Literature Review : 2008-2011 carried out by ‘The Here project’.[10]
The HERE Project, 2008-2011. What Works Student Retention & Success.
By Nottingham Trent University, Bournemouth University, University of Bradford
The HERE Project (Higher Education: Retention & Engagement) was part of the HEFCE/ Paul Hamlyn Foundation ‘Student Retention & Success Programme’ (2008-2011). Three institutions delivered the project jointly: Nottingham Trent University, Bournemouth University and the University of Bradford. I have focused on this as they used a variety of mixed methods for their research and to identify themes; they collected quantitative data, and then progressed to mixed methods to ask open ended questions to the students, they then used qualitative data to identify emerging trends and for bridging the information. The research of the project was carried out on first year students and investigated two themes associated with Withdrawal (the impact of doubting on retention) and Student Retention and Success.
Altogether 3,000 first year students and staff over the three universities were interviewed over six large scale transition surveys, 3 focus groups and seventeen interviews. The HERE project team then used the survey research to identify key factors linked to retention, withdrawal and engagement. The project teams were them able to use their findings from the surveys and interviews to develop a toolkit of nine sets of recommendations to be used at Programme level to improve retention.
The Project team reviewed relevant literature in the area from UK, USA and Australia.
A pilot study was conducted in NTU with first year students via an online survey asking students had they thought about withdrawing from their courses of study. (If they had there were follow up questions)
The student transition survey was carried out in all three institutions from March – May were all students were presented with 17 statements of Student Experience Factors and asked to rate each factor. Students were also asked at this point had they had any prior thoughts on withdrawing and if so why, or what factors made them stay.
There were then two stages of analysis on the 2009 data: Quantitative analysis so they could format statistical test and Qualitative analysis where answers to the open questions where coded into themes. By doing it allows the HERE team to code the answers and analyse responses.
Themes from the online surveys were investigated further when the HERE team carried out focus groups and interviews. The students were given vouchers as a way to incentivize them to get involved in the follow up focus group from the online survey.
13 students were interviewed in Bedford on one to one basis by the HERE project team.
A small qualitative study was carried out by the Bournemouth team in 2009-2010.
A transitional survey was carried out online again in 2011 from all institutions. It was a shorter survey and asked about some of the themes that had come up in the first two years.
Bournemouth used a mix of qualitative methods when carrying out their research methods, using survey findings to write up case studies as a method of documenting analysis. They used the results to highlight themes and this helped devise the methodology for the programmes research.
The case studies used to finally present the report also showed document analysis and summary. [11]
The HERE project used a multitude of research methods in carrying out their research in order to ensure the most accurate statistics and data(quantitative), as well as ensuring interviews and online surveys provided for observational data, allowing themes and patterns to be investigated further (Qualitative). With Ethnographic interviewing and taking a mixed methods approach, including follow up short online surveys with specific open and closed ended questions, the HERE team used Mixed Method Strategies to successfully execute their research project.
I am critical of the time allocated to the research which spanned over a 3 year time period from 2008-2011. This long term timeline would prove unrealistic and quite difficult to execute unless there was a commitment of the same team, and institutions for the period of time which was the case for the HERE project, however this timeline has proven unrealistic in terms of my research project where resources are restricted and the risk factor of their course time completing prior to the final activities within the FGS group.
