Employing qualitative research methods to understand the first-year experience
Track
Research Proposal / Assessment of Student Learning
Abstract
This study presents findings from research that employed qualitative methods to understand the first-year experience. Participants were students enrolled in a mandatory first semester student success course. Three instructional strategies were used to generate data: reflective journal writing, visual narratives and student drawings. Qualitative analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Findings provide novel insights about the first-year experience from the student’s perspective. These new understandings have important implications for assessing and improving teaching and learning in higher education.
Session Format
Poster Session
Publication Type and Release Option
Event
Recommended Citation
Everett, Michele C., "Employing qualitative research methods to understand the first-year experience" (2017). SoTL Commons Conference. 6.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2017/6
Employing qualitative research methods to understand the first-year experience
This study presents findings from research that employed qualitative methods to understand the first-year experience. Participants were students enrolled in a mandatory first semester student success course. Three instructional strategies were used to generate data: reflective journal writing, visual narratives and student drawings. Qualitative analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Findings provide novel insights about the first-year experience from the student’s perspective. These new understandings have important implications for assessing and improving teaching and learning in higher education.
