Educação & Formação
On-line version ISSN 2448-3583
Abstract
CAMPIRA, Farissai Pedro; ALMEIDA, Leandro Silva and ARAUJO, Alexandra M.. Academic satisfaction: a qualitative study with university students from Mozambique. Educ. Form. [online]. 2021, vol.6, n.3, e4913. Epub Aug 11, 2021. ISSN 2448-3583. https://doi.org/10.25053/redufor.v6i2.4913.
The expansion of higher education in Mozambique has been associated with greater socio-cultural diversification of students, allowing the entry of students from the most disadvantaged social classes. However, these are also the students who experience the most difficulties in their adaptation, success and permanence. In view of this observation, this paper analyses the satisfaction of Mozambican college students in relation to different aspects of their academic experience. A group of 30 students from different courses, in their 1st or 2nd years, participated in the study. Students responded individually to a semi-structured interview about the experience of satisfaction regarding their academic experience. The results indicate that the most valued dimensions are related to the infrastructures of the institution, interpersonal relationships, and conditions for learning. The development of autonomy and preparation for the future job also emerged. Learning conditions and the institution’s infrastructures were the aspects with higher students´ dissatisfaction. The results of this study can be used to identify items for the construction of an instrument of collective application to assess students' academic satisfaction and, on the other hand, suggest where institutions can introduce changes to support students’ learning and engagement.
Keywords : Higher Education; Academic satisfaction; Academic experience; Mozambique.