Nathalie Wesseling | Amsterdam University Of Applied Sciences (original) (raw)

Papers by Nathalie Wesseling

This paper discusses the positioning of higher education in the information or so-called network ... more This paper discusses the positioning of higher education in the information or so-called network society. As part of a broader PhD research into media literacy and the success of students in higher education, this theoretical disquisition submits links between information problem-solving skills (IPS-skills), students’ success, social media and the position of student’s assignments and higher education in society. First, I'll explain by using pedagogical theories, that when researching students’ success in higher education in contemporary society, it is important to know why and how students use social media. Secondly, the necessity of IPS-skills is discussed along with the challenges and difficulties. Not only the skills of searching for reliable and useful information are addressed but also the construction of the Internet and the way a part of the Internet works, is discussed, in particular the filter bubble. Thirdly, with the use of the network theory, the role of social media (in the present case: Facebook) in higher education is analysed. Ultimately, this paper complements the pedagogical theory on students’ success in contemporary society. Furthermore, distinguishing education as a distinctive field within the network society will tighten the network theory.

In the following paper I investigate several factors of integration and their influence on studen... more In the following paper I investigate several factors of integration and their influence on students’ success in higher education derived from leading pedagogical theories. Furthermore the use of Facebook by first year students, in the Department of Media, Communication and Information at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences is discussed as a possible new influential factor of student success in contemporary society. The differences in the purpose of Facebook use by students are measured and compared with factors of integration, which were proven in previous studies, to be of influence to the success of students in higher education. Because this study is part of a broader (PhD) research wherein I investigate the influence of media literacy and its possible effect on students’ success, I will embed the results in a more theoretical discussion into integration in higher education and compare the results with previous studies conducted among the same population as part of previous mentioned research. All variables are measured using digital surveys and analysed with the help of statistical tests. This paper will ultimately investigate the relation between the variables derived from Tinto’s integration theory in contemporary society, Facebook use by students and its possible influence on students’ success.

INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2022

In the following paper I compare the use of Facebook by first year students, in the Department of... more In the following paper I compare the use of Facebook by first year students, in the Department of Media, Communication and Information at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. Opposed to previous years, in 2012 and 2013 the use of Facebook was incorporated in the student career-counselling course and mandatory to create and join a class page on Facebook. The differences in whether or not students use (self-created) Facebook-groups were measured for both groups of first year students and compared with each other. Furthermore, because this study is part of a broader (PhD) research wherein I investigate the influence of media literacy and its possible effect on students’ success, I will also incorporate other variables derived from Tinto’s integration theory. In previous studies it was proved that these variables were influential factors of students success. All variables are measured using digital surveys and analysed with the help of statistical tests. This will explore the possible differences in Facebook use between the two groups. Furthermore it will investigate the relation between the variables derived from Tinto’s integration theory and Facebook use. Ultimately it will provide a valuable insight in the opportunities of Facebook in an educational setting.

This paper is a theoretical discussion of the factors that influence students’ success in higher ... more This paper is a theoretical discussion of the factors that influence students’ success in higher education based on previous studies and a will propose possible new factors that emerge from the changes in our information society. After an inventory of factors of influence based on educational theory studies and sociology, respectively involving Durkheim’s social integration and Coleman’s rational choice theory, I will discuss possible additional factors of influence, given by the evolving media-saturated world and media literacy research. More specifically, I will discuss information problem-solving skills and its possible influential factor on first year college students’ success. Because of the increasing use and expanding role of computers and the Internet and the tendency of students to roam the Internet in search for information in order to solve their study assignments, I will point out why those skills are becoming more important, besides computer skills, in today’s society and especially important for students to find their way in the overload of information on the Internet. The inventory of all the factors and the theoretical discussion if information problem-solving skills have to be taken into account as an additional factor of students’ success in higher education is also a requirement for a follow-up study. In this study all the factors will be measured and subject to statistical tests to detect for each variable, the weight of, or contribution to the success of a student and the correlation and/or causalities between the different variables. Eventually this will enable me to determine to what extend the information problem-solving skills have a beneficial effect on students’ success in higher education.

In this paper I investigate the differences between the 960 first year students at the department... more In this paper I investigate the differences between the 960 first year students at the department of Media, Information and Communication (MIC) of the University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam (UASA) in their use of new media and their background variables. With statistical test the various variables will be measured and compared with each other in order to give insight in the distribution of the variables among the students and possible relations between new media use and the students’ background. This study is part of a broader PhD research that investigates the relation between aspects of media literacy and students’ success. Therefore, the background variables that had proven to be factors of influence in student success by previous studies were also measured in this study. The use of new media was measured in the same survey amongst the students. The digital questionnaire was part of the career counselling course and mandatory for all students. With the insight of the distribution and relations between the different variables and the use of new media, this study will provide us a better few on the differences between the so-called Internet generation. Especially in the Netherlands, where 98% of all households with children have access to the Internet, a closer look into the differences could provide useful information for future research in digital divide and it’s shift from access to skills and differences in usage of the Internet.

In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its pos... more In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its possible relation with students’ previous education and their subjective study success in higher education. Three surveys (six in total) were conducted in two successive years (cohort 2011-2012 and 2012-2013) amongst the first year students in the Department of Media, Information and Communication at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Facebook use will be categorized, according to a previous paper, by the motives of Facebook use; 1) information sharing, 2) for educational purposes, 3) for social purposes and 4) for leisure. Furthermore, the use of special group pages on Facebook is also compared with the students’ previous education. The subjective study success is measured by questioning how much time a student thinks he needs to complete all first year exams and is measured in all three surveys in both years, to uncover possible changes in their opinion. All variables are measured amongst the 904 students in both cohorts, using digital surveys and all data is analysed with the help of statistical tests. This study is part of a broader (PhD) research in which I investigate the possible relation between media literacy and students’ success in higher education.

Abstract In the following paper I investigate the correlation between students’ use of Facebook a... more Abstract In the following paper I investigate the correlation between students’ use of Facebook and their first year grade point average in the Department of Media, Communication and Information at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Differences in grade points will be measured against whether or not a student utilises Facebook. In addition, the difference in the way that they use this social network site (SNS) will also be explored, by examining their motives for using Facebook. In a previous study I categorised usage by; 1) information sharing, 2) educational purposes, 3) social purposes and 4) leisure. Digital surveys will measure these categories and be compared to the students’ grade points, using statistical tests. This will provide a valuable insight into how the differences are distributed and if there is any relationship between the purpose of Facebook use, the students’ grade points of prior education, and ultimately, whether or not a student passed all first year exams.

With this paper I investigate the extent to which information problem solving (IPS) skills can be... more With this paper I investigate the extent to which information problem solving (IPS) skills can be measured in a quantitative study using a combination of two tools originally designed for use in qualitative research. Using statistical methods, I evaluate these tools – developed for training and rating information-literacy skills, respectively – to see if they give a reliable indication of the level of IPS skills in a group of 869 students in higher education. I examine both the normal distribution and the variance of the students’ scores for the various IPS skills. Furthermore, I use the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to measure the level of agreement between the students’ scores on those skills and to discover any differences in the way the teachers rated them. I also discuss the results of that test in relation to the reliability of those tools in general and to their applicability for quantitative research purposes in particular. Although the tools have previously proven useful in qualitative studies, my results show that they will require some adjustment before they can be used effectively in quantitative research. I conclude with suggestions as to which adjustments should be made.

In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its pos... more In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its possible relation with students' previous education and their subjective study success in higher education. Three surveys (six in total) were conducted in two successive years (cohort 2011-2012 and 2012-2013) amongst the first year students in the Department of Media, Information and Communication at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Facebook use will be categorized, according to a previous paper, by the motives of Facebook use; 1) information sharing, 2) for educational purposes, 3) for social purposes and 4) for leisure. Furthermore, the use of special group pages on Facebook is also compared with the students' previous education. The subjective study success is measured by questioning how much time a student thinks he needs to complete all first year exams and is measured in all three surveys in both years, to uncover possible changes in their opinion. All variables are measured amongst the 904 students in both cohorts, using digital surveys and all data is analysed with the help of statistical tests. This study is part of a broader (PhD) research in which I investigate the possible relation between media literacy and students' success in higher education.

INTED Proceedings

In this research into the influence of the use of social media in higher education, I have lessen... more In this research into the influence of the use of social media in higher education, I have lessened the amount of variables, from Tinto's integration theory. By including only the best-proven predictive variables, based on previous studies, I avoid the capitalization of chance and have built a more easy to use model for teachers and management. The latent variable 'satisfaction' is constructed by using just a fraction of the original manifest variables. The simplified model is tested using principal component analysis (PCA), to prove its fit. Furthermore, to better suit students' contemporary society in the developed world, the model is enriched with the use of social media, in this case Facebook. The purpose of Facebook use (information, education, social and leisure) and the use of different pages amongst students were also measured with PCA. This provided a better insight in the integration/engagement components, which are also included in the new model. According by the measurements of Cronbach's alpha and Guttman's lambda-2, the new components showed internal consistency and reliability. In addition, SPSS AMOS was used for testing the fit of the model and showed reasonable values for the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). This study will compare different background variables within the model to uncover the possible influences upon students' attrition (and therefor also their success), engagement/satisfaction and social media use. Ultimately this paper will provide jet another piece to the puzzle for a better insight into the factors of students' attrition and/or success. INTRODUCTION1 In the integration theory, coined by Tinto [2], a model was built to explain the success of students in higher education. In short the theory states that the more a student feels at home at the institute, the better the success or the less chance of attrition. However, this theory was not tested, it was merely a theoretical construct. Upon closer inspection and with the implementation of the theory by other researchers in empirical studies, a number of problems emerged. For one, independent of the (social or academic) integration, the various backgrounds of students had a direct effect on students' success [3]. In other studies [4][5][6] pointed also to external forces. One study [7] showed that these external forces especially have influence on non-residential and urban colleges. This eventually led to abandoning the dichotomy of social and academic integration, which Tinto initially introduced. The study showed that 'expected duration' was a better predictor of student success than integration and found the data from the integration variables too capacious. In a previous study [8] I successfully diminished the amount of variables and will use these insights in this research. However the difficulties from the integration theory, elements of the theory are still used for different purposes. For example, the Dutch government annually monitors rational decisions made by students that can influence their success: such as 'time spent on study' and 'time spent on work'. And universities evaluate their courses, each semester or trimester, by

ICERI Proceedings

As part of my PhD research, I investigate the influence of the use of social media by first year ... more As part of my PhD research, I investigate the influence of the use of social media by first year students in higher education. In this research I have lessened the amount of variables, from Tinto's theory, by including only the best-proven predictive variables, based on previous studies. Hereby, avoiding the capitalization of chance so that a more easy to use model for teachers and management has been built. The latent variable 'satisfaction' is constructed by using just a fraction of the original manifest variables and tested using principal component analysis to prove the model can be simplified. Furthermore, I enriched the model with the use of social media, in particular Facebook, to better suit students' contemporary society in the developed world. With principal analysis on Facebook usage, I measured the purpose of Facebook use (information, education, social and leisure) and the use of different pages amongst students. This provided different integration/engagement components, which are also included in the simplified model. For the principal component-analysis, Cronbach's alpha and Guttman's lambda-2 showed internal consistency and reliability. SPSS AMOS was used for testing the fit of the model and showed reasonable values for the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). This study will compare different background variables within the model to uncover the possible influences upon student success, engagement/satisfaction and social media use. Ultimately this paper will provide a better insight into what kind of influence social media can have upon student success. INTRODUCTION1 Some forty years ago, Tinto [1] coined his integration theory in which he built a model to explain the success of students in higher education. He stated in this theory that the more a student feels at home at the institute, the better the success or the less chance of attrition. Furthermore, he distinguished social and academic integration, which was initially not based on survey data. However, the theory was empirically tested by other researchers who then suggested improvements. For example, independent of the social or academic integration, the various backgrounds of students had a direct effect on students' success [2]. In later work Tinto [3] and other studies [4][5] pointed also to external forces. A study by Beekhoven [6] showed that these external forces especially have influence on non-residential and urban colleges. This eventually led to abandoning the dichotomy of social and academic integration and inclusion of an element from the rational choice theory by Coleman [7] 'expected duration.' The study showed that the latter was a better predictor of student success than integration and found the data from the integration variables too capacious. Despite the difficulties from the integration theory, elements of the theory are used in different studies and for different purposes. The Dutch government annually monitors rational decisions that can influence students' success, such as 'time spent on study' and 'time spent on work. Maybe even more important, most institutions evaluate their courses and overall education, each semester or trimester, by measuring these variables along with the degree of satisfaction 1 The introduction is an adjusted version of the introduction from the paper Factor analysis of satisfaction and engagement

INTED2019 Proceedings, 2019

Since 2016 it is mandatory for all future students at the department of Media, Information and Co... more Since 2016 it is mandatory for all future students at the department of Media, Information and Communication, to participate in a study choice test (SCT), prior their enrollment. However, the outcome is not binding and students are still entitled to enter the first year after receiving negative advice. With the help of a structural model, built for my PhD research, the predictive value of the SCT is tested by comparing the time it takes the students to finish all first year exams, their average grade point and attrition, against the results of the SCT. By using the structural model, various background variables are also measured, such as engagement, effort and commitment are also measured. By using the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the fit of the model is established. In addition, a comparison of the direct and indirect influence of the SCT will provide more knowledge about the correlations between the different variables, the SCT and ultimately student success.

Journal of Technologies in Society

The research on student attrition, retention and success in the Netherlands is highly influenced ... more The research on student attrition, retention and success in the Netherlands is highly influenced by Tinto's integration theory. In this paper, as part of my broader PhD research, I propose adjusting that theory to achieve a better fit with contemporary society and the living environment of the present generation of students in the developed world. Social media plays a crucial role in contemporary society and thus also in the lives of students. Previous research has been inconclusive about the effect of social media on students' success, however, as it has focused on the quantitative rather than the qualitative aspects of social media use. In line with the above-mentioned pedagogical theory and using insights from recent studies on students' social media use, I discuss different ways to measure the possible success factors. This paper provides a theoretical basis for further research on the success of students in contemporary society as well as insight into the potential uses of social media in education – especially by students outside of the classroom.

INTED2017 Proceedings, 2017

Research on student success has been highly influenced by Tinto's integration theory in E... more Research on student success has been highly influenced by Tinto's integration theory in Europe and America. As part of my PhD research, I investigate the possible influence of the use of social media by first year students in higher education. Based on Tinto's theory, the amount of variables is diminished by including only the best predictive variables. Hereby, avoiding the capitalization of chance and to establish a more easy to use model for teachers and management. In previous studies the latent variables 'satisfaction' was built by using a fraction of the original manifest variables and tested using principal component analysis to proof how the model could be simplified. In this paper I focus on the role of the use of social media, in particular Facebook, and enrich the model of Tinto for a better suit to the students' contemporary society in the developed world. The principal analysis, on the use of Facebook, measured by purpose (information, education, social and leisure) and by the use of different pages amongst students, is also conducted in a previous study. However, the result of this study of provided the different integration or engagement components, which now will be included in Tinto's simplified model. For the principal component-analysis, internal consistency and the reliability will be shown by Cronbach's alpha and Guttman's lambda-2. For testing the fit of the model, SPSS AMOS is used and the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) are calculated. Ultimately this paper will provide a better insight into what kind of influence social media can have upon student success. Summary The use of social media by students in higher education measured and explored using principal component-analysis and SPSS AMOS for model testing to gain more insight in students' success in line with Tinto's integration theory.

ICERI2016 Proceedings, 2016

Research in the Netherlands on the success of students in higher education is highly influenced b... more Research in the Netherlands on the success of students in higher education is highly influenced by Tinto’s integration theory. This paper is part of a broader PhD research, in which I investigate the possible influence of the use of social media (Facebook) by students. By comparing various studies conducted in line with the tradition of the integration theory, this paper focuses on a limited amount of variables. By taking the best-proven variables to represent satisfaction, this research measures and test these variables, derived from Tinto’s theory as one latent variable. The internal consistency is tested by factor analysis and the reliability is measured with Cronbach’s alpha and Guttman’s lambda-2. All data is collected by digital surveys among the first year students in 2011-2012 at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences with a limited enrollment of 904. Ultimately, this paper provides insight into the potential use of a simplified version of the integration theory and to include, in later study, the role of social media as a factor of integration in education. In addition, it will open the possibility to create a model for student success, which will have a better fit with the present generation of students in the developed world.

INTED proceedings, Mar 1, 2022

In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its pos... more In the following paper I investigate the relation between the purpose of Facebook use and its possible relation with students' previous education and their subjective study success in higher education. Three surveys (six in total) were conducted in two successive years (cohort 2011-2012 and 2012-2013) amongst the first year students in the Department of Media, Information and Communication at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Facebook use will be categorized, according to a previous paper, by the motives of Facebook use; 1) information sharing, 2) for educational purposes, 3) for social purposes and 4) for leisure. Furthermore, the use of special group pages on Facebook is also compared with the students' previous education. The subjective study success is measured by questioning how much time a student thinks he needs to complete all first year exams and is measured in all three surveys in both years, to uncover possible changes in their opinion. All variables are measured amongst the 904 students in both cohorts, using digital surveys and all data is analysed with the help of statistical tests. This study is part of a broader (PhD) research in which I investigate the possible relation between media literacy and students' success in higher education.

INTED Proceedings

ICERI Proceedings

INTED2019 Proceedings, 2019

Journal of Technologies in Society

INTED2017 Proceedings, 2017

ICERI2016 Proceedings, 2016

INTED2019 Proceedings, 2019

ICERI2017 Proceedings, 2017

In this research, which is part of my PhD research into the influence of the use of social media ... more In this research, which is part of my PhD research into the influence of the use of social media in higher education, I have lessened the amount of variables, from Tinto’s integration theory. By including only the best-proven predictive variables, based on previous studies, I avoid the capitalization of chance and have built a more easy to use model for teachers and management. The latent variable ‘satisfaction’ is constructed by using just a fraction of the original manifest variables. The simplified model is tested using principal component analysis (PCA), to prove its fit. Furthermore, to better suit students’ contemporary society in the developed world, the model is enriched with the use of social media, in this case Facebook. The purpose of Facebook use (information, education, social and leisure) and the use of different pages amongst students were also measured with PCA. This provided a better insight in the integration/engagement components, which are also included in the new model. According by the measurements of Cronbach’s alpha and Guttman’s lambda-2, the new components showed internal consistency and reliability. In addition, SPSS AMOS was used for testing the fit of the model and showed reasonable values for the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). This study will compare different background variables within the model to uncover the possible influences upon students’ attrition (and therefor also their success), engagement/satisfaction and social media use. Ultimately this paper will provide jet another piece to the puzzle for a better insight into the factors of student
s’ attrition
and/or success.

As part of my PhD research, I investigate the factors of student success and the influence of the... more As part of my PhD research, I investigate the factors of student success and the influence of the use of social media for first year students in higher education. For this I use the insights provided by the highly influential and leading integration theory of Tinto and diminished the amount of variables by only using the best predictive ones. Hereby, avoiding the capitalization of chance and establishing a more easy to use model for teachers and management. Furthermore, I enriched the model with the use of social media, in particular Facebook, to better suit students’ contemporary society in the developed world. Principal component analysis on Facebook usage provided different integration/engagement components, which I coined peer-engagement and knowledge engagement. Both consisted of various purposes of Facebook use (information, education, social and leisure) and the use of different pages amongst students. To uncover if these latent variables play a significant role in student success or if Facebook is a multi-distracting platform, two models were compared using structural equation modeling with SPSS AMOS; one with and one without the peer-, and knowledge engagement variables. The fit of both models are compared using the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). In addition, the direct influence and indirect influence of all variables are compared to provide a better insight into what kind of influence social media can have upon student success

Presentation at the Eight International Conference on e-learning and Innovative Pedagogies, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA., 2015

The research on student success in the Netherlands is highly influenced by Tinto's integration th... more The research on student success in the Netherlands is highly influenced by Tinto's integration theory. In this paper, as part of my broader PhD research, I propose adjusting this theory to achieve a better fit with the present generation of students in the developed world. In contemporary society social media plays a crucial role and thus also in the lives of students. Earlier (engagement) research has been inconclusive about the effect of social media on students' success, however, as it has focused on the quantitative rather than the qualitative aspects of social media use. In this study I measure the purpose of social media use and test its influence on students success next to various factors derived from the above mentioned pedagogical theories. This paper provides insight into the potential uses of social media in education by students.

Presentation at the Third 21st Century Academic Forum Conference, Harvard University, Boston, USA.

The research on student attrition, retention and success in the Netherlands is highly influenced ... more The research on student attrition, retention and success in the Netherlands is highly influenced by Tinto's integration theory. In this paper, as part of my broader PhD research, I propose adjusting this theory to achieve a better fit with the present generation of students in the developed world. By measuring the best predictive variables of Tinto's theory at an ordinal level it also fits better with the evaluation forms used in Dutch Institutes of Higher education. In contemporary society social media plays a crucial role and thus also in the lives of students. Earlier research has been inconclusive about the effect of social media on students' success, however, as it has focused on the quantitative rather than the qualitative aspects of social media use. In line with the above-mentioned pedagogical theory and using insights from recent studies on students' social media use, I test the influence of various factors as well as the use of social media on student success. This paper provides insight into the potential uses of social media in education – especially by students outside of the classroom. Summary Tinto's factors of student success in higher education measured at an ordinal level to achieve a better fit with evaluation forms used in Dutch institutes and expanded with social media use by students to achieve a better fit with the present generation of students in the developed world.