Perceptions of Academic Preparedness

Exploring the personal and organisational factors that contributed to preparing mature students academically in the first semester of a Foundation Degree

Sara Shotton

Abstract

Adults who return to education often do so to upskill and improve their employment prospects. However, many mature students fail to finish their courses and most students who drop out do so in the first year. This project explored the experiences of three learners as they progressed through the first stages of a Foundation Degree (FD). With the use of semi-structured interviews, the students described their transition into university and revealed how a combination of personal and organisational factors prepared them for academic study. The findings illustrate the importance of the university’s support strategies in the early stages of a programme and the positive effects of student- centered pedagogy. Finally, this research highlights the need for a strategic, evidence-based approach to meeting the needs of today’s mature student. It is anticipated that the impact of the findings will be seen in the future retention and achievement of this demographic.

Introduction

The Widening Participation agenda has significantly increased access to university for non-traditional students, including mature learners, who may be unprepared for the intensity of academic study and may lack the necessary academic skills, causing them to withdraw from their course (Hillman cited in Weale, 2018). Knox (cited in Burton, Golding and Griffiths, 2011) states that this agenda cannot be seen as a successful strategy if the students it targets do not complete their qualifications. In addition, Osborne (2003) states, ‘improving access is one thing, ensuring progression within and beyond HE is another’ (Osborne cited in Fragoso, 2013, p. 1). It is reported that many adults who return to education may be impacted by a range of intrinsic and extrinsic barriers. Some students may face psychological barriers, such as a lack of confidence in their ability and a fear of failure. These characteristics are classified as a dispositional barrier, which Cross (Cited in Osam et al., 2017) suggests may only be overcome by self-determination and resilience.

The students who volunteered to take part in this research project are sports students who have chosen to undertake a Foundation Degree to improve their employment prospects. Degrees in sports coaching are designed to provide students with academic theory of fundamental concepts so they may align their practice with theoretical perspectives, such as the taxonomy of learning and social and psychological development (ibid.). In addition, students are encouraged to develop a professional perspective by understanding and demonstrating reflective practice.

Motivations, Barriers, and Attitudes

Taking a degree is a way to improve career prospects however, Ross-Gordon (2003, p.44) suggests that ‘although adults will respond to external motivators, such as a job promotion, the most potent motivators are internal’.

However, regardless of the initial motivations; it is reported that adults who return to education, do so following a complex process of contemplation and decision making, where the value of gaining an HE qualification is balanced with the challenges they may face (DfE, 2018). During this stage, individuals must also ensure they have the practical skills and emotional tenacity to undertake a degree (Topham, 2015).

Evidence shows that dropout rates are reportedly higher in the first year of study than at any other point (Weale, 2018). Davies (cited in Burton et al., 2011) identifies three key barriers faced by the mature learner: organisational, institutional and dispositional. Institutional and organisational barriers are classified by Osam et al. (2017) as the difficulties students encounter navigating the universities’ policies and procedures (Goto and Martin, 2009). A dispositional barrier is defined as the individual’s lack of preparedness for HE and is often due to a lack of understanding of what academic study involves (Ozga and Sukhnandan, 1998; Haggis and Ouget cited in Burton et al., 2011). Although each barrier presents a challenge to progress, dispositional barriers can affect an individual’s self-belief and confidence (ibid.).

Misra et al. (2000) found that many students reported the pressure to meet assessment deadlines was a major challenge. As Reisberg (2000) explained, students often feel overwhelmed by their workloads and become stressed (Reisberg, 2000). This type of stress can also be caused by a fear of failure as Garland (1993, p. 191) explains, the fear of failure is associated with ‘adult pride’, a dispositional barrier, where adults may fear failure to the point that they withdraw from their course. In addition, Nonis et al. (1998) found that poor time management was a major cause of stress in students. This study found that high achievers are more likely to suffer from stress due to their desire to succeed, thereby linking a student’s attitude to their work with a predisposition towards stress (ibid.).

A key factor in preparing students and retaining them is how well they engage with the academic process (Harris, 2008). Taylor and Parsons (2011) suggest that there is no clear agreement on a definition for student engagement as it can be noted in; academic, cognitive, intellectual, institutional, emotional, behavioural, social, and psychological domains (ibid.). However, it is the fundamental relationship between the teacher and student that Dunleavy and Milton (2009) identified as essential to engaging students in the academic process. This research highlights the importance of positive student-teacher relationships to enable students to build self-confidence (ibid.). In addition, a feeling of belonging to their university, reported by Chapman (2013) as a necessary factor in student engagement.

Research Methods and Methodologies

This project set out to answer the following questions:

• Do mature students feel adequately prepared to meet the requirements of the first semester assignments?

• In what ways do universities prepare new students to make progress in the first semester?

• Do students think there is sufficient time, in semester one, for them to meet the assessment requirements?

• What additional factors influence student preparedness?

Methodological Rationale

The focus on the student experience suggested a bottom-up perspective would be appropriate as this allowed me to study the impact of wider systems on the participants’ experience. In addition, I determined inductive reasoning as a suitable approach for the research as this allowed me to explore the information presented and identify the key themes emerging from the data (Cohen and Crabtree, 2006).

The focus of the study stems from my understanding of the factors that affect students early in their study programmes. Hence, the research method was deemed suitable for this project as I was interested in knowing the personal opinions, feelings and experiences of the participants which Cohen and Crabtree (2006) state, can be achieved with the interpretive approach.

Data Analysis

As this project took an inductive approach, it seemed natural to adopt thematic analysis as the tool for analysing the data. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach to thematic analysis involves a step-by-step process of generating codes and identifying themes and patterns. As I began to critically engage with the data, I noted two broad categories dividing the participant responses into either personal or organisational factors.

The following six themes, identified from this research are consistent with the available literature and therefore, suggest a correct interpretation of the participant’s voice.

• Previous educational experience

• Family influence

• Organisational support

• Attitude to higher education

• Tutor support

• Peer support

Previous Educational Experience

A key finding was the impact of the previous educational experience and qualifications the students had, before embarking on the FD, on the students’ confidence, self-perception of ability and preparedness. A lack of academic skills is described as a dispositional barrier, a lack of preparedness that impacts on the confidence and self-esteem of the mature student (Garland, 1993). Participant A felt a sense of self- efficacy and confidence in her ability, having successfully passed three A-Levels:

‘I didn’t struggle with the academic writing, not to blow my own trumpet but I am able to do that because of A-Levels and GCSEs’ (A).

Participant B left college before he had completed his level 3 qualification and he described how unprepared he felt he was at the beginning of the programme:

I have always been very practical and very good actually out there doing rather than sitting in the classroom in silence and sort of struggled with that quite a bit and I got pretty nervous of coming into it’ (B).

Research shows that A-Level students (like A) tend to be more confident about undertaking a degree (Havergal, 2015). In contrast, B described himself as a kinesthetic learner and as someone whose self-efficacy was in a practical context, not in a classroom environment. The third student in this study had no prior academic education, except through compulsory schooling, to the age of 16, in her home country. Participant C has resided in the UK for 15 years and speaks English fluently. C reports that, although she believed she had the necessary skills, she was unprepared for this level of study.

The students involved in this study talk about feeling anxious, stressed and unsure at the start of degree therefore, during this transitional period, it is recommended that institutions should aim to reduce the stress on students with carefully designed and specific interventions (ibid.).

‘I took the ‘Early Start’ Course in the summer because I thought it would help me prepare for the course (C).

Research shows that mature students are reportedly more aware of their abilities and more likely to accept offers of help and support (Topham, 2015).

Family influence

A key theme for two of the students was the support of their family and partners in helping them to adjust to academic study. Coleman (cited in Legewie and Thomas, 1966) states that the family is the most important factor in academic achievement.

Although the primary aim of this project is to identify preparedness, the influence of family may be a factor in mentally preparing and motivating a student. Factors such as; aspirations, wanting to gain an academic qualification, work ethic, understanding the effort required to achieve a degree and the normalising of degree-level education, family members with professional jobs, and HE qualifications, were highlighted by both A and B. The third participant in the study did not mention either her parents or her partner during the interview. Rather C discussed intrinsic factors such as enjoyment, interest and a love of writing.

Organisational support

As previously mentioned, in the literature review, the early days at university are crucial, and the various strategies used by universities to induct and further support new students during this time, are paramount in ensuring a positive experience and retention. However, these strategies cannot succeed if the curriculum itself does not allow enough time for students to make the transition into academic study (DfE, 2018). The participants described the limited time to prepare for their first assignments and achievement evidence, for previous cohorts of level four students, suggests that the expectation for a student to develop all the necessary skills in the first semester is challenging.

Another factor mentioned by two of the students, was three assignments, for semester one modules, that were due within the same week, and this was described as stressful and problematic. In addition, the issue of stress, due to time constraints, is reportedly a key characteristic of the students who drop out of their courses (Nonis et al., 1998). Participant C states that she was unable to combine work and university and therefore, decided to leave her job to concentrate on her degree. This finding supports research by Osam et al., (2017) who reports that women find themselves with conflicting responsibilities and often need to decide to leave work to fulfil their family commitments while they are studying.

Higher Education Learning Mentors (HELMs) are a team of staff who work with students to provide a range of support in a variety of settings. Students can access HELMs support in group; 1-1 settings, online, and through technology such as Teams (North College, 2020). The findings suggest that this holistic provision is an effective way of preparing new students as it removes some potential, logistical barriers. The students described how the

HELMs team came to them during lectures to discuss progress and provide them with the opportunity to ask for individual help and support.

The participants described the positive impact of the HELMs team who came to sessions thereby removing the need for students to find them. The team had a clear structure to the session and a less formal offer of specific 1-1 help and guidance. The students discussed how their motivation to succeed and attitude to studying prepared them to take on the challenge of HE. B discussed his attitude to the course from a work ethic perspective. Mature students are reported to be more committed and serious learners and are often sacrificing other areas of their life to study.

Peer Support and Group Cohesion

When individuals bond a sense of task and social cohesion is formed and this provides an additional level of support, which all participants reported as helpful (Tuckman, 1965).

I feel like there is a good team ethic from the group’ (B).

Research into group dynamics by Tuckman (cited in Smith 2005) states that Individuals go through a process of development, from their first meeting to a final stage of effectiveness. The stages of group formation are known as; forming, storming, norming and performing. When individuals come together, they progress through these stages as part of a bonding process which ultimately leads to group cohesion (ibid.).

‘I think everyone now feels comfortable in the class because we all know each other, and we are all quite close we speak to each other so it’s not just tutor support I can got to anyone and ask them if they have got anything that can help with this assignment and the majority of them will be like yes here’s an article or whatever’ (A).

A sense of belonging was found by Chapman (2013) to be a major factor in the development of student engagement and retention. In this case, the participants recognised how valuable team cohesion is to individual success and progress.

Tutor support

‘I struggled a lot with the theory side of things. (B)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that some students’ express difficulty in grasping abstract concepts (Shotton, 2019). Gershon (2013) describes this difficulty as troublesome knowledge. Student B described how he was introduced to concepts that presented him with a new way of thinking, or in this case, a new way to view coaching through a theoretical lens (Meyer and Land, 2003).

All participants stated that tutor pedagogy was fundamental to their progress. The ability to organise concepts and develop strategies to allow students to understand is essential in student-centered teaching (ibid.). The participants state that they are ‘impressed’ and ‘surprised’ by the skills the teachers have. The participants described how the tutors used a student-centered approach and adapted their pedagogy from the start of the programme and in doing so they actively engaged the students. According to Bain (2004), the knowledge and strategies the students described are the skills of outstanding teachers.

A described the need for early formative feedback to help her to improve her work However, two of the participants did not mention the benefit of feedback and this may be due to their lack of academic knowledge. Young (2000) states formative feedback plays an integral part in student development and therefore, should be understood in the learning process.

Discussion and Conclusion

This research project found a combination of personal and organisational factors helped to prepare students academically. These factors influenced the students’ confidence in their ability and how they developed the knowledge and skills necessary to complete academic work. Personal factors are those characteristics that influenced the participant outside of the university and played a subconscious part in their psychological, intellectual and emotional preparation. The personal factors found to be instrumental in preparing new students were presented in the themes of previous educational experience, family influence and attitude to HE. These themes were further divided into positive and negative factors depending on their efficacy.

Organisational factors are identified as the strategies and initiatives the university adopts to support and guide students. the key themes were identified as the specific pedagogy used by lecturers to deliver complex topics and the in-house strategies the university has created based on the situational and institutional needs. The key themes were analysed according to their positive and negative influences, to identify key areas of strength and areas for future development.

This research project found that the university has effective initiatives to support students in making the transition into HE. Some external factors were addressed through in-house initiatives, such as the ‘Early Start’ course where students could experience at firsthand how it feels to attend a lecture and find out about the skills required at university. However, this opportunity was not taken by all the participants and the reasons for this point to timing. It would, therefore, be reasonable to assume that more students would attend this preparation course if it was offered on alternative dates and times.

Tutor pedagogy and individualised teaching were found to be effective in preparing students. By creating studentcentred environments the new students were able to bond with teachers and develop positive student-teacher relationships (Dunleavy and Milton 2009).

The early days are reported to be a period of transition and adjustment and therefore, a robust approach to the timing of assessment deadlines is needed to ensure that new students are not overburdened and put under undue stress (Lam and Pollard cited in Fragoso, 2013).

Recommendations

This project explored how academically prepared mature students felt they were during the first semester of a FD. The findings suggest that the students felt well-prepared by the university regardless of the influence of external factors. However, additional issues highlighted in the data suggest that there is a need for the university to be more strategic in its approach to supporting students as this would enhance the current provision. Therefore, to address the findings of this project five strategic measures may be realistically implemented by the university:

• Timely HELMs activities

• Alternative dates for preparation courses

• Pre-course online academic preparation workshops

• Strategic curriculum planning

• A revised assessment submission schedule

Conclusion

As a researcher and teacher, I was interested to discover where the students situated the concept of preparedness in relation to themselves, the organisation and their tutors. The rationale for the project was based on current research that reports mature learners as being more likely to drop out of their programmes in the first year of study. Therefore, identifying the reasons why mature students drop out may help universities to plan initiatives that address these factors. The impact of successful strategies would be seen in improved retention and student experience.

The research identified five recommendations to address the findings. These strategies resulted from the negative issues reported by the participants and present an opportunity to enhance early student support. Some strategies are simple adaptations to the current provision, for example, ensuring the HELMs team delivers timely resources. However, other strategies involve developing pre-course resources that would allow students the opportunity to engage with academic study before their course begins.

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