Files and links (2)
Positioning and repositioning in higher education first year students engaging with the world1.60 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Positioning and repositioning in higher education: first year students engaging with the world
Studies in Higher Education, Vol.49(6), pp.1014-1027
2024
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Sustainability is an important issue that we all face, including higher education students. We assert that the transition into the contemporary higher education context needs educators to plan transition pedagogy that engages students with the world during their studies, instead of solely using curriculum as preparation for the future world of work. To investigate this, we explored how students position themselves in relation to sustainability as part of an assessment task in a first-year university transition course and whether this type of assessment provides opportunities for students to experience subjectification. Drawing on Biesta’s ([2022]. World-Centred Education: A View for the Present. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group) conception of world-centred education, we applied a novel methodology based on dialogical self theory, developed by Hermans and Bartels ([2021]. Citizenship Education and the Personalization of Democracy. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://lccn.loc.gov/2020029653), to analyse the data comprising student reflections on an assessment item oriented toward current sustainability issues. Our findings suggest that when students interact with their peers and encounter challenging content, conflicting internal positions can lead to subjectification and an intention for further action on real-world issues from the commencement of their studies. We propose that the principles of opposition, cooperation and participation provide a practical framework for educators and course designers to purposefully designate space for students to explore positions and practise the generative dialogue needed for thinking and acting in the world as subjects now and in the future. In analysing students’ reported experience, our paper contributes to the discussion around implementing world-centred education and provides useful insight into how students engage with sustainability in higher education.
Details
- Title
- Positioning and repositioning in higher education: first year students engaging with the world
- Authors
- Noni Keys (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessDebbie Heck (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary Access
- Publication details
- Studies in Higher Education, Vol.49(6), pp.1014-1027
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.1080/03075079.2023.2257733
- ISSN
- 1470-174X; 0307-5079
- Copyright note
- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99968896602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
61 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Web Of Science research areas
- Education & Educational Research