New groups. Same chances?

1
New groups. Same chances?

• Ethnic minority students in (Dutch) Higher
  Education
• UNICA seminar on Equal Opportunities in Higher
  Education
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel September 27 28,
  2007
• Rick Wolff
• IMES, UvA
• r.p.wolff_at_uva.nl

2
Diversity and Equality in Higher Education

• Ethnic background
• Student population

3
Outline

• Dutch situation (dropout/completion)
• UCLA Academic Advancement Program

4
About the Dutch data

• Data-source Information Management Group
  (national database over 728.000 FT-students)
• Definition non-Western descent at least 1 parent
  born in non-Western country (Statistics
  Netherlands)
• Enrolment NL-residents, no HE-experience
• Dropout -dropout the first 2 years of study of
  an enrolments cohort (switch is no drop out)
• Completion rate -graduations within 6 years of
  an enrolment cohort

5
The road to Dutch Higher Education
6
Number of HBO-enrolments of non-Western groups
7
University enrolment, non-Western FT-studenten by
ethnic group

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

8
HBO-enrolments FT-students 18 years old or
younger by ethnic group ( of total)

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

9
HBO-dropout rates FT-students within the first 2
years of study by ethnic group

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

10
HBO-completion rates within 6 years, FT-studenten
by ethnic group

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

11
HBO-completion rates within 6 years, FT-students
by ethnic group and preparatory school

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

12
University completion rates within 6 years of
study, FT-students by ethnic group

• Brongegevens IBG
• Bewerking IMES

13
Some explanations

• Students
• Learning environments
• (course programs/institutions)

14
General factors strengthened among non-Western
students?

1. Background (first generation entrants, students
   from low income groups)
2. Choice of course program (HE-preparation)
3. Networking skills (asking for advice or
   assistance/support)

15
Specific factors

• Language (study skills)
• Interethnic relations (social and academic
  integration, Vincent Tinto)
• Ethnic minority students feel less at home
  (Severiens, Wolff, Rezai 2006)

16
What can HE-institutions do?
17
(No Transcript)
18
Which elements of the learning environmentstimula
te study progress of minority ethnic students?

• Small-scale teaching (commitment of both students
  and teachers personal approach, social and
  academic engagement)
• Consequent implementation (study groups,
  program-composition, preparing teachers)
• Diversity in learning communities

19
UCLA Academic Advancement Program

• Program for first generation students (SES-based)
• Mostly Latino students
• Pedagogy of Excellence (since mid 80s)
• Bridging/Transition
• Summer Courses
• Mentoring/Tutoring/Counselling
• AAP-Family

20
(No Transcript)