First-year comments describe support and study pressures

Updated Oct 27, 2026

First-year students described valued friendships and staff support alongside workload and assessment difficulties. Francisco De Carvalho, Lars Geschwind, Maria Weurlander and Marta Mendonça examine these experiences in a study at a public university in Mozambique, published in the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal.

What the study examined

The survey combined engagement ratings with open questions about first-semester positives and difficulties at a public university in Mozambique. Participation was voluntary and faculties were selected purposively. Data were collected in July and August 2022; the paper appeared on 6 November 2025.

The qualitative analysis covered 24 of 60 participants who gave valid, relevant open responses. The paper does not explain the selection of that subset.

What the comments add

Workload concerns crossed course boundaries. Students described multiple assignments and competing demands on their time.

Peer relationships had different sides. Accounts valued friendship and learning together, while also describing unequal contributions to group work.

Access to staff mattered in specific situations. Comments included helpful opportunities to ask questions, alongside difficulty discussing grades.

Assessment concerns needed detail. Accounts described difficulty understanding test questions, unfamiliar content and delayed results.

Our student feedback analysis service helps university teams organise comments about teaching, assessment and support into themes for programme review.

References

[Paper Source]: Francisco Coelho De Carvalho, Lars Geschwind, Maria Weurlander and Marta Mendonça. "Student engagement in higher education: Examining Mozambican students' first-year experience and perceptions" DOI: 10.66561/sehej.v7i2.1265