Research into student experience in higher education has predominantly focused on the first year. Preliminary analysis of institutional data on student performance at Liverpool John Moores University identified a dip in the second year. This mirrors research in the USA that identified the phenomenon known as the ‘sophomore slump’.
This study aimed to investigate the dip in performance in year two as an aspect of student experience that has been neglected in research.
The project combined analysis of large-scale institutional datasets to examine the characteristics of the slump in performance. It then used interviews with second year students to identify causes and develop evidence-based support strategies.
This project was led by Liverpool John Moores University.
