First-year student well-being and persistence: Building the evidence base and including the student perspective
Daniels, Natasha
Daniels, Natasha
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Publication Date
2022-02
Type
Thesis
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Citation
Abstract
Student persistence is essential to student education attainment and is linked with student motivation to continue with their studies, even when they face challenges. Student persistence during first year of college is the central topic of this thesis, towards understanding how students can be supported. In Ireland, one in seven first-year students do not persist beyond their first year in college. This research aims to enhance our understanding of the factors contributing to this trend. Student well-being is an important public health priority. In particular, student mental wellbeing has emerged as an international area of concern in recent years with a wealth of research available exploring this area. The link between education and health is acknowledged in Irish policy, World Health Organisation definitions and the research in this area broadly. However, student persistence and retention modelling and research has been minimally inclusive of the consideration of student well-being as an important factor with the potential to impact persistence. This research aims to help towards understanding the link between student persistence and student well-being. Underpinned by Tinto’s Institutional Departure Model the relationship between student persistence and student well-being are explored within this research. The research employed a multimethod design to explore the first-year student experience utilising quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Study 1 (cross-sectional) and Study 2 (longitudinal) are quantitative studies focused on the experience of students during the first-year transition to college towards understanding important persistence factors, with the inclusion of well-being factors. In addition, Study 3 aimed to explore the student perspective of persistence utilising a qualitative participatory research methodology. This enabled a student partnership and data sharing approach towards an in-depth understanding of student persistence and the related support provision. The 3 studies resulted in four overall constructs emerging as important to first-year student persistence. These are; suitability of the academic course, student academic experiences, student social experiences and student well-being. Social factors that emerged as important for persistence included peer connections (S1), friends (S3), social life (S3) and loneliness (S3). In addition, important academic factors that emerged included academic self-efficacy (S1), academic environment (S1), academic supports (S3), academic skills (S3) and lack of motivation (S3). Much of this supports the literature with the consideration of a connection to home (S3) and gaining independence (S3) emerging as potentially new persistence promoting factors by the students. Well-being emerged as important to student persistence in all three studies; depression (S1,2), physical activity (S1), self-rated health (S1,2), cannabis use (S2), substance use (S3), stress (S3) and anxiety (S3). This provides quantitative and qualitative evidence of a relationship between student persistence and a variety of student well-being factors. Thus, identifying student well-being as an important construct to consider towards first-year student persistence and retention in the future. In addition, this research, for the first time enabled students themselves as research partners to identify three distinct parts of the transition to college and the support needs towards enabling persistence. Part 1 focused on supporting preparation for college (e.g., right course, accommodation, understanding what to expect from college), Part 2 focused on supports during semester 1 (time management, course transfers, online social support, academic skills) and Part 3 focused on supports during semester 2 (continuous assessment, tutorials, grinds, strict on attendance, social skills). In addition, student well-being (specifically mental wellbeing) supports were identified as being needed throughout the entire first year of college, as a necessary towards persistence by the students. Considering this data, an integrative model conceptualising the important elements of student persistence, inclusive of well-being is presented. The model identifies the 3 central spheres of the first-year experience, the relative importance of each, and the need for on-going student persistence supports in relation to the 3 spheres. Central to the model is each student being enrolled in a suitable academic course (or have opportunity to transfer to a suitable course during first year) towards persistence. Once on the right academic course, the model theorises that first-year student persistence is subject to each student’s ability to navigate 3 student centred spheres of college; the academic sphere, the social sphere and the well-being sphere within a supportive higher education environment. The model considers the relative importance of these 3 spheres, theorising the academic sphere is primary, with the student social experiences and well-being supporting their persistence thereafter.
Publisher
NUI Galway