Data collection
The research involved two stages: a semi-structured focus group in the first stage and an online questionnaire in the second. The purpose of the focus groups was to collect data about students' views and experiences of the support that students received from their mentors and/or the link lecturers.
A convenience sample of students (n = 12) was invited to participate in the focus group, which lasted 47 minutes. The focus group was digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The focus group data was used to develop the questionnaire.
The following table presents examples of how the focus group data merged into the themes that were used to develop the questionnaire.
The questionnaire was developed using the Tailored Design Method (Dillman, 2000) and contained a combination of Likert-style, closed-ended and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was pilot-tested prior to administration using the think-aloud method. Survey Monkey™ was used to administer the questionnaire online.