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When your first year is also your last year. Retention and completion of Early Childhood Studies students with advanced standing. Mark O'Hara, Principal Lecturer in Early Years Education, Sheffield Hallam University - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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When your first year is also your last year
Retention and completion of Early Childhood Studies students with advanced standing
Mark O'Hara, Principal Lecturer in Early Years Education, Sheffield Hallam University
Rosie Bingham, Senior Lecturer in Curriculum and Professional Development, Sheffield Hallam University
Introduction
Building Pathways and Early Childhood degrees at SHU
Retention good Attainment comparable Lessons learned:
Recruitment strategies make a difference Deficit models of students need to be treated with
caution Student support crucial but contested Cost / benefit questions remain Keeping pathways open is an active business
Recruitment data
2001-2005: 18 recruits in total
2001-2002: 3 recruits 2002-2003: 5 recruits 2003-2004: 5 recruits 2004-2005: 5 recruits
ECS students graduating by year
Building Pathways students in parenthesis
Year 1st 2.1 2.2 3rd Total
2002 0 10 16(1) 1(1) 27(2)
2003 2 10(3) 20(2) 0 32(5)
2004 4(1) 13(2) 17(1) 1 35(4)
2005 3 20(2) 20(3) 3 46(5)
Total 9(1) 53(7) 73(7) 5(1) 140(16)
First destination data
Student First Destination
A Sure Start, Play Development Officer
B Nursery Assistant
C Working in overseas early childhood settings until 2006
D No data received
E Enrolled on PGCE 3-7 course
F Enrolled on PGCE 3-7 course
G Nursery Manager
H Enrolled on PGCE 5-11 course
Student First Destination
I Head of Pre-school
J Team Leader, Barclays
K Sure Start Home Visitor & enrolled on PG.Cert in Child Psychology (PT)
L Administrator
M Enrolled on PGCE 3-7 course
O Enrolled on PGCE 3-7 course
P No data received
Q Enrolled on PGCE 3-7 course
R KS1 Teacher
Interview data: Theory and practice
An issue (initially) for HE staff. Not an issue for students at the end: 'I quite
enjoyed grappling with the more abstract theories and ideas'.
Practice informing students' efforts to understand theory.
Academic writing a different matter.
Interview data: Student support & assessment
Student concerns over assessment: 'It was like being at sea'.
Differing traditions of student support: 'We had less support.....but perhaps that was better'.
Particular challenges for direct entrants at Level 6 (e.g. dissertations) had a direct impact on the admissions strategy.
Interview data: Preparation & orientation
HE expectations and culture. Sharp learning curve inevitable. Mentoring, written guidance & advice,
informal peer support networks, L&T strategies.
Rejection of a bridging module. Students in surplus (e.g. experience, inter-
personal skills).
Conclusions
Students with advance standing possess strengths as well as weaknesses; deficit models need to be treated with caution.
Structures and systems matter but so do people and recruitment requires thought.
HE student support may be character-building but the transition needs monitoring and existing practices may struggle in the face of competing policy pressures (i.e. 'working smarter').
Cost - benefit analysis: are the models and lessons learned transferable?
Keeping pathways open in face of diverse and evolving qualifications.