ERIC Number: EJ1410877
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0951-8398
EISSN: EISSN-1366-5898
Psychometrics as Performance Indicator: New Modes of Governance of Universities?
Eva Bendix Petersen; Laura Louise Sarauw
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v37 n2 p426-437 2024
In Danish universities, like elsewhere, there is an increased concern for students' mental health and well-being. In 2018 the Danish government implemented a new biannual national student survey that focuses on well-being as a new indicator in the performance-based funding model. In this article we explore the survey, which is similar to surveys from other national contexts, and discuss the possible effects on students and universities. We draw on a Foucauldian post-disciplinary conceptual framework that asks us to consider how the "psy-disciplines" play out in educational institutions and contexts. We show how the survey mobilises psychometrics based on positive psychology and argue that the survey, as a new form of governing at a distance, normalises a figure of the "positive" student, which may counteract the intention of addressing the lack of well-being. Further it responsibilises universities for how students "feel" rather than what they learn, which constitutes a significant change.
Descriptors: Psychometrics, Foreign Countries, Universities, College Students, Mental Health, Well Being, Governance, Government Role, Student Surveys, Educational Finance, Performance, Government School Relationship, National Surveys, Financial Support
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Denmark
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A