Making Up for Lost Time: University Students' Quest to Reclaim Missed Opportunities While Adjusting to Post-COVID Life in Higher Education
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| Title: | Making Up for Lost Time: University Students' Quest to Reclaim Missed Opportunities While Adjusting to Post-COVID Life in Higher Education |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jesse Potter (ORCID |
| Source: | British Educational Research Journal. 2025 51(5):2142-2160. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | College Students, Student Adjustment, COVID-19, Pandemics, Higher Education, In Person Learning, Foreign Countries, Electronic Learning, Study Habits, Social Isolation, Sense of Belonging, Learner Engagement |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom (England) |
| DOI: | 10.1002/berj.4165 |
| ISSN: | 0141-1926 1469-3518 |
| Abstract: | A small-scale qualitative case study of students at a post-1992 university in England sought to understand the nuanced experiences of returning to face-to-face study following the pandemic. Whilst much has been written about the effects of studying online, much less is known about how students adapted once they returned to campus-based delivery. Specifically, the paper focuses on student motivations to pursue higher education, and the ways that they blended digital-learning habits learned during the pandemic with their experiences and demands of campus life in the immediate aftermath. This study expands on existing scholarship by detailing how students managed the isolation, loneliness and disrupted 'sense of belonging' emerging from and during pandemic-related lockdowns and online learning. We show how students returned to campus delivery invigorated and eager to immerse themselves in real-time pedagogic and extracurricular experiences. Notwithstanding the difficulties of adaptation, their hopeful narratives balance the findings of other studies that suggest students are struggling to re-engage with traditional modes of university delivery. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1486259 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwHY3oi5NxXe528WEzTA4MJEAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDJ2ul8kOX3ua5WaBdAIBEICBm43rDPSXNZTSyNfZD7ApEBSyhdtXsxjuedlaLklDCl_MfH7n7HAbbEsCP-wz9TeINKRf8j3p8Ae32OPxK91824rRS2MCdgn5qi1r3UzsEjRsrvBBgaQVer1cOOflWnNgriuxJydGNOndOPB7UiphqwwjxFdZ3IDyZA9SVdSBVp1sXjcGzqV_5zSZoLgqi8V9A6IRZ4UqPBpumrBr Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0188606551;bed01oct.25;2025Oct14.06:25;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0188606551-1">Making up for lost time: University students' quest to reclaim missed opportunities while adjusting to post‐Covid life in higher education </title> <p>A small‐scale qualitative case study of students at a post‐1992 university in England sought to understand the nuanced experiences of returning to face‐to‐face study following the pandemic. Whilst much has been written about the effects of studying online, much less is known about how students adapted once they returned to campus‐based delivery. Specifically, the paper focuses on student motivations to pursue higher education, and the ways that they blended digital‐learning habits learned during the pandemic with their experiences and demands of campus life in the immediate aftermath. This study expands on existing scholarship by detailing how students managed the isolation, loneliness and disrupted 'sense of belonging' emerging from and during pandemic‐related lockdowns and online learning. We show how students returned to campus delivery invigorated and eager to immerse themselves in real‐time pedagogic and extracurricular experiences. Notwithstanding the difficulties of adaptation, their hopeful narratives balance the findings of other studies that suggest students are struggling to re‐engage with traditional modes of university delivery.</p> <p>Keywords: Covid; experience; learning technologies; transition; university</p> <p>Key insights What is the main issue that the paper addresses?This paper explores the personal stories of students in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, reflecting on their experiences during Covid and their return to campus post‐pandemic. Within the context of a rapidly changing higher education environment, the paper examines the unique challenges these students faced, and the adaptations they made as they navigated pandemic disruptions and reintegrated into university life. What are the main insights that the paper provides?Drawing on a small sample of students, this paper reveals that some students felt a sense of disconnection from university life due to pandemic restrictions, missing the traditional campus experience. Upon returning to campus life in the post‐pandemic period, they were eager to reclaim the opportunities they had missed. Ongoing changes to higher education help to situate our participants' experiences.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-2">INTRODUCTION</hd> <p>A burgeoning literature has emerged to understand the changing experiences of studying in higher education (HE) and in particular the impact of the pandemic on university students. Specifically, studies have examined the effects of 'emergency remote teaching' (ERT) and technology‐driven pedagogy (Donham et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref1">20</reflink>]; Iglesias‐Pradas et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref2">29</reflink>]; Shin &amp; Hickey, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref3">50</reflink>]), the rise in mental health difficulties (Aristovnik et al., [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref4">5</reflink>]; Villarama et al., [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref5">58</reflink>]; Zimmermann et al., [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref6">61</reflink>]) and perceived increases in disengagement (Jones &amp; Bell, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref7">33</reflink>]) within the context of prior, broader shifts in the direction of marketisation and consumerism (Molesworth et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref8">37</reflink>]; Tomlinson, [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref9">56</reflink>]). However, surprisingly little attention has been given to the student voice. This study tells the story of how a small group of HE undergraduate students managed the isolation, loneliness and disrupted 'sense of belonging' emerging from and during pandemic‐related lockdowns and online learning. The data presented here develop existing research on the impacts of pandemic regulations to HE students in England, highlighting the varying ways that students and academics responded to technology, as well as the pandemic's impact on students' sense of belonging within their HE journeys. Our study focuses on the narratives of students as they negotiated the return to campus and in‐person instruction, and how that transition impacted both their expectations and experiences of university life.</p> <p>In a previous study (Bristow et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref10">8</reflink>]) we established the importance of using qualitative enquiry to fully appreciate the lived experiences of university life, showing that some of the prevailing political discourses that situate the student as a consumer of HE are more nuanced in practice. Specifically, we revealed that students engage with university for myriad and complex reasons that extend beyond the procurement of a qualification, to include the desire to make friends, explore different identities and experiences, and ultimately learn who they are and who they want to be—an important rite of passage and an opportunity to 'grow up'. Moreover, the study explored the complex impact that learning technologies have on the academic–student relationship and the university experience. Prior to the pandemic, the 'technologisation of education' was already the subject of intense debate and concern (Goodchild &amp; Speed, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref11">23</reflink>]), yet the pandemic forced a rapid digital response that circumvented the need for a nuanced discussion on the impacts of technology‐driven and enhanced teaching. The return to campus and the reinstatement of face‐to‐face teaching alongside digital learning provides an opportunity to revisit these questions.</p> <p>This paper explores the challenges and possibilities that arose during the pandemic and continue to be negotiated by students and academics in a post‐1992 university in England. Where we depart from existing research on the pandemic's impact upon students, reviewed below, is in the more intimate lens through which we make sense of these phenomena, as well as in our focus on a range of what might be described as 'non‐academic' factors that shaped our participants' expectations and experiences of HE during and after the pandemic. We were surprised to find a general absence of students' personal stories within the prevailing post‐pandemic scholarship. For this reason, we chose to carry out a small‐scale qualitative study to capture the depth and intimacy of those stories. As academic practitioners and educators, we have valued the experience of being involved in this research as it has provided an opportunity to reflect on our own practices and relationships with students. Sociologically, the value of our participants' reflections is that they act as snapshots of a particular and unusual moment in time. However, as we suggest later in the paper, they resonate with several overarching changes to university experience both prior to, and post, the pandemic itself.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-3">LITERATURE REVIEW</hd> <p>The ongoing process of digitalisation within the UK HE sector was expedited during the pandemic (Nicklin et al., [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref12">41</reflink>]). 'Social distancing' restrictions brought in to curb the spread of Covid‐19, including nationwide 'lockdowns' and the closure of educational institutions to most students, resulted in shifts in learning and studying habits and necessitated the adoption of new ways of learning and teaching for everyone involved in the field (Jereb et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref13">31</reflink>]; Soria‐Barreto et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref14">52</reflink>]). In England, the periods of national lockdown (Brown &amp; Kirk‐Wade, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref15">12</reflink>]), in which schools and universities were formally closed, were March–June 2020 and January–March 2021. During the second national lockdown (November 2020), universities were permitted to remain open but students were required to follow stringent restrictions on travel and socialising, and 'non‐essential' high‐street businesses were closed, impacting on students' term‐time jobs; thus, in practice, many students returned home and much tuition reverted online. During the period March 2020 to September 2021, universities followed social distancing requirements such as one‐way systems and the 'two‐metre rule'. This meant that even when face‐to‐face teaching was permitted on campuses, many larger courses could not accommodate students within teaching facilities. Consequently, many students were taught wholly or predominantly online during these periods. Many of these restrictions continued through the following (2021–2022) academic year.</p> <p>In English universities, the end of official pandemic restrictions in the summer of 2021 brought a renewed emphasis on face‐to‐face learning, recognising its importance for student engagement. Yet, as our study indicates, by the time universities reverted to 'normal' practices, the meaning of that 'normal' experience for students and staff alike had undergone a subtle but demonstrable shift. In particular, the demand for digital flexibility persists, with students often viewing remote participation or non‐attendance as acceptable alternatives.</p> <p>The Office for Students (OfS) upholds the expectation that, while online resources are vital, they should enhance, not replace, the face‐to‐face educational experience, especially since questions about the quality of online learning were raised during lockdown (Office for Students, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref16">42</reflink>]). It is crucial to acknowledge that digital technologies were already integrated as learning tools in HE before the pandemic. For instance, platforms such as Moodle and Blackboard had been widely adopted and embedded for many years, serving as essential components for managing and delivering courses in various educational settings (Carvalho et al., [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref17">14</reflink>]; Costello, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref18">16</reflink>]). Furthermore, even prior to the global health crisis, universities across the United Kingdom were embracing the adoption of innovative technologies such as 'Lecture Capture' and 'Recap' (Ibrahim et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref19">28</reflink>]). These technologies, which facilitate the recording of face‐to‐face lectures, are intended to enable students to revisit and review course content at their own pace (Ibrahim et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref20">28</reflink>]). What distinguished the use of technologies during the pandemic was their shift from complementary tools to becoming the primary means of instruction. In this regard, a substantial body of research has emphasised the importance of recognising that the transition to online learning in universities during the pandemic was primarily an emergency response to a critical situation and was designed as a temporary solution (Hodges et al., [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref21">27</reflink>]; Iglesias‐Pradas et al., [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref22">29</reflink>]).</p> <p>Studies have highlighted the challenges posed by ERT to HE students (Donham et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref23">20</reflink>]; Pettigrew &amp; Howes, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref24">44</reflink>]; Shin &amp; Hickey, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref25">50</reflink>]), where students frequently expressed concerns about the limited availability of resources, lack of motivation and restricted opportunities for communication with peers and lecturers (Donham et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref26">20</reflink>]; Jili et al., [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref27">32</reflink>]; Shin &amp; Hickey, [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref28">50</reflink>]). However, some of these studies also revealed that students appreciated the flexibility afforded by remote learning, especially the ability to save money on travel and undertake assessments online (Abu et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref29">2</reflink>]; Dodd et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref30">19</reflink>]; Wilhelm et al., [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref31">60</reflink>]). Having said this, these experiences varied depending on socioeconomic status, with students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often facing significant challenges. For example, students from disadvantaged backgrounds had limited access to key resources such as laptops, reliable internet connections or adequate study spaces at home. Furthermore, some of these same students experienced financial instability arising from loss of employment and/or increased responsibilities such as taking on additional jobs or caregiving roles (Dodd et al., [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref32">19</reflink>]; Wilhelm et al., [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref33">60</reflink>]). Moreover, the rapid transition to ERT fundamentally altered the university experience, impacting not only students' academic lives but their social engagement (Knight et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref34">34</reflink>]; Potts, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref35">45</reflink>]; Smith et al., [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref36">51</reflink>]). As in‐person interactions and experiences were replaced by virtual classrooms, many students grappled with feelings of isolation and disconnection (Gogoi et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref37">22</reflink>]; Vaterlaus et al., [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref38">57</reflink>]). Without the physical campus environment and face‐to‐face contact, students' sense of community weakened, with reduced opportunities for spontaneous social interactions and group learning.</p> <p>However, insights into how students have renegotiated their sense of community and adapted socially upon their return to campus are yet to be fully understood, a gap in the literature which the present study seeks to address. This study focused on the ways students adapted to the re‐establishment of pre‐pandemic academic practices and the impact this had on communication and belonging.</p> <p>Previous research has consistently highlighted the significance of both academic and social connections in fostering a sense of belonging among students (Ahn &amp; Davis, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref39">3</reflink>]). For instance, positive social interactions, including involvement in societies and friendship groups, play a crucial role in shaping a sense of belonging (Hausmann et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref40">25</reflink>]), as well as predicting both retention and academic achievement (Museus et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref41">40</reflink>]; Thomas, [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref42">54</reflink>]). Unsurprisingly, given the importance of social and academic connections at university, several studies conducted during the pandemic underscored the view of college as a crucial hub for social connections (Mulrooney &amp; Kelly, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref43">38</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref44">39</reflink>]; Vaterlaus et al., [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref45">57</reflink>]). Some of this research indicated that the lockdowns implemented during the Covid pandemic had a detrimental effect on students' sense of belonging (Mulrooney &amp; Kelly, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref46">38</reflink>]). Other studies noted that a significant number of students encountered profound feelings of isolation throughout the pandemic (Gogoi et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref47">22</reflink>]; Vaterlaus et al., [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref48">57</reflink>]).</p> <p>Studies have continually stressed the importance of physical presence on campus among both staff and students as significant in fostering a sense of belonging (Abu et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref49">2</reflink>]; Mulrooney &amp; Kelly, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref50">38</reflink>]; Thompson et al., [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref51">55</reflink>]). The sudden shift to remote learning during the Covid pandemic posed a unique threat to the development of this sense of community. Studies that explored undergraduate student experiences during the shift to online learning found that students encountered myriad challenges (Potts, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref52">45</reflink>]; Smith et al., [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref53">51</reflink>]). For example, a qualitative study of undergraduate students in Canada found that students faced difficulties in connecting with peers and instructors, which in turn negatively impacted their academic experience and mental health (Smith et al., [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref54">51</reflink>]). Similarly, a study in the United States found that feelings of isolation due to disrupted social expectations and interactions were common among participants (Potts, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref55">45</reflink>]). These findings were replicated in the United Kingdom in a study by Knight et al. ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref56">34</reflink>]). Self‐isolation and social restrictions were linked to the emergence of a distinct group of students with unique needs, with many students feeling disadvantaged by the new learning environment. The authors explored the negative effects that arose from limited opportunities for socialisation, a phenomenon which deprived students of vital developmental experiences. Furthermore, the study revealed that while some students reported limited support there was, at the same time, a clear disconnect between the availability of resources and their actual utilisation. Overall, researchers have argued that 'belonging' is not a uniform experience, but rather a relational practice that can differ based on individual situations (Gravett &amp; Ajjawi, [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref57">24</reflink>]). For instance, some studies have found that during the pandemic, younger university students encountered challenges in actively engaging online with lecturers and peers (Cranfield et al., [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref58">17</reflink>]).</p> <p>Our objective was to explore and capture the experiences of a group of students at a particular moment in time, immediately following the Covid pandemic. This study focuses specifically on that period, rather than examining past or present university experiences. Pre‐Covid campus life was characterised by primarily in‐person classes and lectures, frequent social gatherings and unrestricted access to libraries, gyms, clubs and other extracurricular activities. However, immediately after the pandemic, there was a shift towards hybrid and online classes, with reduced opportunities to participate in on‐site social and non‐academic activities. Despite the current limited discourse and fading public memory of this time, the Covid pandemic significantly altered campus life in ways that are likely to have long‐term consequences.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-4">METHODOLOGY</hd> <p>Our study employed a qualitative methodology to explore students' personal narratives, focusing on their motivations for HE, future goals and the interplay of these factors with the increased reliance on technology in universities during and post‐pandemic. This study was exploratory in nature, seeking to garner insights into how a particular group of students adapted to the evolving educational environment.</p> <p>Building and reflecting on our previous, pre‐pandemic research (Bristow et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref59">8</reflink>])—a larger, national study that explored students' expectations and experiences of university and their implications for the academic–student relationship—this new research aimed to understand if these motivations and experiences had shifted post‐Covid. We conducted a small‐scale qualitative study to delve into the complexity of students' experiences, ensuring our analysis was rooted in the reality of their day‐to‐day educational and personal lives. In attempting to capture the specific moment of transition between pre‐ and post‐Covid periods, our reflections on our previous study proved invaluable.</p> <p>We organised three focus groups—between January and May 2023—at a post‐1992 university in England. Our sample consisted of 11 students from different academic years and disciplines. Our focus group participants, with some of whom we had existing academic relationships, encompassed students from both under‐21 and 21+ age categories. That we had established relationships with some of our participants facilitated the building of trust and rapport. This meant that participants were, on the whole, more comfortable and willing to share detailed and personal insights (Roiha &amp; Iikkanen, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref60">47</reflink>]). Our contextual understanding of their situation enabled us to drive relevant conversations, resulting in deeper and more meaningful observations (Garton &amp; Copland, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref61">21</reflink>]). Given our existing relationships with some participants, we considered possible ethical issues such as power dynamics and conflicts of interest. To address these concerns, we ensured that participation was entirely voluntary, assured our participants that there would be no impact on their academic standing and maintained confidentiality by using pseudonyms throughout the research process (Roos, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref62">48</reflink>]). Ethical approval for the study was granted by the ethics committee at Canterbury Christ Church University on 17 May 2022.</p> <p>Participants gave written informed consent and agreed to audio recording of the sessions. They were provided with a £20 book voucher as a token of appreciation for their time and involvement in the focus groups. Each focus group session, moderated by two facilitators from our research team, lasted between 1 and 2 h and was guided by a semi‐structured and flexible interview approach. We utilised an interview guide based on the principles outlined by Charmaz ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref63">15</reflink>]) and Creswell and Creswell ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref64">18</reflink>]). While the interview guide provided a consistent framework, we prioritised our participants' input in generating further questions and topics of exploration. Focus group questions were in this way probing in nature and specifically tailored to the themes and issues highlighted by our participants.</p> <p>In addition to questions around expectations and experiences of university prior to joining, and pre‐ and post‐Covid, we initially included questions on how paid work might impact our participants' university experience. We also asked our participants to provide their reflections on the cost‐of‐living crisis, and their experiences with learning technologies, including the benefits and challenges of these tools. However, during the focus groups, we observed that participants wanted to discuss their experiences during Covid and after Covid in greater depth, particularly how the pandemic impacted them and their social lives. Therefore, we tried to develop this discussion further, allowing participants to explore these areas more thoroughly.</p> <p>In almost all the focus groups, participants expressed gratitude for being able to talk about their experiences. We believe the themes in our study directly speak to what the participants discussed. We carefully documented emerging themes in our field notes, and at the conclusion of each session engaged in simultaneous data analysis, reflecting on the participants' responses prior to conducting additional focus groups. This allowed for a more responsive and adaptive approach to understanding the evolving themes and patterns emerging within the data.</p> <p>Upon completion of the focus groups we employed thematic analysis. This proceeded in line with the six phases of thematic analysis developed by Braun and Clarke ([<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref65">6</reflink>], p. 87): familiarisation with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and writing up. Our approach to thematic analysis was self‐consciously reflexive, acknowledging that this study was 'close to home': taking place in the university where we worked, among students with whom we had an existing academic relationship. This reflects an approach to qualitative research that acknowledges researcher subjectivity as a powerful tool that 'transforms us into tourists of ourselves, visitors of the odd signs of everyday life' (Hochschild, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref66">26</reflink>], p. 6). As Braun and Clarke ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref67">7</reflink>]) write, reflexive thematic analysis should similarly be considered as a 'resource' for qualitative research, which focuses on 'meaning and meaning‐making, and viewing these as always context‐bound, positioned and situated': qualitative data analysis, they argue, is about interpreting and telling stories (Braun &amp; Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref68">7</reflink>], p. 591). Our aim in employing reflexive thematic analysis to the data was to give voice to the stories told by the students in our focus groups.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-5">FINDINGS</hd> <p>Three main themes were identified through analysis of the focus group discussions. These were: narrative gaps, sense of loss and making up for lost time.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-6">Narrative gaps</hd> <p>Many student participants articulated 'narrative gaps' around the circumstances of their learning during the Covid lockdowns, particularly noting interruptions and inconsistencies in their education journey, as well as a lack of recognition for their unique circumstances. We attribute these gaps to the extraordinary nature of the lockdown periods, where students, removed from physical, in‐person education settings, were denied several key markers to school and HE‐level education experiences. Many of these key markers might be described as 'rites of passage' events—for example, exams, school proms, Freshers week, and so on. The importance of the role played by rites of passage in young people's transition to adulthood has long been established (see, e.g., the discussion in Abrams, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref69">1</reflink>]), and we have explored elsewhere the impact of lockdown disruptions on the so‐called 'Covid generation' (Bristow &amp; Gilland, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref70">9</reflink>]; Bristow, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref71">10</reflink>]; Bristow, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref72">11</reflink>]).</p> <p>What was striking was the knock‐on effects the narrative gaps produced. Not only was there a disruption to fundamental transitional experiences but this, in turn, impacted our participants' sense of 'community' and 'belonging' whilst at university. Moreover, the disruption was shaped by where our participants were in their educational journey. The following focus group excerpt highlights some of these issues:</p> <p> <emph>It's weird 'cause I look back at 6th form and I don't even remember it 'cause I was just at home most of the time, like I was probably there for less than 6 months out of the 2 years 'cause it was just like back and forth ... I'd go into school and then someone would get Covid and we'd have to go off again and then it was like summer holidays and then Christmas holidays and then it would happen again it was just back and forth</emph>. (Lisa, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Lisa's comments reveal the uncertainty faced by many students as they negotiated the various regulations—the 'back and forth'—of the pandemic. As mentioned, that uncertainty invariably impacted not only their experience of learning, but several key moments and markers as well:</p> <p> <emph>We were all quite nervous and on edge and then our exams got cancelled, so I completely missed all my exams that I worked so hard for, like honestly, I worked really hard. And then we had our May Ball which is really like a big thing at our school like that obviously came across in May that was cancelled ... they seem like such little things but they are things that you look forward to for that whole period of time ... and on the last day like the pranks on teachers and stuff, it's all like a big thing and I literally just missed all of it</emph>. (Chloe, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Students transitioning to university during the Covid pandemic faced a substantial interruption in their educational journey, with significant changes to crucial socialisation experiences in their final school years, a process vital for preparing them for university life. This disruption led to a discernible gap in their knowledge and experience, as many were compelled to self‐direct their learning. This is indicated by the excerpts below:</p> <p> <emph>I guess in terms of that, going from having 6 months of no school because Covid meant that we had to do that, so then going into university‐style exams, not exams, assessments and stuff like that, I think it was a massive step up for me...</emph>(Amelia, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p> <emph>... it was completely different really, they just sort of said you should be able to do this essay, do it, write a report, use Harvard referencing we are not going to teach you how to do it, you didn't do your A level, so there was no exams there or anything, so you didn't have any exam experience either since GCSE, and now we are being expected in our third year to do exams that pivot our entire degree really...</emph>(Peter, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Mature students in our study, even those not actively engaged in formal education at the pandemic's onset, voiced similar concerns. They too perceived the pandemic as a tumultuous time, presenting challenges in both their professional and personal lives. Interestingly, some of these participants chose to set aside and avoid revisiting the distressing memories from this period.</p> <p> <emph>I mean I would say I don't sit down and think about Covid, 'cause it was a bad time for a lot of reasons, like what I was doing work wise was kind of very dead end, I wasn't really enjoying it, during Covid was one of the times that I was so stressed at work and I didn't really realise until ... it was that step back on like ... hang on a minute I don't have to be here forever and then realising I could come to uni...</emph>(Carol, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p> <emph>... and because I had so much time to myself forced to be isolated and it coincided with like a breakup needed to happen but we were forced together. I would say I tend to not think about it ... because it is intertwined with a lot of negative stuff that I've not really spoken about ... that's going to stay there in a lockbox...</emph>(Carol, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Mature students in our sample looked to education to fill the void or gap in their lives created by the pandemic. Yet, despite these aspirations, continuous restrictions often prevented them from enjoying the educational experience they hoped for. For instance, the participant below shared that travel, their usual coping mechanism for a demanding job, was restricted due to Covid. This constraint encouraged them to think about attending university as a mature student:</p> <p> <emph>... just 'cause I couldn't travel abroad to be fair, I couldn't do my, it was almost like my coping strategy for working life was like going abroad every year and then when the pandemic hit I was just like, oh my god, I can't go abroad anymore, I feel landlocked...</emph>(Victoria, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>The period of the pandemic was marked by monotony for many, leading some to either inadvertently blur memories of the time or actively choose to push it to the background, often because of the negative feelings associated with it. As demonstrated above, nearly all participants in our study pointed to specific gaps in their experiences during the pandemic—certain aspects of their lives that were noticeably missing or reduced. These notable gaps frequently evoked feelings of loss.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-7">A sense of loss</hd> <p>This theme of 'loss' or 'losing out' was present throughout our focus groups. What Chloe describes above as '<emph>things that you look forward to for that whole period of time</emph>' are arguably key narrative milestones in the progression from school to university. Given the unprecedented nature of 'lockdown' and its disruption to everyday activities, missing out on these narrative milestones became that much more consequential, negatively impacting our participants' HE student journeys. For these reasons our participants articulated 'Covid time' as 'lost time', a sentiment clearly articulated in the following excerpt:</p> <p> <emph>I still feel like I am 18 and I am going to be 21 in August, which is like 3 months away, 4 months away but that's really odd 'cause I think 18 is the time when you go to Uni, have the parties, we all know what that means and not having that still makes me feel like, 'cause this is the first year that it's been able to happen, I guess I now feel like I am 18 but I am going to be turning 21, so I've just lost those 2 years of my life that are like the really fun years I guess</emph>. (Amelia, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>The sentiment articulated here is that the disorganisation of social time during the pandemic impacted on the individual life course. Again, this speaks to pre‐existing trends noted in twenty‐first‐century Western societies, where youth scholars have observed that one consequence of de‐industrialisation, globalisation and employment precarity has been 'a de‐standardisation and growing contingency in life‐courses and identity' (Leccardi &amp; Ruspini, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref73">36</reflink>], pp. 1–2). As Leccardi writes, youth have a 'dual connection' to time, in that it is limited by age, but open‐ended in terms of meaning: 'young people are asked by society to delineate the course of their own biographical time, to build a meaningful relationship with social time'. This requires 'constructing significant connections between an individual and collective past, present and future' (Leccardi, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref74">35</reflink>], pp. 15–16). When social time becomes disorganised to the extent that it was during the pandemic, the project of forging such 'significant connections' between <emph>either</emph> an individual <emph>or</emph> a collective past and a future trajectory becomes yet more complicated.</p> <p>Our participants articulated 'lost time' primarily in two ways: first, as a sense that 'nothing happened' during the Covid lockdowns—an understandable sentiment given the near‐universal disruption to everyday life experienced by most individuals. The second way 'lost time' was articulated was through a clear acknowledgement of the disruption to (key) moments and experiences, particularly those associated with leaving school and/or transitioning to university. Given the nature of these moments and the significant role they play in socialisation and 'coming of age' narratives, we interpret these absences as having had lasting impacts. The following focus group excerpt further captures some of these sentiments:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Lisa It is a big thing though ... your school years like you look back and you didn't have a prom and my sister didn't have a prom.</item> <p></p> <item> Monica It's like a rite of passage isn't it, a marker in your life that you missed.</item> <p></p> <item> Lisa A cool memory.</item> <p></p> <item> Chloe I really feel like I missed out but, yeah, so I just missed everything in the end.</item> </ulist> <p>As the literature attests, social engagement is understood as a key part of the way that university students (can) achieve a sense of 'belonging' (Ahn &amp; Davis, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref75">3</reflink>]), and 'missing out' for our participants, in this way, negatively impacted their HE experiences. This was acutely the case where Covid regulations necessitated online learning, as can be seen in the following excerpt:</p> <p> <emph>It felt disconnected, hated it to be fair ... it felt like, I missed ... if it weren't for our weekly catch ups which sort of kept it bearable, I don't mean that nastily, I mean in terms of contact ... I would honestly be like why am I at uni because it was the human element that I missed massively because that was one of the reasons I was looking forward to coming to uni</emph>. (Victoria, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>As Victoria's comments suggest, the transition to university life for many of our participants was severely impeded by Covid regulations, particularly in their emphasis on digital/online teaching and learning. The students in our sample predominantly studied on smaller courses that returned to in‐person teaching at an earlier point than others—a fact driven by the evolving government and HE pandemic guidelines at the time, which also impacted their experience. Upon returning to campus students were greeted by empty corridors and quiet common spaces, a dynamic which, in conjunction with the continued use of virtual learning environments, made the process of acclimatising to university—and subsequent possibilities for 'belonging'—more challenging. Importantly, it is these impacts to the student experience that have received less attention. The broader university experience is often assumed rather than thoroughly researched, overlooking the significant impacts these aspects have had on the student experience. As suggested by our data, the 'human element'—face‐to‐face learning, active connection with peers and faculty, and a vibrant campus environment—remain integral to what prospective students expect from university, and indeed how they eventually come to understand themselves, as students.</p> <p>Similarly, across our sample, participants cited the experience of online learning as undermining the possibility for 'human connection'. This is significant for two primary reasons. First, in line with the extant literature, online learning during the pandemic proved a persistent impediment to human connection and engagement, weakening university students' ability to forge connections, establish friendships and social networks, and develop bonds with others. Second, many of our participants cited 'meeting' and/or 'collaborating with people' as one of the primary reasons they chose to attend university in the first place. In this way their expectations for university were very much bound up in the possibility of the 'bonds' or 'social connections' that might take place once there.</p> <p>As such we found it unsurprising that it was this aspect of online learning—its potential to weaken social connections—that was frequently cited within our focus groups. The following excerpt resonates with a number of these themes as Victoria describes their experience of online learning:</p> <p> <emph>So I was really disappointed when it went online because I felt very much disconnected from the university, it was all sort of information and online seminars being thrown your way, there was no human connection and even with the breakout rooms no one was talking ... I mean people would just disappear, make themselves a cup of coffee or something and not say anything, those of us who were talking it was just rally the troops it was almost like ... the experience was actually quite negative 'cause it gave some people the feeling that they didn't need to do whatever, I don't know</emph>. (Victoria, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Indeed, most of our participants articulated a clear preference for in‐person learning. Interestingly this preference was framed not just around the perceived pedagogic advantages of in‐person versus online learning but was also linked to the themes of connection, community and experience. We see this quite clearly in the following excerpt, where the experiential benefit of in‐person learning becomes quite poignant:</p> <p> <emph>Yeah, I mean, it's so much better, and I think getting to catch up with people that you study with, it helps you to keep focused and I am enjoying it a hell of a lot more and I genuinely mean that because I feel connected not just to the course but to the university community, especially since moving into Canterbury and I literally feel like I am living and breathing the university experience whereas back then I literally felt like an outsider</emph>. (Victoria, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Victoria's reference to '<emph>living and breathing the university experience</emph>' is, again, testimony to the crucial role of 'belonging' and 'community' within the student journey. Having said this, our participants' reflections on learning and the student experience were by no means uniform.</p> <p>For some of our participants, 'belonging' and 'community' only became possible within the context of learning from home. Rebecca, who for their entire adult life has managed a range of mental and physical disabilities, described the social and interpersonal revelations brought about by distanced learning:</p> <p> <emph>I am quite different to other people 'cause I am disabled and quickly ill, and I spend a lot of time on my own. So, I am used to the online spaces, and it was actually good for me to start with 'cause I was talking to people online, I joined some societies and stuff. And it was when things opened up more that people abandoned those, but then I was less connected to people ... we did have face‐to‐face with masks and stuff so to start with it was good, but it was very mixed‐up expectations with reality and stuff</emph>. (Rebecca, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>In the following excerpt Rebecca elaborates on the above, expressing how lockdown facilitated a more familiar means of communicating and socialising, one that was accessible and enabled a more equitable social arena in which 'community' and 'belonging' might take place:</p> <p> <emph>So, my first year of uni was by far my best, because the first semester was December 2021 where things went back into lockdown. But I was able to communicate with people on Discord, where you have chats and everything. So I was meeting with people, whereas most of my life, because I've been chronically ill and stuff, I hadn't even met anyone. And these people were in my same city but I was able to meet them in a socially distanced way ... so I was actually meeting people, making friends and we all had similar interests and especially with the LGBT stuff I didn't really know other queer people, trans people, stuff like that, so I really felt like I was meeting the people I was meant to meet, and I thought this is what I always dreamed of, and it was in a more accessible way for me because it was online, so it wasn't as overwhelming. So when things opened up they stopped doing online socials 'cause we had like video chats and stuff, and I was like, 'wow this is amazing', and my friends were in charge of the societies and they said, 'oh yeah, we'll continue, we'll have some online, some in person', but then I got ill and then bronchitis, so I was just bed‐bound for like over a month, and my friends didn't contact me anymore because they were busy out having fun, and it was this sort of hit to reality, 'oh, I am disabled, this is how life is going to be'. So I had this sort of taste of it where everyone was in a similar place, and then it sort of went still</emph>. (Rebecca, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>As we can see in the above excerpt, Rebecca experienced a high degree of 'community' and 'belonging'—'<emph>meeting the people I was meant to meet</emph>'—within the unusual circumstances presented by the second round of Covid‐related lockdowns and subsequent online learning. Interestingly, similar to Rebecca and converse to much of the prevailing literature, the 'sense of loss' here is directly related to the return to 'normal' HE teaching, learning and social conditions.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-8">Making up for lost time</hd> <p>Given the importance of 'belonging' and 'community' many of our participants felt an acute pressure to make up for lost time, while struggling to adjust to the transition from one learning environment to another. We see this in the following focus group excerpt, where Holly, while relieved to have the '<emph>human connection to people</emph>' absent during online learning, nevertheless expresses the challenge of moving between such dramatically different social and educational contexts:</p> <p> <emph>Yeah, very overwhelming the difference between being online and being in person. And like I say a lot of people on my course are feeling that, especially people that are commuting everyday ... it's like going from one extreme to another ... like zero to a hundred, a lot of change</emph>. (Holly, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>The question then, for many of our participants, was how to negotiate not just, as Holly mentions above, the overwhelming '<emph>difference between being online and being in person</emph>' but how to make up or compensate for a social landscape (at university) where belonging, community and connection had been undermined.</p> <p>In response to these challenges, as noted above, students often felt compelled to maximise their university experience. This sentiment was especially pronounced among students in their second or third year at the time of interview, who endured significant interruptions in their first 2 years. These students felt driven to embrace every opportunity, as if trying to cram their entire university experience within a limited timeframe:</p> <p> <emph>... I literally feel like I am living and breathing the university experience ... it's me seeking out those opportunities and me being supported by my friends to get involved in stuff, I mean I am treasurer for different societies, union chair, union rep, I've done mentoring in the last year...</emph>(Victoria, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>As they rushed to seize every available opportunity, both academic and social, the pressure to capture the full university experience often left students drained. Some students admitted to feeling overwhelmed and sometimes lacking sufficient time for academic pursuits:</p> <p> <emph>I do struggle sometimes to get the readings done because of being so involved in the community and the student experience as a whole, and all these little things that I do outside as well, that I find it harder now to keep up with everything as much as I did when it was online ... that's the only negative between then and now ... but other than that it's all positive to me anyway</emph>. (Carol, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p> <emph>I just took everything way too far, honestly ... to move somewhere where I've never been out of the house before on my own like without my parents I think I just got a bit carried away and before I knew it I was just a mess</emph>. (Chloe, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>For students with disabilities, the intense demands and varied experiences of university life seemed especially challenging. Bridging the gaps in experience and striving to keep pace with their peers often felt like a very steep climb:</p> <p> <emph>... so yes, when I am here its fabulous 'cause ... but then when I am here because I am so tired because of the journey to and from even though I live just over there ... I just feel so tired that my brain is like, 'no, I am going to go back to sleep' ... but yeah, it's really challenging</emph>. (Amelia, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p> <emph>A disabled student thing, I 100% relate to it, I don't know what kind of misguided thing, looking for some stability, finally living on my own, no I am not in control of anything, I've just got more ill and less able to ... but yeah like when I am at Uni I feel so good I am like meeting people, talking to people I am like, 'yeah, I can do this'. I engage a lot in class and everything and then once I am at home it sort of just hits me that I am exhausted and also losing so many friends in my first year, well at the beginning of my second year it really knocked my confidence ... so just huge highs, huge lows ... it's very hard to go from these extremes and not really know what's expected of you and I think everyone was just in a very weird space</emph>. (Rebecca, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>In the aftermath of Covid, global news (Butler &amp; Britten, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref76">13</reflink>]; Tahseen, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref77">53</reflink>]) was flooded with ideas of 'revenge socialising' and 'revenge travel'. As lockdown restrictions were lifted, there was a sudden surge in social activities, driven by people's desire to compensate for the time they lost. This trend was mirrored in the experiences of our study participants, who expressed an urgent need to engage in activities that fostered a sense of belonging and community. Yet, as the following quotes illustrate, this yearning might not just be confined to the academic realm, it could very well reflect their broader feelings about life in the post‐Covid era:</p> <p> <emph>I definitely see my friends more often than I used to ... like it was more like, 'I can't do today, I can't do today', but after Covid it's been like, 'Oh well we are going to like make it happen' because we didn't see each other for so long</emph>. (Alison, second‐year undergraduate)</p> <p> <emph>... and then I was working during Covid and I thought, omg, I do not want to be here for the rest of my life, like I want to do something that I enjoy ... I'd rather do everything I can now in case it happens again...</emph>(Carol, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>Similarly, in the following excerpt Holly describes the urgency among their peers of 'making up' for events and experiences unavailable to them during the pandemic:</p> <p> <emph>Obviously, everyone's got their things going on in their lives ... but because of having that student life again people have missed out on going clubbing and doing all these things ... that's why they came to uni ... one of the main things they came here to do was that ... they are making up for lost time</emph>. (Holly, third‐year undergraduate)</p> <p>'<emph>Clubbing and doing all these things</emph>' are activities understood here as being neither banal nor frivolous, but as potentially integral experiences within the process of 'becoming' a university student. 'Missing out', therefore, has implications for this process, and we argue negatively impacted on our participants' initial sense of 'belonging' and 'community' once at university.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-9">DISCUSSION</hd> <p>Ahn and Davis ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref78">3</reflink>]) understand 'belonging' within HE settings as being associated with 'students' feelings of being accepted, included by and connected to their institutions' (p. 622). The possibility of 'belonging' is therefore associated with a range of aspects of and activities related to students' experiences within HE, including 'support and caring', 'self‐confidence and academic achievement', 'social recognition and acceptance', and 'academic and social engagement' (Ahn &amp; Davis, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref79">3</reflink>], p. 622). Other scholars have emphasised the crucial role of social support, in particular the importance of compatible friendships—especially for first‐year students—in achieving a sense of belonging (Wilcox et al., [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref80">59</reflink>]). Further to this point, Ahn and Davis ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref81">3</reflink>]) argue that the nature and consistency of 'academic engagement' has direct implications for HE students' 'sense of belonging', and that factors which erode or undercut academic (and social) engagement will negatively impact on the possibility of students' experiencing 'belonging' themselves. These were issues that featured prominently in our study where students, deprived of a more 'normal' university experience, struggled to forge a clear sense of belonging.</p> <p>For the young students in our study, the period of the pandemic was uniquely challenging. They were denied the university experience they had anticipated and faced a reality they had not expected. On the other hand, for the mature students we talked to, university was a potential source of hope—a likely way out from the challenges posed by the pandemic. However, even they found themselves tackling unmet expectations, unable to find the relief they had hoped for. What was initially perceived as a short‐lived disruption extended into years of unprecedented change. Especially for third‐year students, the impact was deeply felt. With the emergence of Covid, universities underwent transformative changes. While the shift to ERT was largely met with reluctance, some students—particularly mature students and those with disabilities—welcomed the move towards greater accessibility and inclusivity. We have interpreted these disruptions and unmet expectations as reflecting a gap in our participants' HE narratives.</p> <p>A recurring sentiment among our participants was a deep sense of loss. Many regretted the missed milestones such as exams and the final days of school. Some scholars have described this as 'a grieving' for 'rites of passage'; an acute awareness—by young people—of key social and cultural events that were long anticipated but never realised (Anderson, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref82">4</reflink>]; Bristow &amp; Gilland, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref83">9</reflink>]). For our participants, this pervasive feeling of losing out extended to the overall 'student experience'. Similar findings have been observed by other researchers. For instance, Sanderson et al. ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref84">49</reflink>]) identified 'sense of loss' as a dominant theme in their study of traditionally under‐represented undergraduates in the United Kingdom. Many reported reduced feelings of control, motivation, financial instability and an overall diminished student experience. The restrictions imposed during the pandemic often felt externally imposed, leading to feelings of voicelessness. O'Sullivan et al. ([<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref85">43</reflink>]) similarly found that feelings of loneliness and social isolation were a common experience among young people as a result of pandemic‐related restrictions. In our study, participants described their sense of loss as an irreplaceable period gone by, a time they'd never get back. This took a number of forms, primarily manifesting as an exhaustive and at times aggressive embrace of university and extracurricular‐type activities—for example, sport, socialising and participating in societies. This embrace invariably reflected the elements of university life lost to pandemic‐related regulations; a loss which our participants experienced and articulated powerfully. This echoes Sanderson et al.'s ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref86">49</reflink>]) rendering of 'sense of loss'; a sense among their participants that they had no agency and that their university experience was not really theirs. Similarly, the young students in our study often expressed missing memorable experiences and 'rites of passage'‐type moments, as well as the everyday social aspects of school or university life. In contrast, mature students highlighted the absence of human connection in lectures and the missing dynamic of the academic–student relationship on campus. There was a consistent feeling of being unprepared for the next phase, with the transition made challenging due to the gaps created during Covid.</p> <p>Almost as a reaction to their loss our participants seemed to go into overdrive, eagerly trying to compensate for the time they had missed. Central to these efforts was the pursuit of a sense of belonging and connection with the university—qualities that were either lost or transformed during the pandemic. Yet, in their eagerness to adapt and maximise their experiences, many became overwhelmed. This echoes global trends like 'revenge socialising', 'revenge spending' and 'revenge travel' seen in the news, where there are sudden surges in specific activities as individuals strive to recover losses and re‐establish human connections. This yearning to regain lost university experiences was palpable in our participants' narratives.</p> <p>The role of technology needs to again be emphasised. The pandemic‐induced move to ERT, as well as the continued reliance on virtual learning environments upon the 'reopening' of university campuses, had a profound impact on our participants' transition to, progression within and experience of university. For example, online/at‐home learning prevented several of our participants from experiencing 'rites of passage'‐type events. These absences, or 'gaps' as we have referred to them, undermined students' progressing narratives, in turn creating a sense of loss. The cumulative effect of these narrative gaps and feelings of loss elicited in our participants an enthusiastic orientation towards their time at university. Technology, in this way, was simultaneously generative of and subsidiary to how students negotiated the post‐pandemic university landscape.</p> <p>The dual challenge faced by students returning to campus post‐Covid was profound. Not only were they navigating the new and evolving campus dynamics brought about by overarching changes in university structures, but they were also driven by an intense desire to recapture those standard university experiences they had missed. This combination of adaptation and yearning made their journey unique, marked by both resilience in the face of new challenges and a profound sense of what could have been.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-10">CONCLUSION</hd> <p>Writing up this study in 2024, 4 years from the outbreak of the Covid pandemic and a year from the data collection period, we are reminded of both the study's limitations and its importance for future research on students' understanding of, and engagement with, the university experience. This was a qualitative study of a small group of students at a specific university during an unprecedented—and, as yet, unreplicated—moment in history. As we have observed elsewhere (Bristow, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref87">11</reflink>]), one of the contradictory features of the Covid lockdowns was that they were experienced by everybody but impacted individuals in uniquely different ways. Thus, any attempt to generalise about their impact on a generation, or even on a student cohort, has to carry the caveat that no two people had the same 'lockdown experience'. On the other hand, as the pandemic fades from time and memory, it becomes more important to have captured data attesting to the way that students thought and felt about their university experience 'in the moment': as the economic, social and educational reverberations of this moment are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.</p> <p>At the time of writing, English universities are facing a significant funding crisis that is leading, among other things, to a rationalisation of course offerings and campus facilities, and a renewed interest in the use of learning technologies (PWC, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref88">46</reflink>]). University admissions are reported to have fallen for the third year in a row, as prospective students seek other opportunities in the light of educational challenges experienced by schools and universities during the pandemic, the current cost‐of‐living crisis and a growing public discussion about whether going to university is 'worth it' (Jack, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref89">30</reflink>]). Further research is needed to explore the intersection between the legacy of the pandemic on student experiences and university practices and the pre‐existing trends that were already leading to questions about the purpose and sustainability of the United Kingdom's current institutional model for HE (Bristow et al., [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref90">8</reflink>]). It is important that such research begins with as authentic an account as possible about what the pandemic meant for students studying during that time, in order to situate and integrate those experiences in an understanding of what the post‐pandemic university could, and should, be going forwards.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-11">FUNDING INFORMATION</hd> <p>There are no funders to report for this submission.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-12">CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT</hd> <p>The authors hereby declare that there is no conflict of interest.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-13">DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT</hd> <p>The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.</p> <hd id="AN0188606551-14">ETHICS STATEMENT</hd> <p>The ethical integrity and methodological approach of this study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU). 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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Making Up for Lost Time: University Students' Quest to Reclaim Missed Opportunities While Adjusting to Post-COVID Life in Higher Education – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jesse+Potter%22">Jesse Potter</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5442-9879">0000-0002-5442-9879</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anwesa+Chatterjee%22">Anwesa Chatterjee</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5653-981X">0000-0002-5653-981X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennie+Bristow%22">Jennie Bristow</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4642-2535">0000-0003-4642-2535</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sarah+Cant%22">Sarah Cant</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0644-1873">0000-0002-0644-1873</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22British+Educational+Research+Journal%22"><i>British Educational Research Journal</i></searchLink>. 2025 51(5):2142-2160. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 19 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Students%22">College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Adjustment%22">Student Adjustment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22In+Person+Learning%22">In Person Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+Learning%22">Electronic Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Study+Habits%22">Study Habits</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Isolation%22">Social Isolation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sense+of+Belonging%22">Sense of Belonging</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learner+Engagement%22">Learner Engagement</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom+%28England%29%22">United Kingdom (England)</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1002/berj.4165 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0141-1926<br />1469-3518 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: A small-scale qualitative case study of students at a post-1992 university in England sought to understand the nuanced experiences of returning to face-to-face study following the pandemic. Whilst much has been written about the effects of studying online, much less is known about how students adapted once they returned to campus-based delivery. Specifically, the paper focuses on student motivations to pursue higher education, and the ways that they blended digital-learning habits learned during the pandemic with their experiences and demands of campus life in the immediate aftermath. This study expands on existing scholarship by detailing how students managed the isolation, loneliness and disrupted 'sense of belonging' emerging from and during pandemic-related lockdowns and online learning. We show how students returned to campus delivery invigorated and eager to immerse themselves in real-time pedagogic and extracurricular experiences. Notwithstanding the difficulties of adaptation, their hopeful narratives balance the findings of other studies that suggest students are struggling to re-engage with traditional modes of university delivery. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1486259 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1002/berj.4165 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 StartPage: 2142 Subjects: – SubjectFull: College Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Adjustment Type: general – SubjectFull: COVID-19 Type: general – SubjectFull: Pandemics Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher Education Type: general – SubjectFull: In Person Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Study Habits Type: general – SubjectFull: Social Isolation Type: general – SubjectFull: Sense of Belonging Type: general – SubjectFull: Learner Engagement Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (England) Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Making Up for Lost Time: University Students' Quest to Reclaim Missed Opportunities While Adjusting to Post-COVID Life in Higher Education Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jesse Potter – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Anwesa Chatterjee – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jennie Bristow – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sarah Cant IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 10 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0141-1926 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1469-3518 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 51 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: British Educational Research Journal Type: main |
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