Bologna Impact on Academic Performance: Evidence from ISEG
Author(s):
Graça Leão Fernandes Margarida Chagas Lopes
Conference:
ECER 2010
Network:
22. Research in Higher Education
Format:
Paper

Session Information

22 SES 06 B, Teaching, Learning and Assesment in Higher Education

Paper Session

Time:
2010-08-26
10:30-12:00
Room:
M.B. SALI 15, Päärakennus / Main Building
Chair:
Jani Petri Ursin

Contribution

A set of recent studies about the Bologna Process by European researchers have been analyzing  several features related to changes  in the organizational model of  Higher Education  (HE) institutions as well as in students expectations and motivations induced by the process. As far as we know, the teachers’ opinions about the same process have been less studied.

         Both teachers and students of HE in Portugal, and specially in  ISEG  - the school that is the object of study in this paper – have been discussing the effects of the implementation of the Bologna Process.

         Trying to go deeper in the analysis of those effects, the ISEG’s Pedagogic Observatory (PO) has developed a study from which it was possible to gather relevant quantitative and qualitative information about the consequences of the implementation of the Bologna Process and how both ISEG’s teachers and students have been reacting to it.

         Using the collected information we intend to make an assessment of the impact of the Bologna Process on the success\failure of  ISEG’s students measured by the grades and retentions in two 1st year critical curricular subjects (Math 1 and Economics 1) of the four Majors (Economy, Business Management, Mathematics Applied to Economics and Business Management and Finance).

         Actually it is our hypothesis that the Bologna induced changes in crucial indicators of the organizational model such as the number of students per class, the number of hours of theoretical versus practice classes per week and the concentration of subject matters within a semester have a negative impact on students’ performance.

         The analysis of  ISEG’s teachers and students changes in expectations and motivations related to the implementation of the Bologna Process is also a main object of this study. To do this analysis we use the data collected through the Pedagogic Inquiries applied every semester to the ISEG’s students about their opinions on syllabuses and pedagogic model in each subject. We also consider the results of some in-depth semi-directive interviews to a representative sample of students and teachers.

         Students from abroad, either from Portuguese speaking countries, other European countries, sons of actual or ex-emigrants, as well as ERASMUS students, are a matter of concern in ISEG.   Therefore it is also our purpose to search for eventual differences either in final grades and number of retentions or in the expectations and motivations between students according to the country where they have finished their Upper Secondary studies.

 

Method

From the PO database we take 3 cohorts of students: those who finished HE before the implementation of the Bologna Process, those who are caught by the process in the middle of HE trajectory and those who entered post-Bologna HE. These cohorts will enter the analysis as reciprocal group controls. Within each of them we analyze the differences between national and foreigner students relatively to the number of retentions and the grades in each of the subjects above mentioned. We also analyze the information on students’ studying methods, motivation and perception relatively to pedagogical methodologies by subject and major, gathered by the Pedagogic Inquiries. Additionally we run semi directive in-depth interviews to a sample of teachers and students to evaluate their perception of the main changes in the organizational model of Higher Education (HE) institutions due to the Bologna Process and the aims and limitations of these changes.

Expected Outcomes

According to our experience as teachers and what we hear from our colleagues and students we expect to confirm the hypothesis that the Bologna Process has been implemented without previous solution for the pre-existing failure’s problems in critical subjects of the HE trajectory. Besides, there is a lack of effort towards an adequate articulation of the matters to be taught in different subjects to this new pedagogic format. Recent research on Upper Secondary in Portugal and on 1st year 1st timers in ISEG showed a lack of student’s preparation on contents and on study autonomy to assure success in a Bologna framework. We hope to show that there is a need for a more intense cooperation between Education and HE Government Cabinets in the definition and articulation of syllabuses in Upper Secondary and HE. We also predict the need for better pedagogical and organizational models, correcting an excessive number of students per class, fewer number of practice classes and a severe concentration of matters to be taught in a semester and reinforcing the coaching procedures, mainly in the more critical subjects, especially for those students with more insertion difficulties.

References

• Archer, L. (2008), “The Impossibility of Minority Ethnic Educational “Succes”?, European Educational Research Journal, vol 7 Issue 1, Pages 89-107. • Bridges, D. (2008), “Evidence-based Reform in Education: a response to Robert Slavin”, European Educational Research Journal, vol 7 Issue 1, Pages 129-133. • Capellari, L. (2008), “The Bologna Process” and College Enrollment Decisions, IZA Discussion Papers 3444. • Chagas Lopes, M. & Fernandes, G. (2008), “Success/Failure in Higher Education: how long does it take to complete some core 1st. year subjects?”, ECER Conference From Teaching to Learning, Gotemburg, Sweden. • Crato, N. (2006), O Desastre no Ensino da Matemática- como recuperar o tempo perdido, 212pages, Lisboa: Gradiva. • Dahlgren, L. et al (2009), “Grading systems, features of assessment and students’ approaches to learning”, Teaching in Higher Education, vol. 14, Issue 2, Pages 185-194. • Fernandes, G. & Chagas Lopes, M. (2008), “ISEG undergraduate students: determinants of academic performance”, ECER Conference From Teaching to Learning, Gotemburg, Sweden. • Portela, M. et al (2009), “Perceptions of the Bologna Process: what do students’ choice reveal?”, Higher Education, DOI . 10.1007/s 10734-009-9205-1 • Portugal. (2007). National report (Portugal) 2005–2007. Lisbon: Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education. • Serrano, R. et al (2008), “Applying the ECTS System to the Childhood Education Teaching Degree in Andalusia”, European Journal of Education, Volume 43 Issue 4, Pages 527 - 543 • Slavin, R. (2008), “Evidence-based Reform in Education: what will • it take?”, European Educational Research Journal, vol 7 Issue 1 Pages 124-128

Author Information

Graça Leão Fernandes
Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão
Mathematics
Lisboa
Margarida Chagas Lopes
SOCIUS - Research Centre in Economic and Organizational Sociology

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