Researchers examining academic success often quantify it in terms of assessment grades. This assumption is questioned here by considering the students’ understanding of academic success. The presented study aimed to identify students’ views of its definition and the factors they perceive as crucial in attaining it. Sixteen undergraduate Psychology students at a modern university in London, United Kingdom took part in one of three focus groups. Participants defined academic success as: the accomplishment of the learning process; gaining subject knowledge; and developing employability skills. Thematic analysis of the collected data resulted in two themes: intrinsic factors, including motivation, self-directed learning and personal skills; and extrinsic factors, including teaching content and the student support structure. The discussion of these results at the conference led to the conclusion that achieving academic success and minimising skill gaps for employability post qualification requires the intrinsic elements to be addressed as an integral part of the compulsory programme rather than presented as optional add-ons.

Grades are frequently used by academics as a measure of academic success. The literature has largely neglected to ascertain how students define this important concept. This study aimed to give voice to how university students define academic success and what they perceive as the contributing factors. This qualitative study used three focus groups with 16 undergraduate psychology students attending a London university. Experiential inductive thematic analysis (TA) was used to analyse the data. Students defined academic success as a combination of outcomes including grades and more holistic outcomes of personal development and achievements. Three themes emerged to summarise students’ perception of the factors that influence academic success. The first theme, student agency, included two subthemes: setting goals and self-regulation. The second theme was aptitude, with two subthemes: self-evaluation and motivation. The final theme was the type of support which included the subthemes institutional support and external support. This study adds the student voice to the definition of academic success and the factors that facilitate it. The challenge for higher education institutions is to incorporate these student-defined attributes into the curriculum to facilitate student success, particularly targeting malleable elements such as study and social skills, financial and other tailored provisions, especially for non-traditional students. Researchers also need to develop instruments to measure holistic academic success outcomes to assess if students are reaching these objectives.

Research into the benefits of community-based group singing, pertaining to positive wellbeing and Quality of Life is lacking. Additionally, no preferred theoretical framework exists for community singing-based interventions. For the present study, six members of a UK community choir were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed. Analysis produced superordinate themes of: Social Factors with key elements such as social bonds and group identity; Psychological Factors, highlighting self-efficacy, self-identity and positive emotions and Psychological Motivations for Joining the Group, including autonomy, change of life circumstance and seeking a new challenge. The style/method of the group, teaching, music and group leader, were shown to have an influence on perceived benefits of the singing group. A key product of this study beyond the evidenced benefits of group singing is the development of an intervention model that optimises wellbeing outcomes in community singing groups underpinned by psychological theory, findings from the wider literature and the results of this study.

Racism and inequity remain high in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), thwarting minoritized ethnic postgraduate researchers’ prospects. This study aimed to understand the experiences of this group of students and produce participants-led recommendations. Fifteen participants (home and overseas) were interviewed, and the data were analysed using reflexive inductive thematic analysis. The analysis generated four themes: disempowerment, systemic deficits, weathering and from surviving to thriving. The results suggest that HE environments remain White spaces, dominated by White norms and systems that disempower minoritized ethnic postgraduate researchers. Female and international doctoral students were particularly disadvantaged. Participants’ recommendations to HEIs centred on HEIs offering proactive support and creating culturally sensitive environments. The cultural shift within HEIs needs to go beyond superficial policies and tackle racism and forms of oppression if lasting and profound change is to occur. In turn, this will foster a positive experience for all students.

The COVID-19 pandemic generated unprecedented challenges for educators world-wide. University teaching staff were forced to rapidly adapt to virtual classrooms during lockdown and the return to campus has seen continuing flux. Poor student mental wellbeing is a major concern and although nascent digital mental health interventions can increase reach and augment in-person services, research on the effectiveness of digital interventions is still in its infancy. The implementation of hybrid solutions is challenging due to the complexity and diversity of institutions; however, important lessons can be learned from the switch to online teaching and the integration of digital technologies during the transition process. This paper explores staff experiences of transition through the pandemic using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teaching academics from English universities. Analysis yielded four group experiential themes: Transition was a traumatic process; Relationships as a source of support and strain; Opportunities for learning and growth; and Surviving and inspiring the mental wellbeing environment. Key findings revealed the switch to online working presented unique stressors, while relationships were pivotal for navigating transition and healthy personal development. Findings can inform transition guidance including the integration of hybrid pathways to support mental wellbeing for the whole learning community.