A Survey of Student Attitudes, Experiences and Expectations

on selected vocational courses at the University of Northumbria

April 2005

Anna Round
Student Retention Project, University of Northumbria

Part One: Background

Section One: Introduction

1:1 Background 1

1:2 Literature survey 2

1:3 Primary research 4

1:3:1 Student questionnaire 4
1:3:2 Staff questionnaire 6
1:3:3 Interviews 6

Section Two: Literature survey

2:1 Student perceptions and the student experience 7

2:1:1 Holistic approaches 7
2:1:2 Academic preparedness and study skills 9
2:1:3 Student attitudes to feedback 11
2:1:4 Student attitudes to teaching and learning 13
2:1:5 Tutor-student relations 15
2:1:6 Accommodation and retention 16

2:2 Student Characteristics 18

2:2:1 Views of students 18
2:2:2 Student self-perceptions: skills 19
2:2:3 Student self-perceptions: workload 21

2:3 Transformation 22

2:4 Widening participation: some further issues 26

2:4:1 Non-traditional students and the student experience 26
2:4:2 Support and access to support 27

2:5 Students and motivation 28

2:5:1 Types of student motivation 28
2:5:2 Retention and motivation 29
2:5:3 Motivations for entering higher education 30
2:5:4 Goals and values (Mäkinen et al) 31
2:5:6 Motivation and satisfaction 33
2:5:7 Psychological theories of motivation 34
2:5:8 Motivation and the ‘meaning’ of work 36
2:5:9 Motivation and examinations 38
2:5:10 Capability and motivation 38
2:5:11 Motivation and effort 39
2:5:12 Strategies for building student motivation 42
2:5:13 Challenges to motivation: the ‘strategic student’ 43
2:6 Academic staff