What a Difference a Year Makes: Fees-Free Policy and University Students in Aotearoa New Zealand

Type of content
Journal Article
Thesis discipline
Degree name
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2020
Authors
Sotardi, Valerie
Thompson, Elyse
Maguire, James
Abstract

The current study is a brief report building on previous research in which first-year university students in early 2018 reported the extent to which the New Zealand Fees-Free Policy had influenced their decisions to enrol in university and subsequent academic experiences (Blinded for Peer Review). In the current work, we extend this research by focusing on first-year undergraduate students in early 2019. With a cross-sectional design, participants were first-semester university students (n = 955) from one New Zealand institution. As a clear departure from 2018 results, 60% of the participants for the 2019 sample reported that the policy was a contributing factor in their decision to enrol in university. Moreover, 26.1% of the participants—a 425% increase from the early 2018 implementation—reported that they would not have enrolled in university had the policy not been implemented. The policy had a slightly greater impact in 2019 on younger, female students. Similar to 2018, current findings show that students who were more strongly influenced by the policy reported poorer adjustment to university, subjective wellbeing, and university satisfaction, and semester one Grade Point Average (GPA); further, students who were more strongly influenced by the policy were more likely to show interest in an early departure from university. Results provide initial evidence that instead of who students are (demographics), the reasons why students pursue a university degree and whether they are prepared may better inform how policy relates to academic and personal outcomes. Discussion focuses on trends between the 2018 and 2019 cohorts, and considers possible directions ahead as the Fees-Free Policy advances.

Description
Citation
Sotardi V., Thompson E., Maguire J. What a Difference a Year Makes: Fees-Free Policy and University Students in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies.
Keywords
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Fields of Research::39 - Education::3903 - Education systems::390303 - Higher education
Field of Research::16 - Studies in Human Society::1605 - Policy and Administration::160506 - Education Policy
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All rights reserved unless otherwise stated