Student Voice Resources
Postgraduate Research Student Comment Themes and Categories
In our work with AdvanceHE to analyse all of the free-text data from their national Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) we developed a new categorisation structure that currently encompasses 26 categories of student comment under 9 high level themes. The themes cover a wide range of topics specific to the postgraduate research student experience.
We can adopt such a comprehensive set of categories at Student Voice because our machine-learning powered classifiers automate the process but even if you are labelling by hand then hopefully the below will give you some inspiration.
Comments relating to the qualities of the primary supervisor and the overall supervisor–researcher relationship
Comments relating to how accessible supervisors are and the timeliness and usefulness of their feedback
Comments relating to support from the wider supervisory team, including second supervisors and directors of research
Comments relating to access to physical facilities, technical staff, research participants or datasets needed for the project
Comments relating to stipends, extension funding, consumables or travel budgets and clarity on available funding
Comments relating to the availability and suitability of dedicated study areas and informal social spaces for researchers
Comments relating to opportunities and support for publishing research outputs
Comments relating to the interest, focus and intellectual depth of the research topic
Comments relating to autonomy in choosing research direction, methods and dissemination
Comments relating to workload, work–life balance, flexibility and options for part-time study
Comments relating to peer support, collaboration and opportunities to connect with other researchers
Comments relating to departmental or institutional culture, including elitism or inclusivity
Comments relating to access to and quality of IT services for researchers
Comments relating to the availability and effectiveness of wellbeing and mental-health services
Comments relating to library services, including journal and database access
Comments relating to institutional or departmental administrative assistance, including procurement processes
Comments relating to training in research methods, academic writing and other professional skills
Comments relating to how the programme builds researchers’ self-confidence and competence
Comments relating to opportunities to build professional networks inside and outside academia
Comments relating to opportunities and support for assisting with teaching, marking or scheduling
Comments relating to involvement in outreach, public engagement or knowledge-exchange activities
Comments relating to any formal taught components within the research programme
Comments relating to funding and encouragement to attend or present at conferences and workshops
Comments relating to links with industry, external partners or collaborative projects
Comments relating to formal careers guidance, mentoring and employability preparation
Comments relating to the impact of Covid-19 and the institution’s mitigation and support measures