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Research higher degree reports (SREQ)

Introduction

Data on research higher degree students’ perceptions of their research training experiences is gathered each year using the Student Research Experience Questionnaire (SREQ). The purpose of the SREQ is to provide the University community with a basis for strategic, faculty level academic development and curriculum review to further enhance the quality of research higher degrees. Analysis of this data provides a comprehensive picture of trends in the student experience, and the performance of the University in relation to two of the University’s Key Performance Indicators for Research: Supervision, and Overall Satisfaction with the research higher degree; and other related areas: Infrastructure; Research Climate; and Generic Skills.

Written observations, from respondents to the survey, about their experiences provide evidence to support the Faculty SREQ quantitative data results (percentage agreement scores), and provide detailed information about key issues in the Areas of best practice and Areas needing improvement, during their research training experience. The results are directly aligned with the scales and survey items used in the SREQ, with the addition of items that occur frequently in student comments.

Analysis of qualitative data from the SREQ

The University of Sydney Student Research Experience Questionnaire (SREQ) is designed to collect data on students' perceptions of the quality and frequency of supervision, intellectual and social climate, infrastructure, approaches to research, and generic skills development in their research higher degree, as well as their perceptions of the administration and student support services. Students are asked to respond to statements linked to items in the SREQ Factors, using a 5 point Likert Scale to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with each statement. As part of the questionnaires students are also asked to provide comments on the best aspects of their degree experience and those that could be improved. These comments (qualitative data) form the basis of reports on the research higher degree student experience which are distributed to university senior management; deans and associate deans; and other internal and external stakeholders.

Focus of reports

Based on the answers to the SREQ, reports seek to provide an analysis of observable trends in the research higher degree student experience since 2002. Reports also provide detailed information on the key issues highlighted in the analysis of the latest SREQ qualitative data.

Information is arranged by the following areas of the research higher degree student experience: Quality of Supervision, Quality of Infrastructure, Research Climate, Graduate Attributes, and Overall Satisfaction, which, taken together, comprise the student experience of research training within the Faculty
By examining the foci of the students’ comments in the SREQ, reports seek to highlight areas that were of best practice in the students’ experience, together with those that have been suggested as areas of improvement. The views of the research higher degree students, on their overall experience at the University, as received through the open response comments, are a valuable insight into what is important to them; what they consider to be areas of best practice; and what they consider are in need improvement.
It is important to remember, when looking at the results of the analysis of this data, that the absence of favourable comments on a particular aspect of learning and teaching does not reflect that this is not an area of best practice. Rather, it could be interpreted that the students were happy with their experiences, and prefer to focus on commenting about areas in need of improvement. It should also be noted that research higher degree respondents to the SREQ, have consistently provided more comments relating to areas of best practice than those requiring improvement.

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Analysis and counting of comments

Each comment is analysed according to the Taxonomy for analysing qualitative data from the SREQ which is structured around the SREQ Factors.

Based on the premise that a comment is what is written by an individual respondent in response to one of the open response questions, and a tally in the statistics being a specific phrase or sentence referring to one aspect of the student experience, the total number of times an aspect is mentioned in any one set of comments is calculated as a percentage of comments received in the year of the survey. As a general rule, only those aspects which receive over 5% of comments from the whole cohort (i.e. domestic and international combined) are considered significant enough to be included as specific issues in reports.

Faculty and University reports

Individual faculty reports provide comparative and trends data on the student experience of research training, as indicated in their responses to the SREQ. University reports provide an overall view of the key issues and trends in the student experience of research training across the University.

Each report includes the following information:

  • An executive summary highlighting key trends in the student experience for the faculty. This aimed at providing the Dean with a high level overview of key issues to address.
  • Arrangement by SREQ factors (Supervision, Infrastructure, Climate, Graduate Attributes and Overall Satisfaction)
  • Integration of analysis of the outcomes of both quantitative and qualitative data from the SREQ
  • Comparative quantitative and qualitative data from the SREQ
  • Key issues within each category from the latest surveys, including: main focus of comments; distribution of relevant comments; illustrative sample comments from domestic and international students
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