Inclusion or Isolation? Differential Student Experiences of Independent Learning and Wellbeing in Higher Education

Independent learning is frequently identified as instrumental to student success within higher education. Although there is a significant body of literature demonstrating the importance of independent learning for retention and progression, to date, the relationship between independent learning and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education sciences 2024-03, Vol.14 (3), p.285
Main Authors: Wilbraham, Susan J., Jones, Emma, Brewster, Liz, Priestley, Michael, Broglia, Emma, Hughes, Gareth, Spanner, Leigh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Charters
Curriculum Design
Data collection
Didacticism
Education
Education, Higher
Focus groups
Higher education
Inclusion
independent learning
isolation
Learning
Learning Processes
Mental health
Methods
Outcomes of Education
Pedagogy
Self-efficacy
Social aspects
Student Experience
Student Surveys
Students
Surveys
Teaching
Teaching Methods
wellbeing
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Summary:Independent learning is frequently identified as instrumental to student success within higher education. Although there is a significant body of literature demonstrating the importance of independent learning for retention and progression, to date, the relationship between independent learning and student wellbeing within higher education has been under-explored. This article addresses the gap in the literature by interrogating this relationship, with a particular emphasis on the barriers and enablers to independent learning and the implications for the wellbeing of university students as part of a whole university approach. Drawing on data from a large national student survey and nine focus groups with university staff conducted during the formulation of the University Mental Health Charter, the findings demonstrate important intersectionalities between independent learning and student wellbeing. In particular, they highlight that facilitating independent learning has the potential to allow students to flourish in higher education but only when factors relating to accessibility, inclusivity, expectations, and goals are explicitly addressed. Going forward, it is imperative that these links are more widely acknowledged and addressed within higher education research, policy, and practice to ensure that students are supported to develop as learners during both their transition into university and their journey through and beyond their studies.
ISSN:2227-7102
2227-7102
DOI:10.3390/educsci14030285