Student Failure in First Year Modules in the Biosciences: An Interview Based Investigation

Abstract

Undergraduate retention is a major concern for universities and first year failure is a significant contributor to the overall statistics for non-progression. This report describes an interview-based investigation of students’ perceptions for the reasons underlying their failure in 1st and 2nd semester modules. The most commonly cited reasons were misconceptions about the academic expectations both in terms of the volume of work covered during the semester and the level needed to pass the examinations. There was also a frank appreciation, by a majority of the students interviewed of not having done enough work. These findings are discussed in the context of the 1st year transition and approaches to teaching within biological sciences.

Keywords:

• student retention
• transition
• assessment
• performance

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the STAR project (http://www.ulster.ac.uk/star) for providing funding for this study.

Appendix 1 Summary list of questions used in interviews

Phase One Interview

• Did the exam results come as a surprise to you?

• Why do you think you failed the exam/s?

• Do you have any family members who have been to University?

• Was Leicester a first choice?

• Do you find studying at University different from studying at school or college?

• Was the subject content different from college?

• How was your time spent in the first semester? (time spent on independent study, paid work, extra curricular activities, domestic responsibility)

• How confident are you about future exams?

• Where did you go for advice and support in the first semester?

Phase Two Interviews

• What were your exam results like for Semester Two? Were you happy with them? Were they what you expected?

• Why do you think they were different/the same from Semester One? (Did you approach your exam preparation differently?)

• What other aspects of your second semester were different from semester one? (time spent on independent study, paid work, extra curricular activities, domestic responsibility)

• How confident do you feel about starting your second year?

• What experiences have you gained from your first year that you think will be useful in helping you to succeed in your second year?

• Do you intend to make any changes to your approach to study for your second year?

• Looking back over the first year, what do you think were some of the best ways in which the School supported you? Where do you think the School could make improvements?