Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Sociology
Supervisor
Willson, Andrea
Abstract
Universities across North America are experiencing the process of massification, which involves an increasing proportion of the population engaging in higher education. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of how students perceive the current context of university, their place within this environment, and whether they see factors associated with massification as impacting student well-being. This study employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with second and third-year students at a large Canadian university. Findings indicate that students recognize factors associated with massification, such as their own disengagement, and view the university as responsible for some of their experiences in university. Further, this study demonstrates that students feel pressure, stress, anxiety, and isolation that they perceive as resulting from some of these factors. This research will help shed light on student experiences in the current context of higher education and provide directions for future research in this area.
Recommended Citation
Burd, Caitlin, "Student Perceptions of the Context of Mass Higher Education" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5500.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5500