between Dutch higher education institutions with regards to sustainability efforts and practices. To provide an extensive look into how organizational change shapes the unfolding substansive developments in higher education institutions, a qualitative multiple case study methodology is utilized. While doing so, institutional document analysis will be used to explore the dynamics of isomorphic pressures. The research question that will be discussed in this study seeks to analyze the effect of isomorphic pressures on the adoption of sustainable practices. As one of the leading exponents of institutional theory literature, DiMaggio and Powell guide the conventional understanding by arguing that organizations converge in terms of their practices and behaviors over time, which leads to an increasing homogeneity within an organizational field. In their work and in related references, it was observed that this homogeneity can be explained through three types of driving forces: coercive, normative and mimetic pressures. These three individual forces create a sense of legitimacy and acceptance within an organizational field which determines the survival of an institution. By building on this theory, this study reviews the sources of isomorphic pressures and investigates the Dutch higher education institutional field to explore its effect on the adoption of sustainable practices.Show less
In this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of ...Show moreIn this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of (quasi-)market competition, information provision/asymmetry, and choosing a provider, a theoretical argument will be crafted to explain how public performance data can improve the quality of an organization. Using fixed effects models on cross-sectional time-series panel data constructed by public data from the ‘Nationale Studenten Enquête’ and enrollment data from the VSNU this relationship will be researched to see whether students are responsive to study programmes with better evaluation scoring. The data shows that there is a significant effect between a better NSE score of a master programme and an increase in student enrollment. This effect ranges between 3.3% and 13.42%. However, with an R-squared between 0.001 and 0.006. Thus students are responsive to a better NSE score. This paper has both scientific and societal relevance because it contributes to the scientific debate on whether public performance data has the potential to increase the quality of an organization, and for policymakers, it is important to better understand how and if these information schemes work.Show less
The internationalisation of higher education is an undeniable fact and Dutch universities (of applied sciences) are most eager to participate. Almost all of them have an international student- and...Show moreThe internationalisation of higher education is an undeniable fact and Dutch universities (of applied sciences) are most eager to participate. Almost all of them have an international student- and staff body and they participate in international research. However, the rise of internationalisation also leads to issues. This thesis explores such an issue; how do we measure the quality of internationalisation? Private parties offer a solution here. For example, the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA) has a framework to test internationalisation in higher education for quality. The question then is: do ECA-accredited programmes actually offer 'better' internationalisation than their counterparts without such accreditation? Using NSE data, this question is examined. Do accredited programmes score better on internationalisation than the same programmes (at different institutions) without predicate?Show less
Some serious concerns regarding the growing role of higher education in the world-wide knowledge economy are that the neoliberalization of higher education is undermining higher education’s...Show moreSome serious concerns regarding the growing role of higher education in the world-wide knowledge economy are that the neoliberalization of higher education is undermining higher education’s contributions to the public good. This role of higher education historically has been seen as fostering economic development of nations and the provision of opportunities for individuals to promoting and harmonizing cultural diversity, political democracy, and economic trade. Critics allege higher education institutions worldwide, but especially in Latin America have become or are becoming handmaidens of neoliberal institutions, including neoliberal states and such global institutions as the world bank or the OECD (Rose 2003, 67-68). Is this true? If neoliberalization of higher education is indeed happening, do neoliberal reforms promote more inclusive higher education responsive to labor market needs? By addressing this research question, we can have a better understanding of the dynamics of higher education and their position within society. This might give more insight on a regional level of how these dynamics function, but it could also be an insight into the comparison with other developing regions.Show less
In the past two decades discussion has emerged about socio-economic inequality in access to higher education in developing countries. This thesis focuses on the case of the 2011 Chilean student...Show moreIn the past two decades discussion has emerged about socio-economic inequality in access to higher education in developing countries. This thesis focuses on the case of the 2011 Chilean student movement in which growing discontent with the existing social inequalities in access to higher education has led to the controversial demand for gratuity. Consequently, the main question that motivates this research is how questions of unequal access to higher education are being related to issues of socio-economic inequality in the gratuidad debate. To answer this question, the first part of the thesis explores the globally frequently observed approaches that explain inequality in higher education. The second part examines the historic and political context of access to higher education in Chile during three crucial periods of time. Ultimately, the third part closely identifies and evaluates the key arguments of both the student movement and the institutional perspective on the significance and viability of the gratuity measure. As the main conclusions indicate, there is a general disagreement about the original cause of socio-economic inequality in the first place. While the student movement often blames neoliberal political ideology for generating inequality, institutional actors tend to accuse specific policies that do not tackle matters of inequality efficiently. Though strong and weak points can be found in the arguments of both perspectives, this thesis concludes that not enough attention is being paid to the underlying factors of general classism and social discrimination in Chilean society as the root causes of socio-economic inequality in higher education.Show less
