In their own words: A qualitative examination of student experiences with high-impact practices during the second-year transition

Researchers and practitioners have called for the use of high-impact practices to support student engagement and development in higher education institutions in the United States. Many studies have used quantitative methods to validate the importance of these practices in supporting broad academic and social outcomes, but fewer have used qualitative approaches to understand the range of outcomes that students perceive they are obtaining from these experiences. The development and evaluation of high-impact practices cannot be fully realized without leveraging student voices to understand the range of potential benefits that students acquire. Identifying practices that students perceive as valuable to their learning is essential for cultivating meaningful experiences that support student development and improve affective dispositions toward educational experiences. Second-year students are a particularly understudied population in higher education, facing unique challenges such as the “sophomore slump” that warrant increased access to high-impact practices. To complement existing literature on high-impact practices and second-year student development, this study applied a phenomenographic approach to analyze students’ experiences in a summer-bridge program that supported students (n = 133) through the second-year transition. Using weekly written reflections as a primary data source, student experiences and outcomes were examined across four dimensions of student development: academic, social, professional, and personal. Students reported a variety of positive outcomes from their consistent participation in these practices, with a range of benefits observed primarily in their academic, personal, and social enrichment experiences. Perceptions of professional development outcomes were notably less salient and less detailed compared to the other three dimensions, suggesting that the types of activities students chose in this category may have offered fewer immediate benefits. Implications for cultivating meaningful experiences in higher education that can support second-year students’ transition and development are discussed.