Understanding student engagement and transition

Recently completed research into the progress of Foundation Year students has identified factors that are apparently predictive of non-completion of the course. In a recent study we showed that those who subsequently did not complete had reported lower expectations of their own performance and were less engaged than those who did complete. Engagement was assessed by commitment to attendance. If psychometric measures could be used to identify those at risk of withdrawal during the first year of undergraduate study as well as during the foundation year, it would be possible to target support appropriately to reduce attrition and thereby improve retention. This study, across two Higher Education institutions, replicated the methodology with first year undergraduates. Data were collected from new undergraduates during the autumn term of their first year and will be compared with data from the examination boards at both HEIs at the end of the students' first year to ascertain the measures' diagnostic power. Therefore in this paper we are reporting a preliminary analysis of the qualitative data. Group interviews were conducted to identify the influence on withdrawal of aids and barriers to student engagement. Findings from these group interviews are reported, a new model for understanding successful transition is proposed and suggestions for improving retention through engagement identified

Using psychometrics to identify traditionally-aged and mature students at risk of non-completion

Returning to higher education can be a life-enhancing step, but returning then not completing can have a deleterious effect on self-esteem. Early identification of those at risk of non-completion would enable focussed deployment of supportive interventions. The work reported was designed to evaluate the use of two psychometric scales to predict successful completion of the first year of study in Higher Education. The aim of this paper is to explore the efficacy of these tests for both traditionally aged and older students returning to study. In both studies participants were asked to complete the Performance Expectation Ladder and the Academic Behavioural Confidence (ABC) Scale at the start of the academic year. These data were then analysed by the subsequent outcome data from the examining boards at the end of that year. The first study comprised 160 Foundation Year students from four courses across two universities in different countries in the UK. For the sample as a whole, one subscale on the ABC Scale, Attendance, was significantly associated with successful end of year outcome. Broken down by age group, this applied to traditionally aged students and returning students under 40, but not to the small number of older returning students (N=5). The second study comprised 503 first year degree students from 19 courses across two universities. Again the Attendance subscale was the most effective predictor of end of year outcome for students under 40, with the 21 older students showing a different pattern. In both studies the older students had high scores on the Attendance subscale, but lower end of year success rates than their younger contemporaries. It is acknowledged that the examining board outcome data provided a relatively crude distinction between those who were able to progress at this juncture from those who were not; this lack of subtlety in grouping however is likely to underestimate any real differences between successful and unsuccessful students. The findings suggest that the ABC may be used to identify those at risk of non-progression for traditional aged and younger returners. It appears ineffective as a diagnostic tool for more mature students. The latter’s high level of confidence in attending yet relatively poor outcome is worthy of further consideration in the context of thwarted commitment for the mature returner to education. It would be informative to extending this research to compare graduation outcomes although it is noteworthy that national statistics evidence that student withdrawal peaks during the first year of study

An Exploratory Study into the Use of Psychology Participant Panels in Psychology Departments in the United Kingdom

Psychology Participant Pools (PPP) are known to be used within psychology departments in the United Kingdom as a way to promote understanding of psychological research and as a means to aid students and researchers to collect data. However, there is currently no information regarding the different practices undertaken in each department. This article represents a first exploration in this endeavour by asking representatives from these departments to complete a survey. General findings revealed that the number of studies conducted were either under 20 or over 40, Level 4 students had to obtain slightly more credits than Level 5 students, a range of activities were observed for those participants who did not obtain all their credits, and the PPP was more often than not tied to a research methods module. Despite receiving responses from around only a third of departments, the results revealed a wide range of behaviours across the departments. We feel that these are useful for departments who wish to establish, or update, their own PPP, but also recognise that a larger study is required to more accurately capture the use of PPPs in the United Kingdom

The challenge of defining wellbeing

Wellbeing is a growing area of research, yet the question of how it should be defined remains unanswered. This multi-disciplinary review explores past attempts to define wellbeing and provides an overview of the main theoretical perspectives, from the work of Aristotle to the present day. The article argues that many attempts at expressing its nature have focused purely on dimensions of wellbeing, rather than on definition. Among these theoretical perspectives, we highlight the pertinence of dynamic equilibrium theory of wellbeing (Headey & Wearing, 1989), the effect of life challenges on homeostasis (Cummins, 2010) and the lifespan model of development (Hendry & Kloep, 2002). Consequently, we conclude that it would be appropriate for a new definition of wellbeing to centre on a state of equilibrium or balance that can be affected by life events or challenges. The article closes by proposing this new definition, which we believe to be simple, universal in application, optimistic and a basis for measurement. This definition conveys the multi-faceted nature of wellbeing and can help individuals and policy makers move forward in their understanding of this popular term

‘Passionately curious’ or curiously passionate? Measuring students’ emotional engagement with their study programme

Objectives: Passion has been found to be an important and advantageous characteristic in many diverse contexts. The aim of this study was to measure students’ engagement with their study programme through the attribute ‘academic passion’. Design: Following a thematic analysis of qualitative responses from a previous study which investigated retention and engagement, the Academic Passion Scale (APS) was developed to test the salience of emotional engagement with students’ programme of study. The scale was tested on two diverse cohorts, one from arts-based courses and the other from science-based courses, at two UK universities. Methods: 303 participants were recruited and invited to complete a 26-item Likert type scale. Data reduction techniques suggested excluding 5 items from the scale, producing the APS21. Results: Preliminary analysis showed no correlation between mean APS21 scores and Key Information Sets data for each of the courses, nor was there a difference between science-based and arts-based courses. However the two NHS programmes that provided bursaries produced significantly higher APS21 scores than the other programmes (z=7.13, P<.001). Conclusions: We suggest that the competitive nature of applications for bursary funded courses is likely to result in positive affirmation of course choice by the successful which would account for the higher scores on the APS21 found in this study. Future work with APS21 will explore its role in understanding retention and identifying those at risk of non-completion of their programme of study

Students’ presentations: Does the experience change their views?

IntroductionResearch has shown that students do not like student presentations, yet a case can be made for them. This study seeks to understand the effects that presentations have on students.MethodWithin an action research framework, two repeated–measures studies were completed, one with students undertaking assessed presentations the other with those doing non–assessed presentations. Respondents completed both measures of the Views on Teaching, Learning and Assessment questionnaire (VTLA, derived from Sander et al., 2000) at the start and at the end of each study. All respondents completed the Academic Behavioural Confidence scale (ABC, Sander &amp; Sanders 2003) at the start of each study but its second measurement was taken when only part of each cohort had undertaken a presentation.ResultsIn the assessed presentation study, students who had done their presentations showed an overall increase in ABC, (p&amp;0.05) indicating improved confidence. No such increase was found after the non–assessed presentation. In both studies, students showed significant increases in their responses to items on the ABC that related to public speaking, (p&amp;0.05). The VTLA revealed that experiencing presentations as a teaching method can help students feel more positive about them and able to acknowledge benefits of presenting than they did prior to this experience. It also confirmed that students find presentations daunting and some have some concerns about learning from peers.DiscussionThe different responses in the two studies may have been influenced by the way that presentations were integrated into modules at different levels. However, it would seem that the experience of presentations might raise student confidence in their own abilities although it is less likely to change their views of the prospect of presenting.</jats:sec