Final year biosciences students’ willingness to engage: teaching–learning environments, authentic learning experiences and identities

The research reported in this article investigates what students perceive as influencing their willingness to engage actively with their studies. The semi‐structured interviews which form the basis of this analysis are a subset of the data from the Enhancing Teaching–Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses (ETL) Project, a large‐scale project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. The findings from the analysis were drawn together in a multifaceted conceptual model, which describes the interplay between aspects of students’ identities and facets of their learning contexts in university and on work placement. The notion of ‘authentic learning experiences’ is used to illuminate the students’ perspectives on how key learning experiences influenced their identities and willingness to engage with their studies.