SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: WHAT DO STUDENTS NEED?

"The number of university students encountering issues with their well-being is increasing every year, with many struggling to seek appropriate support or lacking the necessary skills to identify themselves as struggling. One of the biggest factors affecting this is academic pressure due to being ill-prepared for the independent learning skills required at university, such as self-management and self-regulation, for which many still need support. To understand what these support needs are, four focus groups were carried out with university students across multiple programmes and stages. These were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis. Four key themes are presented: (1) supports at university are often impersonal and unapproachable in nature, (2) importance of holistic well-being and personal development literacy to enable students to thrive at university, (3) need for better awareness and sign-posting of available supports, and (4) peer influences can have a substantial positive and/or negative effect on students. The implications of these are discussed in relation to improving supports, the importance of involving varied student voices throughout this process is highlighted, and further research steps are discussed."