Poor students top performers at elite unisLuke Slattery From: The Australian December 09, 2009 12: 00AMSTUDENTS from poor backgrounds are less likely to attend the nations prestige universities, but those who do are likelier to finish their degrees, according to a report by the Group of Eight. The report, released earlier this week, will inform a Go8 equity strategy that is being hammered out in response to the federal governments call for a boost in the proportion of undergraduates from low socioeconomic backgrounds to 20 per cent by 2020. The report found 72.
4 per cent of applicants to Go8 universities achieved an equivalent national tertiary entrance rank score of more than 80. 05 last year and of these only 10. 4 per cent were from low socioeconomic backgrounds. But the imbalance was corrected to some extent by better retention and academic success rates for students from these backgrounds.” Retention rates were higher in Go8 universities than any other universities across all equity groups in the five-year period from 2002 to 2006,” the report says. “ The difference was greatest for remote students (77 per cent in Go8 universities, 66. 9 per cent in other universities) and indigenous students (70. 2 per cent in Go8 universities compared with 60.
6 per cent in other universities).” The report says the dropout rate for low-socio economic status students, likewise, is lower within the Go8 than outside it. The Go8 report comes after the federal government released its own attrition figures for 2001-07 which revealed a national dropout rate of 18. 9 per cent for undergraduates. The worst rate, of 40 per cent, was found at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in the Northern Territory, while the lowest dropout rate, of 8 per cent, was recorded by the University of Melbourne.
Earlier this year the Go8 was stung by a higher education equity report written for the University of South Australias new National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. While the report, by Griffith University Leesa Wheelahan, found that universities such as Macquarie and Canberra had worse equity credentials than the sandstone universities, it revealed that the Go8 admitted an average of 10. 9 per cent of their students from poor backgrounds. This compared with an average across the higher education system of 17.
4 per cent. At the time the Go8 strenuously asserted its members capacity to retain disadvantaged students through to graduation. The new report, which pledges to improve ways to identify students with academic potential and develop “ multiple pathways through partnerships with other post-secondary education and training institutions”, gives substance to this claim. In a related development, the University of Melbourne has unveiled a “ guaranteed access” program which it says will “ give certainty” to students from rural or isolated areas and in disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances who apply to enter the university next year and meet the published criteria. These students will be guaranteed a commonwealth-supported place in the universitys new-look degrees (except music, for which students have to audition) if their ENTER is 78 or above for arts, environments or science, or 88 or above for biomedicine and commerce. Disadvantaged students whose ENTER scores are below this level will still be eligible for a place. essay online business Melbourne Universitys deputy vice-chancellor Sue Elliott said of students from disadvantaged groups who meet the criteria: “ They will know they have a place at Melbourne when they get their [Victorian Certificate of Education] results.
These are high-quality students whose results dont necessarily reflect their true academic ability.” Professor Elliott said disadvantaged students had been shown to perform at much the same level at university as other students.” The undergraduate experience at a good university is a level playing field where students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to flourish,” she said. 1. What do I already know about this subject2.
Has the author adequately discussed the ideas Why Why not3. Is there anything in the article that is not true or not logical4. Do I agree or disagree with the author/content/presentation Why Why not5. Do I challenge the general inferences or conclusions in the text How so6. Do I have any questions the author hasnt answered List them. 7. Do I have any questions for the author List them. 8.
How do I feel about this text/author/subject Have I ever had an experience that is related to this reading9. Is there anything striking (positive) or bothersome (negative) about the way the text is written i. e.
the style, the author??™s tone10. What ideas of your own would you like to incorporate into the text1. Student from poor backgrounds got some problem attend nations prestige universities but easy to finish the degree with good performance, and Go8 universities have posed a series of advantaged programs admit these student. 2. Yes, I think author has discussed the ideas adequately with accurate figure. Firstly, author use data to explain what the meaning of the bold above step by step.
Secondly, author states that Go8 broader the conditions of enter the university for disadvantaged students. 3. I think this text is trustworthy, because the author writes the facts with accurate figures, examples, and some professors??™ claim, not personal opinion. 4. Yes, I agree with the author, I have ever seen the similarly report about fewer students from low socioeconomic backgrounds due to the expensive fees and the disadvantaged rules5. No, I think inferences or conclusions are unnecessary, the majority of this text is facts, and the author just report and inform those facts to reader, when the facts have been listed over, the article will be over.
The author does not need give further guess or summary of facts above. 6. At the end of this article add the achievement of Go8??™s program, in other word, give some data about students from poor backgrounds attend the nations prestige universities after the promise or program has been taken.
Also, the students??™ opinion about those advantaged conditions. 7. I really want know the figure of increased poor backgrounds students and the opinion of them. 8. I feel happy and I think it is a good news for majority students from poor backgrounds; study at a good university with other students from different backgrounds is a motivation for advantaged students as well. In addition, it is a respect and opportunity to people from remote area. I have not an experience about it before. 9.
I think this article is a formal, academic writing, there are lots of high-level vocabulary, such as: hammered out , socioeconomic , attrition figures strenuously, pledges and so on. This text is written in the third person, an academic style. Author use a neutral and serious tone, because this text is about factual events and use serious vocabulary. 10. Personally, I think incorporate own opinion about this topic.