‘Steering the Ship’: A Thematic Analysis exploring the psychological underpinnings of the Undergraduate student experience.

Jones, Megan (2024) ‘Steering the Ship’: A Thematic Analysis exploring the psychological underpinnings of the Undergraduate student experience. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Amidst escalating university student mental health concerns (Office for National Statistics, 2022), and the increased auditing of Higher Education performance (Naidoo & Williams, 2015), understanding the student experience persists as a critical research focus. However, existing literature compartmentalises the experience, overlooking the holistic elements cutting across it (Bewick et al, 2010; Thorley, 2017; Worsley et al., 2021a). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 undergraduate students of mixed genders, aged between 18 and 26 (M = 20.60, SD = 1.88), and 12 university support staff members aged between 24 and 57 (M = 38.92, SD = 11.38), from 8 and 6 UK universities respectively. Interviews explored student and support staff perceptions of the undergraduate experience to answer, “What are the psychological underpinnings of the undergraduate student experience?”. Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022) eight key psychological underpinnings were constructed, that transcend across the student experience. The metaphor of a ship and its voyage is used to explain the psychological journey of the student. Including, 1) Steering the Ship: Being the Captain, 2) Steadying the Ship: Establishing Balance, 3) A Safe Harbour: Having a Secure and Stable Base, 4) We’re All on This Ship Together: Being a Crew, 5) Navigating the Storm: Preparedness, Proactivity, Perseverance and Preservation, 6) The Mists of Mismatch: “This isn’t what I Expected”, 7) Growing and Adapting with the Changing Winds, and 8) Adjusting The Sails for Me: A Tailored Experience. The concept of Steering the Ship offers a central organising concept, interinfluencing with other themes, highlighting the importance of students becoming active agents of their student experience. Findings are discussed in relation to student transitions and have relevance for Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Implications are made for Higher Education Institutions, including promoting student-partnership and a compassionate university approach.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	29 Oct 2024 11:27
Last Modified:	29 Oct 2024 11:27
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97295
DOI:

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