Student Loans Company loans and grants in 2010/11 |
People accessing Student Loans Company loans and grants |
AMOSSHE member Student Services departments offering financial advice |
Infographic sources: Student Loans Company and AMOSSHE 2012 Members’ Survey.
BackgroundMaslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory (1970) identifies five categories: physiological needs, safety needs, sense of belonging, self-esteem and self-actualisation, which is commonly represented in a pyramid structure. As the student funding regulations change year on year, together with the difficult interface between these regulations and those of state benefits, there has been a shift in the motivation of students coming forward. From the University of Dundee’s experience, more students are coming forward who are unable, regardless of their endeavours to prepare for university, to satisfy the basic physiological needs, for example retaining a home, experiencing fuel poverty and struggling to feed and clothe their family. Whilst a triangular model is less conducive to representing a student’s journey in education, it is not difficult to determine that without the basic fulfilment of food, shelter and warmth, a student would find it difficult to achieve self-actualisation in terms of obtaining a degree, thus supporting their personal growth. | Here's the completed project report (PDF 867 KB): Exploring students’ motivations for engaging with student funding services Here's the toolkit created as part of the project (PDF 406 KB): Toolkit for exploring students' motivations for engaging with student funding services |
Aims and objectivesThe main aim of this research project is to capture information from current students at the University of Dundee as to their motivations for engaging with the Student Funding Unit. Due to the ever-changing student funding regulations, the introduction of variable tuition fees in Scotland from the rest of the UK and the general impact of the economic climate, this is an excellent time to seek to capture such information and to take it into consideration for future service delivery and provision, in addition to sharing the information across the sector within the UK. ObjectivesThe objectives of this project are:
MethodologyIt is the intention, for this research project, to contact students who have used the University of Dundee Student Funding Unit during academic year 2012/13 thus far, and who have expressed an interest in participating in focus groups. This student group will be invited to join a focus group to discuss their experiences of engaging with the service and be asked to participate in a short activity based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1970). Participants will be given a short ethics form detailing the purpose of the research, in what way it will be conducted, that all contributions are anonymous and that the final data will be used for research purposes only, initially disseminated within the AMOSSHE structure and will be considered by the University of Dundee Student Services Directorate management for future service provision. It is envisaged that the Poll Everywhere facility will be utilised within the focus groups and students will be encouraged to take part in a short activity wherein they will be given statements according to Maslow’s hierarchy of need, and be asked to place them in accordance with their needs. These will be mapped against Marlow’s standard pyramid. For students who are unable to attend a focus group, they will be encouraged to complete a short SurveyMonkey questionnaire based on the questions raised at the focus group. Therefore, this survey will contact more "free text box" responses and will use a scaling system to obtain a better indication of their views rather than a simple yes/no/don’t know response. As the University of Dundee Panel for Financial Aid (the weekly meeting to discuss applications to the Higher Education Discretionary Funds that are more complex) comprises representatives from the Students Association (DUSA), it is anticipated that those regular members are encouraged to provide feedback on their responses as part of the research process. Intended outputsHere are the intended outputs of the project:
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