Exploring instantiations of academic risk taking in university students: a grounded theory approach
Year of funding: 2019-2020
Faculty: Sara Abercrombie
Funding amount: $4,000.00
Abstract
Academic risk-taking describes students’ willingness and comfort with trying new or challenging tasks and their ultimate engagement with such tasks. In this grounded theory study, interviews with university students from a variety of academic disciplines were conducted to identify instantiations of academic risk-taking, emotions related to risk-taking, and disciplinary differences. Results indicated that academic risk-taking during university studies is informed by students’ prior experiences, cognitive and emotional orientation, familial and cultural influences, and systematic institutional influences, as well as instructor feedback practices, flexibility, warmth, and instructional design features.
Outcomes
Results of the grant-supported study indicated that academic risk-taking during university studies is informed by students’ prior experiences, cognitive and emotional orientation, familial and cultural influences, and systematic institutional influences, as well as instructor feedback practices, flexibility, warmth, and instructional design features. The summary data from the interviews are described in the table below.