Lived Experiences Of Students Research Articles

A qualitative study of students’ lived experience and perceptions of using ChatGPT: immediacy, equity and integrity

ABSTRACT The lived experience of students in their interaction with ChatGPT is underexplored. We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with management students, who recently graduated, to explore their lived experiences and perceptions of using ChatGPT during their studies. Insights gained from the thematic analysis indicate positive perceptions of individual use of ChatGPT. Perceptions were mixed in relation to peers’ use of ChatGPT, especially during group work, where members’ “inappropriate” use of ChatGPT can lead to academic misconduct affecting all group members. Three themes emerged from our analysis: immediacy, equity, and integrity. The use of ChatGPT is driven by its immediate reassurance and validation properties, and for its potential to augment performance and creativity. Participants expressed concerns regarding equitable access to software and the risk of devaluing future degrees in the eyes of employers. Integrity was seen and articulated as problematic in the absence of institutional transparency and clear policy. These findings inform our discussion and recommendations – for the use of ChatGPT by students; for learning and teaching at module and programme level; and for policy development. The study contributes to the growing body of literature related to ChatGPT in higher education and emphasises the need to focus on student voice first.

Description of Nomophobia Among College Students: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Background: Nomophobia is a situational phobia evoked by unavailability of smart phone or the thought of the possibility of not having it, not being able to use it and losing it. Currently used instruments for assessment of severity of nomophobia offers challenges of administration and have limited applicability in the Indian setting. Therefore, this study was aimed to depict and understand the lived experience of college students with nomophobia and making sense of it. Methods: This interpretative phenomenological analysis research design study was carried out on 17 undergraduate students belonging to different academic streams including Science, Social science and Commerce from the three study sites situated in different locations of India. An in-depth interview guide was prepared. The students who scored more than 90 on nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q Questionnaire) were included in the study. The data was recorded in audio and video format, it was transcribed, and translated from Hindi to English language. Coding was done and the theme were extracted. Results: The findings identified six superordinate themes: Digital Obsession, Digital Compulsion, Approval Motivation, Digital Intensement, Digital Well-being and Insight. Conclusion: The lived experiences of the students with nomophobia had explicitly shown a strong inclination towards the smartphone. They also focused on some of the significant aids provided by the smartphone. Further the intensive use of the smartphone was posing major challenges to the students when they were away from it.

"The Water in Which We Swim:" A Unique, Post-Clerkship Multidisciplinary Course.

To improve patient outcomes and promote health equity, medical students must be taught not only biomedicine, but also the social sciences to understand the larger contexts in which patients live and health care operates. Yet, most undergraduate medical education does not explicitly cover these topics in a required, longitudinal curriculum. In January 2015 at Harvard Medical School, we created a two-part sequence (pre- and post-clerkship) of required, 4-week multidisciplinary courses-"Essentials of the Profession I and II"-to fill this gap. "Essentials of the Profession II (EOP2)" is an advanced social sciences course anchored in patient narratives and the lived experiences of students and includes clinical epidemiology and population health, healthcare delivery and leadership, health policy, medical ethics and professionalism, and social medicine that engages students to conduct structural analyses to be effective healers, advocates, and leaders. Per student course evaluations, the overall course rating was 1.7 (SD 0.9, 1 = excellent and 5 = poor); its overall rating has improved over time; and it has scored well even when run virtually. It was rated highly in application of critical thinking, integration of the disciplines, and relevance for clinical work. Qualitative analyses of student responses revealed the following key course strengths: breadth of topics, teaching faculty and guest speakers, and small group discussions. The weaknesses included workload, lack of diversity of opinions, repetition, and time spent in lectures. We argue that EOP2 is "essential" for post-clerkship medical education. It offers an opportunity to re-ignite and enhance humanism and activism; remind students why they chose the medical profession; equip them with frameworks and toolkits to help them to overcome challenges; and devise solutions to improve health care and patient outcomes that are applicable to their future training and ongoing practice of medicine.

Unveiling the Tapestry of Learning: Exploring the Pedagogical Landscape for Transversal and Academic Competencies through the Lived Experiences of School Teachers and Students

This research investigates the pedagogical approaches employed for the development of transversal and academic competencies based on the lived experiences of students and teachers. Despite the presence of qualified educators in educational activities, schools face numerous challenges in fully realizing the potential of students. In the context of developing nations like Nepal, schools and teachers encounter unpreparedness in facilitating activities geared towards enhancing students' academic and transversal competencies. Despite teachers' expressed commitment in workshops to adopt student-centered methods, conventional lecture-based approaches persist due to the impact of high-stakes testing. The absence of clear guidelines and motivation further contributes to the prioritization of traditional testing over competency-based education. Furthermore, inadequate facilities and an unsupportive environment hinder the implementation of practice-based education in schools. Recognizing that students excel when engaged in enjoyable activities, it is imperative to align educational activities with learners' needs and interests while progressing towards predefined objectives. This study advocates for a blended management model, incorporating both top-down and bottom-up approaches, to encourage teachers in adopting student-centered methods, thereby playing a pivotal role in nurturing both academic and transversal competencies. Given that both teachers and students tend to prioritize aspects that align with assessment criteria, evaluating assessments covering both competencies become crucial for a comprehensive understanding of their educational progress.

The Outsourcing pathology of training courses in technical schools (Kar-Daensh): Lived experience of students and managers/deputies

The Outsourcing pathology of training courses in technical schools (Kar-Daensh): Lived experience of students and managers/deputies

Collaborative Transnational Education in China: A Scoping Review of Emerging Research Trajectories (2016–2023)

The paper presents a scoping review of research on transnational education in China published from 2016, the last year that a comprehensive literature review on the subject was published in Chinese Education & Society. The authors delimited a corpus of 88 articles focusing on collaborative transnational education in China and published on Scopus-listed international journals. The analysis of this corpus was supplemented by sampling the top cited articles on the same subject published in Chinese language academic journals. The quantitative analysis showed how research production pivoted during the period with an increased focus on teaching and learning and the lived experiences of students, academics and managers, while the same literature was previously dominated by research on wider managerial and institutional matters. A qualitative analysis of the production revealed a number of emerging research trajectories: the experience of academics and managers; the impact on host-country higher education; student motivations; transnational vocational higher education; first year transition; teaching challenges; the lived experiences of the students; Covid impact. Finally, the analysis outlined some trajectories that are only broadly sketched: cultural tensions; students’ employability prospects; comparative studies among Sino-foreign cooperative universities; language and power; identity formation of students and academics. The article concludes with remarks on the value of studying transnational education within the context of China to further understand multicultural phenomena.

Unraveling the Lived Experiences: Mathematics Learning Challenges and Coping Strategies of Dyscalculia Students

Purpose: The lived experiences of students with dyscalculia in the context of learning mathematics are explored in depth in this research work.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: Students with dyscalculia, a distinct learning condition that affects numerical and mathematical abilities, have particular difficulties that have an impact on their academic performance and educational trajectory. Qualitative research techniques, such as interviews and observations, were used to get deeper insights into the subjective realities of dyscalculia kids. The study included a broad group of dyscalculia kids from various educational levels and used thematic analysis to gain a thorough grasp of their learning obstacles and coping mechanisms.
 Findings: The results show how complicated dyscalculia students' problems can be, from feelings of anger, anxiety, and low self-esteem to issues with understanding mathematical language and concepts. The study also illustrates how resilient and adaptable dyscalculia students are in navigating their academic journey.
 Implications/Originality/Value: The results of this study have consequences for legislators, parents, and educators, promoting a better knowledge of dyscalculia and how it affects math learning. By recognizing the lived experiences of dyscalculia students, educational institutions can develop more inclusive and supportive environments, tailored interventions, and teaching methodologies to enhance their mathematical learning outcomes.

Lived experiences of students with blindness learning and using Braille at Haramaya University in Ethiopia

This study focuses on the lived experiences of students with blindness in learning and using Braille for academic purposes at Haramaya University, Ethiopia. A descriptive phenomenology design was employed, and eight students with blindness were purposefully selected to be the sample for this study. Data were collected using substantive interviews. A digital audio recorder was used to capture the voices of respondents. The data were translated into English using Google Docs and Google Translate (supported by VB audio virtual cable). Then, the data were coded, themed, and analyzed using QDA Miner Lite software. Thematic analysis was used to analyze collected data. There are three main themes and seven subthemes among students with blindness based on their actual experiences learning and using Braille for academic purposes. These are characteristics of blind students who have learned Braille and are using it for learning; contributing factors for knowing Braille and using it; benefits of using Braille; impacts of knowing but not using Braille for academic purposes; reasons for knowing but not using it for learning; factors influencing not learning using Braille; and characteristics of blind students who did not know Braille. The practical intersections of students with blindness knowledge of Braille and their use of it for academic purposes influence their lived experiences. The study encourages and advises administrators of academic programs, curriculum and software developers, and policymakers, including practitioners, to consider Braille interpretation service issues to increase participation and meet the needs of students with blindness during teaching–learning programs in the study area.

Improving Doctoral Educator Development: A Scaffolding Approach

In response to a need for improved training of business school teaching, this research explores US doctoral programs in management and finds a need to purposefully embed scaffolding—the process of gradually enabling the doctoral student to take on more challenging aspects of teaching—into doctoral program design. We also recommend a more influential role to be played by professional organizations to address doctoral educator development. As we followed a grounded theory approach, our methodology started with an analysis of program marketing documents and materials followed by behavioral event interviews (BEIs) and perceptual interviews (PIs) with doctoral students in management. Following coding, we reviewed the literature on doctoral education to explore how our emergent data mapped against prior research. By also taking into consideration the lived experience of students, the study data provides evidence that doctoral programs are not properly designed to support educator development. We discuss our findings related to what programs do to support students and what students do to support themselves. Theorizing from our data, we present our model that illustrates how programs could embed scaffolding to support programs’ commitment to develop future educators.

An interpretive phenomenological analysis of nursing student perceptions of summative assessment feedback using LEGO® Serious Play®

PurposeThe aim of the study is to explore perceptions of the impact of assessment feedback by international undergraduate nursing students. Research to date indicates that summative assessment feedback may impact significantly on student achievement but if it is undertaken sub optimally or does not provide students with the opportunity to engage with the process and reflexively respond, it can also be exceptionally damaging to the learning experience.Design/methodology/approachA scoping exercise of overall student feedback experience was initially collated via the adoption of an Interpretive Phenomenological Approach (IPA). Participants were recruited via purposive sampling and the LEGO® Serious Play® method was used to collect data. Analysis with Quirkos software was used to examine the salience as well as commonality of findings as an integral part of a recognised five-step thematic analytical approach.FindingsFeedback was perceived, by students, as significantly impacting factor in relation to their overall progression, attainment and retention rates. Themes generated from the findings evidenced student perceptions that summative feedback is a positive driver and source of motivation for academic success and progression. It was perceived that levels of attainment were related to the clarity, quality and individualised nature of feedback that students received and that this was perceived to be evident in their final grades. These were accompanied by perceptions that feedback clarity also determined the potential of breaking down perceived student barriers to learning, their perceived capacity for effective assignment planning and preparation and the likelihood of them having any positive collective or individual interpersonal relationships with their tutors. Summarised, students perceived that feedback ought to lead to student empowerment in managing their studies and as such it ought to be clear, straightforward and non-ambiguous.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodological design of the study means that generalisability from its findings was never intended or possible. However, there may be the potential transferability of findings to similar institutions and contexts of nurse education with students who have similar demographic profiling. The study was also a means of providing an insight into the lived experience of students which could be used in the prospective adaptation of feedback mechanisms for staff at a local level within Higher Education.Practical implicationsThe study reveals the perceived impact of gamification as a mechanism of summative assessment as conveyed by a designated group of students. Whilst specific recommendations for change can only be made within the context specificity of the research, there may be aspects of the findings which are potentially transferable to other similar contexts of Higher Education delivery whose pedagogical approaches mirror those in operation at the institution where the research was undertaken. It became apparent that the standardisation of feedback approaches offered many opportunities to improve existing systems. The issue of monitoring workloads is also of significance in terms of the level and degree of summative assessment and feedback that academic staff can undertake.Originality/valueThe study revealed the perceived magnitude of assessment feedback on progression, attainment and retention rates, alongside the perceived need for a universal feedback template and the opportunity to provide audio-video feedback. This study adds to existing knowledge in the field of pedagogic practice about both the execution of LEGO® Serious Play® as a research methodology and why the perceptions of feedback as articulated and illuminated by a group of contemporary nursing students ought to matter in the context of Higher Education.

Real-Life Experiences of Students with Disability in Tribhuvan University: Hermeneutic Phenomenological Method

The number of students with disabilities has been increasing nowadays for higher education. Students with disabilities in universities are excluded from the research fields in Nepal although there are some researches done on school children with disabilities and people with disabilities in the family and society: college students with disabilities need to be studied. This study focuses on the lived experiences of students with disabilities while pursuing their studies at Tribhuvan University, Nepal. A hermeneutic phenomenological research method within qualitative approach was applied. A purposive sampling technique was used to select five students with disabilities in this study. The major findings are that the disabled students encountered mainly infrastructure/physical structure barriers, university policy and practice barriers, the university executives’ (un)conscious/ (un)intentional ignorance and attitude barriers while pursuing studies. The students with vision impairment and motor impairment underwent the difficulty with disable-unfriendly physical structures, university policy and practices. The hearing impaired students expressed that the usual class was not for them, and nobody was in the campus for interaction with them. The findings mean the university environments were unfriendly, hostile and adverse to the disabled students. This study may motivate the executives to modify the policy, practices and attitudes toward the disabled.

“It has to be held”: Exploring the social unconscious among art therapy students in a South African context through social dreaming

The content of this article explores a social dreaming matrix (SDM) and art-making workshop among art therapy trainees in South Africa. This article is a preliminary investigation into the social unconscious of art therapy trainees, as art therapy practitioners and allied practitioners, who need to promote thinking that derives from an intersectional framework, as practising from this framework may help practitioners to be empathetic, culturally attuned, and culturally sensitive within a multicultural context. In this article, I argue that analytic group-based practices or interventions, such as an SDM, are a worthwhile method of getting to know and actively engage in the critical discourse around the lived experiences of students, practitioners, and citizens of South Africa. It may also prove a worthwhile directive for clients wishing to explore their social unconscious. This study considers knowledge and issues surrounding the complexities, contradictions, and discomfort of the lived experiences of future art therapists in South Africa. This exploratory approach aims to facilitate new insights into art therapy trainees’ social unconscious related to their identities as art therapy trainees and future practising art therapists. The central conclusion of the findings reveals that art therapy trainees’ social unconscious comprises five elements: power, privilege, identity, alienation, and violence related to their roles as art therapists. Moreover, the SDM and art-making offer a tool to empower the pedagogical process for art therapy trainees.

Translanguaging as a space of simultaneity: Theorizing translanguaging pedagogies in English medium schools from a spatial perspective

AbstractThis article theorizes translanguaging as a space of simultaneity to analyze how teachers use translanguaging to create a multilingual classroom space and engage students with their multilingual identities and epistemologies in the classroom. The data in this article are drawn from an ethnographic study of language policies and practices in a public school in the hills of eastern Nepal. The analysis of classroom anecdotes, observation notes, and interviews with teachers reveals that translanguaging reconfigures the classroom as a critical social space where students’ identities are recognized as multilingual and multiepistemic beings representing their home, community, and school spaces. I argue that translanguaging pedagogies should pay attention to connecting the perceived, conceived, and lived spaces of students to help them resist unequal pedagogies and reclaim their identities as multilingual and multiepistemic subjects. The findings of the study imply that a spatial perspective on translanguaging helps teachers expand the scope of translanguaging pedagogies to transform a monolingualized institutional space as a space of simultaneity that embraces multilingual language practices, transformative ideologies, and the lived experiences of students.

Leadership, Centering Equity Vital to Future of Medical Education

Leadership, Centering Equity Vital to Future of Medical Education

Living-Learning Communities in the First-year Engineering Experience

This exploratory study investigates the design and impacts of a curated Living-Learning Community (LLC) piloted at a large student residence for a large (1000+ student) first-year engineering design course. Alongside the live-in Faculty-in-Residence (FiR), the research includes surveying first-year engineering students participating in this program and understanding the impacts on the lived student experience, and student motivation. The first-year engineering design, teamwork, and communication course is central to engineering education at this large institution. The course offers opportunities for students to work in multidisciplinary teams, applying term knowledge to authentic engineering applications, in a problem-based learning environment. The goal of the LLC is to create opportunities for interaction and scaffolded connection between like-minded students taking similar courses and inspire learning within the students living environment; an entire floor of the Residence is assigned to be an LLC for the 2022 academic year, with support from the Don, ResLife Office, and the Faculty-in-Residence (an engineering faculty member). The purpose of this study is to observe and report on the student experience throughout the duration of the course. We aim to learn how participating in the Living-Learning community can affect the perception of confidence in students’ learning of course concepts, and inter-team relations. In order to do so, students will be surveyed at multiple check points throughout the semester. Furthermore, additional relevant information will be gathered from the Living-Learning Community Don, teaching assistants, and the course instructors. The outcome of this analysis has the potential to educate us on the positive and negative connotations that come along with close-quarters learning. The applications of the results found with this study can be vast, from influencing future residence programs and the first-year engineering education experience. This study focuses on the student’s perception of their experience. Understanding how the perception of manageability of workload [1] can affect student mental health leads the curiosity of how close-quarters learning can affect the student experience, to what degree, and how this understanding can help influence future programming. A positive experience that improves student confidence of understanding and course material has the potential to positively improve mental health and engagement in education; we hope that this research brings together the academic and lived-experiences of students through this work.

Making the invisible, visible: disability in South African distance education

Distance education celebrates its humanitarian mission of providing opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals who do not have access to traditional campus-based higher education. Large enrolments of students necessitate an industrialized approach in planning, design, and delivery informed by a normative assumption of ableism. In the context of post-apartheid South Africa, distance education fulfills a particular important role in ensuring access to education for all. This scoping review addressed two questions: “What is currently known, in the context of distance education in South Africa, about the educational experiences of SWDs?” and “How should we understand and respond to these experiences?” The scoping study shows, inter alia, that while there is an institutional commitment to providing equitable learning experiences, the lived experiences of students with disabilities provide evidence of their invisibility in the design, planning, and delivery of learning. The study concludes with some recommendations and provocations.

Engaging Diversity

Engaging Diversity

Redesigning Field Experiences to Support Rural Schools: A Praxis Reflection

The on-going social and political climate, with polarizing stances on everything from issues of social justice to mandates for mask-wearing and vaccination, brings non-normative stressors into the lived experiences of students, families, and educators everywhere. These stressors are often magnified in rural communities and schools. Yet, in spite of these challenges, many schools in rural areas have embraced opportunities for creative collaborations which foster connections and celebrate the unique richness of their communities.

Challenges of Learning Postgraduate Class with No Prior Work Experience: A Phenomenological Study

The main purpose of this research was to explore the lived experience of students who learn postgraduate classes without having prior work experience. To achieve the intended objective, the team of researchers used a qualitative research approach. The phenomenological research design was used to have the real lived experience of novice scholarship students. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, and unstructured participant observation. The participants were ten postgraduate students who enrolled in the College of Education and Behavioural Sciences at Bahir Dar University. Data analysis was guided by Smith’s Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, and we construct themes based on data we obtain from participants. The study revealed that postgraduate students with no prior work experience have both good and bad experiences. The good experiences were related to the opportunity they have to learn at a young age, and the bad experiences were the challenges they faced as a result of being novices in the work environment. They faced psychological challenges, economic challenges, language-related challenges, lack of information about the world of work, sexual harassment, and other challenges. At the end of the research, we infer implications based on the findings of the research.

Gender Sensitivity and Interest of Grade 7 Technology and Livelihood Education Students

This study was anchored on Gender Role Theory and Cognitive Development Theory. It investigated the relationship between the gender sensitivity and interest of grade 7 students in their technology and livelihood education exploratory courses. The study adopted the descriptive research design and utilized a researcher-made, expert validated research instrument. A total of 120 students were purposively sampled. Results of the study showed that the composition of the respondents is almost evenly participated by male and female. It was also discovered that a vast majority of the respondents’ parents were supportive of their gender preferences and majority of them were at the average or can manage socio-economic status. The findings also showed that the teacher has very high level of gender sensitivity in terms of academic support, emotional support, and socio-relational support. Similarly, data on the status of the seventh-grade students’ interest in TLE exploratory courses indicated very high results. The null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship between the profile of the seventh-grade students and the status of their interest in TLE exploratory courses was accepted. On the other hand, null hypothesis that there is no significant relationship between the teacher’s gender sensitivity and the status of interest in TLE exploratory courses was partially rejected. The results for the teacher’s gender sensitivity in terms of socio-relational support and the status of their interest in TLE exploratory courses with regards to studying with group or partner and eliminating distractions showed significant relationship. It was recommended for the teacher to sustain the practice of ensuring gender sensitivity in terms of academic support, emotional support, and socio-relational support to promote a sense of safety and security among learners particularly to those who are experiencing fear due to their gender preferences. Students are advised to motivate themselves further in their TLE courses. School and other officials should also promote the inclusion of gender sensitivity in offering TLE exploratory courses. Finally, future researchers may conduct studies on the lived experiences of students particularly those who belong to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQQ). This would allow to create a better picture of their deeper thoughts and feelings on their daily experiences.