for-profit mid-career programs as a second chance for disadvantaged social groups
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For-profit Mid-career Programs as a Second Chance for
Disadvantaged Social Groups
Hanna Ayalon and Gila Menahem Tel Aviv University, Israel
Prepared for the Decowe Conference, Ljubljana, September 2009
Some information on the for-profit programs in Israel A new phenomenon Master’s programs aimed at junior
managers with a Bachelor’s degree. Do not train researchers Charge high tuition fees Parallel to existing programs, but less
selective and more intensive Students complete studies in four
semesters (instead of two and more years)
Rational Financial crisis in the Israeli
universities
Part of an international trend
Brief information on Israeli higher education Until the 90th composed mainly of
research universities Traditional universities are divided
into elite and non-elite universities During the 90th – a remarkable
expansion due to the establishment of academic colleges
The colleges are considered the second tier of higher education
Currently, more than 50% of the undergraduate students study in the colleges
Fields of study Differ in attractiveness, prestige and
selectivity (Ayalon and Yogev 2005) Most prestigious – lucrative fields.
Least prestigious – humanities.
Critics of the executive programs Turning higher education into a
business
Enhancing educational inequality
The programs as a second chance Provides junior managers the
opportunity to upgrade their status by winning a Master’s degree from a prestigious university
Previously deprived of this opportunity due to social and / or educational disadvantages.
Convert their self-acquired resources into educational credentials
Research question Do the for-profit programs serve as a
second chance for ethnically and socially disadvantaged groups and / or for educationally disadvantaged members of privileged groups.
Data About 600 students in parallel
executive and regular programs in the social science programs, Tel Aviv University, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Descriptive results
Student’s characteristics according to program
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Mizrachim Arab College Eliteuniversity
Non-elite Humanities Socialsciences
For-profit Regular
Graduation grade by program
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
Grade
For-profit Regular
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
Father's occupational prestige
For profitRegular
Age by program
05
10152025303540
age
For-profitRegular
Income by Program
01000
20003000
4000
50006000
70008000
For profitRegular
Results of the logistic regression
Dependent variable – the odds of enrolling in an for-profit mid-career
versus a regular program
Socio-demographic characteristicsModel 1Model 2Model 3
Female-0.929**-1.097**-0.532
Mizrachim0.502**0.524**0.719**
Parental education
-0.0200.013-0.056
Father’s occupational prestige
-0.011**-0.018*-0.016*
Educational characteristicsModel 2Model 3
Non-elite university
1.215**0.789*
College1.763**2.209**
Humanities1.679**1.701**
Other1.326**-0.916
Graduation score
-0.173**-0.117**
InteractionsMizrachim*”father’s occ. prestige
-1.437**-1.175**-1.923**
Non-elite*humanities
-0.746-0.410
Non-elite*other-1.129*-1.191
College*humanities-0.306**-1.742
College*other-1.422*-1.896**
Age0.159**
Income0.159**
Parental education-0.056
Parental education*income
0.029**
Major results The for-profit programs provide the
opportunity of a prestigious Master’s degree to junior managers with the following characteristics:
Lower graduation scores Graduates of elite universities who did not
major in the social sciences Graduates of non-elite universities and
colleges who majored in the social sciences
The upper stratum of the disadvantaged ethnic groups
The lower stratum of the dominant ethnic group
Concluding remarks The executive programs compensate
members of the dominant ethnic group for social disadvantages
Members of the disadvantaged ethnic group who enroll in the programs have better social background.
Students who use their high income to upgrade themselves are more often children of educated parents.
The executive programs – a second chance for whom?
By using their high income, junior managers use the programs to overcome past social and educational disadvantages.
Still, the programs mainly compensate members of the dominant ethnic group for socioeconomic disadvantages.
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