“Going to Class Feels Like a Waste of Time”: Student Perspectives of Attendance in Undergraduate Courses

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Institutional Structures and Transfer Pathways (Table 2)

Abstract

Drawing from self authorship theory and utilizing practitioner inquiry methodology, this study investigates attendance in college courses from student perspectives. Data analyzed from focus groups with undergraduate students notes the importance learning, community, flexibility, and autonomy has on student attendance. These findings extend the previous body of research on college attendance by highlighting the importance of community and flexibility in relation to attendance and provide insights into ways attendance in university courses may be increased post-COVID.

Authors

• Andrea LeMahieu Glaws, Colorado State University

• Maggie Burks, Portland State University

• Juliana Searle, Colorado State University