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We may think that bullying is a childish behaviour that is left behind on finishing school, or that universities and colleges are too cultured and intellectual as institutions to have room for such behaviour, but these hopes are far from the truth. The research evidence shows that bullying of all kinds is rife in higher education. Indeed, it seems likely that the peculiar nature of higher education actively encourages particular kinds of bullying. This article provides a review of the research on bullying in higher education, considering what this shows about its meaning, extent and nature, and reviews the issues that have been identified and possible solutions to them. It concludes that, while there is much that higher education institutions need to do to respond effectively to bullying, revisiting their traditions and underlying purposes should support them in doing so.

Many forms of bias have been identified in higher education research, and in educational and social research in general. This article identifies a further form of bias, positivity bias, and places it in this broader context. Positivity bias is the tendency, in some forms of published higher education research, to only or chiefly report examples of initiatives or innovations that worked and received positive evaluations. Empirical evidence of positivity bias, in the form of an analysis of a sample of published articles from selected higher education journals, is presented and discussed. Suggestions as to the causes of positivity bias and how it might be handled are presented.

The internationalisation of higher education has typically been seen as a contemporary trend driven by Western developed nations, whereby particular elite models of provision, most frequently delivered in the English language, influence practice globally. This has involved either the recruitment of international students and staff, notably to the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries, or the opening by their universities of branch campuses overseas. The picture is, however, rather more complex than this, with many other national and institutional players involved, in different ways at different levels, and patterns varying from region to region. This article explores the research evidence on the internationalisation of higher education beyond the West through a systematic review of recent academic writing. In doing so, it draws attention to the challenges and opportunities identified in the research literature, and questions whether the internationalisation of higher education is a truly global phenomenon.

In contemporary writing on higher education, globalization and internationalization are increasingly popular terms, and they are also increasingly being used as frameworks for higher education research. This article discusses the meaning and application of these terms, documents their usage in higher education research, and critically reviews this research and its usefulness for higher education policy. It concludes that, while many interpret the growing globalization and internationalization of higher education as another effect of neo-liberal agendas, the role of higher education institutions as instigators of further globalization and internationalization should not be ignored, while the compromises they make in doing so need to be acknowledged. It also suggests that higher education researchers themselves need to move out of their national comfort zones and think and research more globally.

The idea of twenty-first century skills has been popular in higher education, and education in general, for the last couple of decades. At the heart of this idea is the belief that those leaving education for the workplace now require a particular skill set in order to succeed and help deliver an improving economy and society in an increasingly competitive and complex world. This article identifies and discusses the reasons for the popularity of the term. It examines successively the origins and meaning of twenty-first century skills, their development and usage over time, and the issues and critiques that have been raised concerning them. It then comes to some conclusions about the usefulness and validity of the term.

Higher education, or more strictly higher education studies, is sometimes referred to as a discipline, though it is more often referred to as a field, sector or area for study. But what is a discipline and does higher education studies, at its current state of development, qualify as one? This article re-considers these matters and comes to some conflicting conclusions. The issue of whether higher education studies is, or is not, a discipline should probably, therefore, be regarded as still open for debate.

All qualitative researchers are familiar with the idea of saturation: that researchers should continue to collect and/or analyze data until nothing new is being added to their arguments or conclusions. Saturation is, however, used and understood in a variety of ways, often appearing as an unevidenced and dogmatic statement seeking to justify that a piece of research is complete. This article explores the application of the idea of saturation in qualitative research, noting its association with grounded theory and the particular interest taken in it by health researchers. It concludes that it is both a misunderstood and an overworked concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The journal article review process is one of the more troubling areas of academic life. Research indicates that journals' practices are highly varied. This article discusses a number of issues related to this issue: when submitted articles disappear in 'black holes'; when the review process appears endless; when different standards are being applied; and when it seems you are never going to get a worthwhile article published. It is suggested that journals need to provide more guidance for both reviewers and authors, that reviewing needs to be recognised in academic workload models, and that perhaps we need an academic Hippocratic oath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a systematic review of research into student retention and student engagement in higher education (HE). It discusses the origins and meaning of these terms, their relation to each other, their application and practice, and the issues and critiques that have arisen. The two concepts are seen as alternative ways of seeing and researching the same underlying issue. While student engagement is a more recent focus for research, it has now overtaken student retention in importance. As the responsibility for the financing of HE has shifted from the state to the student, so the understanding of student retention and engagement has shifted from being the student's responsibility to that of the higher education institution (HEI).

Recent writing on Higher Education has seen much policy and practice attributed to the advent or impact of neoliberalism. This paper examines the origins and meaning of the term, its application to Higher Education and Higher Education research, and the issues and critique that have been raised in this context. It is argued that neoliberalism is just one more in a whole series of 'fright terms' used in an attempt to galvanise opposition and resistance to the current directions of Higher Education policy and practice.

Higher education research, while a specialist and late developing field, has reached a level of maturity such that researchers have recently been endeavouring to summarize and synthesize what has been learnt. This article identifies and analyses many of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses of areas or aspects of higher education research that have been carried out. It demonstrates the breadth and depth of higher education research, charting how much we have learnt, what the particular foci of attention have been, and suggests -- by the absence of analysis -- which areas may need more attention.

This article examines the relation between education, voting and representation, and, in particular, the argument that more highly educated people should have more votes, as they should be better at judging important political decisions. In the past this issue attracted the attention of great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Newman and Mill. In the UK there is also a practical precedent, rarely recalled today, where for centuries university graduates had their own representatives in Parliament. There are also some interesting contemporary arguments on the topic put forward in favour of an epistocracy (as some call it) by social scientists, but not educators. It seems that most educators would not now dare to suggest that the more highly educated might be given more votes, largely on the grounds of equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curriculum has been far less discussed in higher education than in school education. Indeed, analyses of the literature suggest that the curriculum has only really become a matter for sustained discussion and research in higher education in the present century. This article synthesises the results of a review of the published research literature on the curriculum in higher education, outlining an agenda for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of higher education journals--that is, refereed academic journals wholly focused on higher education--reveals much about the field of higher education research. This analysis identified 86 such journals published in the English language, considering their focus, ownership, location, orientation, age, size and ranking. From this analysis, a shorter list of 28 key journals is identified. It is argued that, given the scale of the contribution being made to higher education research--for example, the 86 journals between them published over 16,000,000 words in 2016, with this total increasing year on year--it may be time to spend more effort on synthesising and disseminating what we have already learnt, rather than, or before, undertaking fresh research.

The scholarship of teaching and learning has become an increasingly popular theme for discussion, research and practice in higher education over the last three decades. In essence, this idea recognizes the importance of taking a critical and research-based approach to teaching and learning, and, in doing so, attempts to elevate the status of the teaching role in comparison to research. This article explores the derivation and development of the scholarship of teaching and learning, and considers its application and critique, through a systematic review of the academic literature. It concludes that, while the scholarship of teaching and learning has been influential in terms of thinking, practice and policy -- particularly at the level of the individual, course or department -- it has not led to the development of new or innovative lines of research. While it might be argued that this was not its intention, it has limited its impact.

The idea of the university has been a matter of intense debate for well over a century. The essential nature, role and purpose of the university have long been questioned. The debate has only intensified as universities have multiplied and expanded across the globe, and the demands made upon them by different stakeholders have grown and diversified. This article focuses on how the research literature on the idea of the university has developed over the last 150 years, using this to assess where the debate might be going. It puts forward three key elements for a contemporary idea of the university: the increased use of educational technology, development beyond the university, and mass undergraduate provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article presents a literature review of published research focused on challenging cheating in higher education. A brief overview of the literature on cheating in higher education is offered, showing the global interest in the topic, the varied ways in which it has been defined, and evidence on its incidence and causes. The range of methods that have been used or proposed to challenge cheating in higher education—institutional policy, training for staff and students, changing assessment practices, identifying at risk students, use of technology and multi-faceted approaches—are then considered, together with the available evidence on their suitability and effectiveness. The article concludes that the evidence is not strong and that a great deal more effort and research is required to effectively challenge cheating in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the application of phenomenography, as arguably the only research design (so far) to have been developed substantially within higher education research by higher education researchers. It considers its origins, meaning and application, and the issues and critiques that it has raised. It concludes that, while phenomenography has both acknowledged limitations and undoubted achievements, it still appears to have much to offer to higher education research, and its usage might be extended to other fields.

The idea of the research/teaching nexus has become of increasing importance in thinking about higher education over the last three decades. In essence, this idea recognizes the two key functions of higher education--teaching and research--and argues that they are, or should be, closely linked. This article explores the derivation and development of this idea, and considers its application and critique, through a systematic review of the literature. It concludes that, while there is clearly a linkage between research and teaching at a global level, it needs nurturing locally. We might do well to limit the emotional commitment often embodied in thinking about the association between research and teaching, and do more to explore in detail what actually happens in practice.

This paper examines the idea of tribes and territories, as an example of a theory developed and applied within higher education research of relevance to higher education policy. It traces the origins and meaning of the term, reviews its application by higher education researchers and discusses the issues it raises and the critiques it has attracted. It is concluded that while, like all theoretical frameworks, tribes and territories has strengths and weaknesses, it remains of use for thinking about academics, disciplines, their relations and associated policy areas.