Student voices: perceptions of learning, assignments and achievement.

This intervention provides insights into the student learning experience largely through the unfiltered lens of the students’ own words. Authentic qualitative data captured through one-to-one recorded telephone conversations with an independent researcher, enabled students to speak openly about their experiences of assignments, learning and achievement to date. A small, representative group of students within the School for Education Futures took part in these telephone conversations over a 3-month period during the summer vacation. Despite the small sample size of seven students the data presents a broad spread of viewpoints and experiences. It reveals that early in their academic journeys (from year 1), students are able to articulate that the greater the clarity and structure around academic tasks, language and expectations, the more confidently and capably they are likely to achieve. Student comments suggest that contextual knowledge - ‘knowing the rules’ - positively impacts on student transition, identity and progression as HE learners.