Whyte, Clare (2021) Exploring the Experiences of Second-Year University Students in Australia: Slump or Self-Determination. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The concept of the sophomore slump has emerged from a decline across domains of student life for sophomores or second-year university students in the United States. Performance, engagement, institutional, and psychological factors are posited to contribute to these patterns specific to the second year. Little research has been conducted in Australia regarding this phenomenon which may also be encountered by Australian students. To better understand the second-year experience, semi-structured interviews with seven second-year students at a regional Australian university were conducted and analysed thematically. Three themes identified in the analysis were (a) positive institutional contributions strengthen student experiences, (b) individual factors influencing engagement, and (c) competing demands. The findings of this study suggest mixed support for the concept of the sophomore slump. Supports and structure within the university and individual strengths of the individual appear to have had a protective influence on student performance and wellbeing. A higher load of competing demands was found to be more likely to indicate student disengagement within the second year of their studies. Contributions of this study suggest existing research into the sophomore slump may underestimate the positive characteristics of inherent drive toward individual growth in influencing students’ outcomes positively.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Tanya Machin; Susan Abel |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2025 23:06 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2025 23:06 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Thematic Analysis ; sophomore slump ; Self-Determination Theory ; students ; university |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52875 |
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