Proceedings of the 33rd International Academic Conference, Vienna

‘THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TUTOR BELIEVES IN YOU’ – SETTING UP A STUDENT JOURNAL TO FACILITATE COMMUNITY COHESION.

KIM HEYES, MARCIN WOZNIAK

Abstract:

This pilot project sought to identify whether creating a community through setting up a student-run academic journal would increase self-efficacy and academic achievement. The project was set up in a small university campus of less than 2000 students, with a view to extending the project to the whole university population of 38,000 students if successful. Participants were recruited through posters on the campus and through a recruitment desk at the entrance to the student recreation area (opportunity sample). At the recruitment desk, a random sample of people were asked to fill out the questionnaire, and this questionnaire was also given to the participants at the initial meeting. A total of 30 questionnaires were completed. The participants then went through the process of creating a student journal, and were assigned roles by the Editor. Once the journal had been published, the participants were asked to complete the questionnaire again. Comparisons were made between the two sets of results to determine the outcome. Once the results of the academic year had been released, the academic marks were also taken into account in comparison with the general population of the immediate university campus. Although the sample size for the second questionnaire was small, it was clear that the participants felt that they were part of a community after the project than before, with a stronger sense of belonging. They were also more confident in their academic abilities and their future employability. All students involved achieved a 2:1 degree classification or higher, with 90% of the overall journal team achieving a 1st class honours degree classification. The Editor also won an award for academic excellence due to her involvement with the creation of the journal.

Keywords: Student achievement, self-efficacy, employability, academic achievement, student journal

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2017.33.021

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