Achievement, attendance and attitudes of first year business students: their effects on success at the University of Brighton Business School

contributors | abstract | biographies | paper

Contributors

Tracey Taylor (University of Brighton)

Format

Paper presentation

Abstract

With widening student participation and an increase in non-continuation rates it is becoming increasingly clear that some universities (particularly those outside the ‘Russell Group’) need to work harder at ensuring the students they enrol do not drop out. Funding issues are extremely important but so too is the student experience of higher education. An improved picture of the student population could well lead to improved practices in retaining the increasing number of students and result in a ‘best practice policy’.

This paper reports on a study that seeks to unravel some of the threads that contribute toward the student experience and looks to corroborate, or otherwise, the work of Colby (2004) Bevitt, Baldwin & Calvert, (2010) and Smith & Begg, (2003). Firstly it looks at achievement on entry against the HEFCE risk tables. Secondly, from a dataset of 253 students at the University of Brighton Business School, it examines the impact that attendance at seminars and workshops has on first year Business students’ overall first year marks. Finally, the results from an attitudinal questionnaire (36% response rate) will be presented and commented upon. These findings give an interesting insight into student perception of their first year. From this research it may be possible to make clear recommendations regarding early intervention and how to improve continuation rates at the University of Brighton and at other HE institutions.

Short biographies of panel members

Tracey Taylor worked for several years in academic publishing with Harvester Wheatsheaf, Prentice Hall and Pitman Publishing. She has also worked for East Sussex Careers and spent some time working in further education. More recently, she has been working at the University of Brighton Business School where her particular responsibilities are to teach on the Academic Skills program and to act as tutor to first year students. This will be her first conference paper although her preliminary findings have been presented in-house at the University.

Last Modified: 31 January 2011