Given its close links to student success, universities are heavily invested in how they can positively influence their students' sense of belonging. One approach to this is through social belonging interventions, where universities attempt to develop student agency. This study takes a quasi-experimental approach by evaluating the impact of a newly…

Purpose: Universities in the United Kingdom, like their counterparts globally, are confronting difficulties associated with the well-being of students. The origins of these challenges are complex, exacerbated by various global events. In response, universities are trying to address these growing concerns and the escalating need for student…

It is widely recognised that an important aspect of doctoral study is the development of a researcher identity. However, little is known about how to support this. Although previous research has highlighted the importance of discursive engagement for researcher identity development, no studies examine talk or discuss how identities are constructed…

In this article, we engage with undergraduate geography students' reflections on their geography education. We begin by examining the position of geography within education across the British Isles. Following this, we critically consider how geography education is shaped by "the gap" between school and university geography and…

Purpose: This paper explores the impact of a coach training programme in a UK higher education institution (UKHEI). This paper evaluates the use of coach training to equip undergraduate students with the skills needed to set goals and navigate stressors in personal and professional life. Design/methodology/approach: An interpretivist research…

Enhancing our knowledge about students' experiences during their studies in higher music education is essential to understand and support them as they cope with their specific workloads in studying music. This study provides a research-based understanding of what engaging in music means to music students when they reflected on their experiences of…

Purpose: Drawing on human capital theory and sustainable career theory, this paper aims to explore the impact of undertaking an industrial placement on the "Great Eight" competencies as perceived by university students and line managers. Design/methodology/approach: 618 students and their line managers across three cohorts (pre-COVID-19)…

Framed in teacher research, this article examines on how a group of 220 preservice language teachers' understandings of teacher agency evolved in a course on second language teaching curriculum. The participants were enrolled on a master's program on teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and data were gathered through course…

From October 2021, the government introduced a pilot in 30 local authorities to support 16 to 18-year-old children looked-after (CLA) and care leavers (CLs) in general further education (FE) colleges through the extension of Pupil Premium Plus funding to post-16 (PP+ Post-16). The 6-month pilot was completed between autumn 2021 and spring 20221 ,…

We report on a case study using Positioning Theory as the basis for the design of a course to support Chinese international master's students understand and apply critical thinking (CT) within the context of higher education (HE) in the United Kingdom. Our aim was to understand the extent to which students found this helpful in their understanding…

Enhancing our understanding of students' experiences during their studies in higher music education is essential to supporting them as they cope with their specific workloads in studying music. This study provides a detailed description of and model for how music students' lived experiences can be approached and analysed through transcendental…

This paper outlines evaluation of practitioner research into a writing development intervention used with a group of international students studying at Masters level in a UK university. The research was motivated by our understanding that academic writing is a task which provokes significant anxiety for students. Our methodology was informed by…

It is well documented that the impact of assessments on students' learning is profound. There have been initiatives to incorporate innovative assessments in accounting and finance education to enhance students' learning experience in various ways. However, there is limited research investigating whether and how the students' learning experience is…

"Becoming a Scholar" provides a window into the lives of nine non-traditional doctoral students. As mature, part-time, international students enrolled in a professional doctorate programme, they reflect on the transformation process of becoming scholars, and their narratives provide breadth and depth to themes that represent a diverse…

This article explores the sustained impact of an Access module on mature students from disadvantaged backgrounds as they progress to undergraduate study. Framed in the context of OfS concerns about attrition and conceptualisation of dispositional, situational and institutional barriers, student survey and tutor focus group data were collected in a…