Studienverläufe und Studienerfahrungen in der Bildungswissenschaft (StuVE)/ Study Careers and Experiences in Educational Studies

Pilot project for the analysis and reflection of study careers and experiences in the first semesters of the BA Educational Studies

Project leader: Bettina Dausien

Staff members: Jacqueline Hackl (October 2020 to April 2021), Flora Petrik (September 2019 to August 2020) and Verena Leonhartsberger (since September 2021) as well as Sabine Freudhofmayer, Tonina Aurel (until 2021) and Dilara Gündüz (Spring 2022) as freelancers.

Funding: The project is funded by resources of the Faculty of Philosophy and Education.
Duration: 1. September 2019 – 30. September 2022

Counting approximately 600 university entrants per academic year, the BA programme in Educational Science used to belong to the very popular university degrees in Austria. However (as can be said about other BA programmes at the University of Vienna), the number of students graduating within the standard period of study is comparatively low. Apart from sporadic evaluations and small-scale research projects, the study careers of these students – and above all the reasons for changing degree programmes and dropping out – have not yet been systematically explored. In addition, the influence of recent policy changes in the field of higher education (such as the introduction of admission procedures and regulation of academic achievements) on the order of study and their potential effects on social inequality and the composition of the student body remains unclear.

A comparative survey of first-year students shall provide more detailed insight into this matter. The project aims to develop both a viable research concept and suitable survey instruments with which study careers, as well as subjective study experiences, can be recorded systematically and over time. For this purpose, both quantitative survey instruments (online questionnaires) and qualitative methods (biographic-narrative interviews, autoethnographies, group discussions) are to be conducted, allowing a more precise differentiation between dropouts and transfers. Furthermore, the research concept and survey instruments are designed to identify different patterns of study strategies and biographical perspectives. Lastly, the students’ educational and social backgrounds and motivations are to be examined more deeply. The qualitative approach also allows the reconstruction of hidden biographical and social connections between educational decisions and educational paths. Ultimately, the results of the study can be incorporated into and inform the department's self-reflection and, among other things, encourage it to better tailor the initial phase of the study programme to the students’ interests and needs.

contact: projekt.stubio@univie.ac.at

Bettina Dausien: bettina.dausien@univie.ac.at

First Interim Results (April 2021)

Second Interim Results (June 2022)