Student Engagement of First Year Students at the University of Calgary in Qatar

Date
2019-09-04
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Abstract
The purpose of this case study was to examine the University of Calgary in Qatar’s (UCQ) nursing program to discover, through an analysis of the experiences of first-year undergraduate students in the program, factors that promote and hinder student engagement. The aim of this study is to suggest how it may be possible to better nurture, support, and promote student engagement in first-year students. From a constructivist–interpretive paradigm, a qualitative dimension approach was used for this project. A purposeful sampling technique was employed to select first-year undergraduate students. Furthermore, interviews were conducted to serve as data sources.The interview data were analyzed using a thematic analysis methodology. Five major themes were identified as factors impacting engagement in first-year undergraduate students. The first theme was the importance of personality development and emotional support. The second was the role of motivation, under which there were five subthemes: giving back to society, giving back to Qatar, family expectations, personal growth, and development and recognition. The third was teaching and learning, a major factor impacting student engagement, and three subthemes were identified: the course material, instructor/student relationships, and teaching strategies. The fourth was institutional (internal) factors, and four internal factors were highlighted: language, student counseling support, the Learning Commons, and financial support. The fifth was the impact peers (other UCQ students) had on student engagement.
Description
Keywords
Student Engagement, Student Experience, First-year Transition
Citation
Adam, M. (2019). Student Engagement of First Year Students at the University of Calgary in Qatar (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.