Undergraduate students' experiences studying the humanities and social sciences at VUW

This longitudinal panel study involved recruiting incoming first-year students at the beginning of the 2019 academic year and tracking them through their undergraduate studies at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. Each participating student was interviewed at the beginning and end of each trimester of study until they either permanently withdrew from the university or completed their undergraduate degrees. Semi-structured interviews were employed to guide the general direction of the discussions but allow each student to focus on whatever was most salient to them. The data to date includes 242 interviews, with a total duration of over 161 hours of recorded discussions. This data was analysed thematically, using data-driven inductive analysis, and resulted in a large number of themes, relevant to scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the themes relating to participating students’ experiences throughout their undergraduate education at the university. The presentation will be of interest to anyone who would like insight into students’ perceptions of undergraduate education at our university.