Students' Views on Their Academic Skills Development: How Can We Further Enhance Students' Development During Their Degree and Beyond?

Abstract

Providing students with the right academic support throughout their studies is a crucial element for successful degree completion and graduate outcomes. The purpose of this study is to provide insights on how academic skills development for students can be enhanced. Data were data collected from students through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with Year 1 and Year 2 Psychology students. Through thematic analysis, three themes were generated in the Year 1 students' data: positive experiences and skills development, engagement, and negative experiences and repetition. For Year 2 students, the generated themes were similar: negative opinions and suggestions for improvement, extraneous effects, positive aspects, and transferable learning and skills development. This has improved our understanding of the student experience which will be used to further enhance the programme and its provision of academic skills.