ABSTRACT

Marketisation has directed higher education institutions and policies to focus on student support and provisions that promote better experience and value. By contrast, expectations of university students are under-researched and understated, with less attention placed on what and how students should perform in higher education. This paper further develops the concept of the ideal student at university, which aims to promote transparency and explicitness about what is expected of students, and potentially alleviate inequalities driven by implicit and unspoken rules of higher education. We report on the development and findings of the ideal student survey, conducted with 1,043 university students and staff in the UK. Factor analysis revealed eight dimensions of the ideal student, which we have tentatively described as Diligence & Engagement, Organisation & Discipline, Reflection & Innovation, Positive & Confident Outlook, Supportive of Others, Academic Skills, Employability Skills and Intelligence & Strategic Approach. Each factor is discussed with a focus on the differences between the views of staff and students. We conclude with a discussion of how the concept of the ideal student has the potential to promote better equality and opportunities for student success, by making explicit what is expected of university students.

摘要

市场化已引导高等教育机构和政策将重点放在学生支持和促进更好体验和价值的规定上。相比之下，对大学生的期望研究不足和低估，对学生在高等教育中应该表现什么和如何表现的关注较少。本文进一步发展了理想学生的概念在大学，其目的是提高对学生的期望的透明度和明确性，并可能减轻由隐性和潜规则驱动的高等教育不平等现象。我们报告了对英国 1,043 名大学生和教职员工进行的理想学生调查的进展和结果。因素分析揭示了理想学生的八个维度，我们暂时将其描述为勤奋与参与、组织与纪律、反思与创新、积极与自信的前景、支持他人、学术技能、就业技能以及智慧与战略方法. 每个因素的讨论重点是教职员工和学生的观点之间的差异。最后，我们讨论了理想学生的概念如何通过明确对大学生的期望来促进更好的平等和学生成功的机会。