{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T23:48:04Z","timestamp":1777592884069,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Portland Press Ltd.","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769558400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":58,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["portlandpress.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This longitudinal study investigates the evolving inspirations and aspirations of first-year undergraduate students in Biosciences and Chemistry at Sheffield Hallam University over a five-year period (2018\u20132023). Students submitted reflective essays during Welcome Week, detailing their motivations for choosing their course and future career goals. Thematic analysis identified six recurring themes: named career, work experience, further study, experience of disease, outreach experience and Covid-19. While most themes remained stable over time, Covid-19 emerged in 2020 and peaked in 2021. Bivariate analysis revealed that Asian\/Asian British and Black\/Black British students were more likely to cite named careers as an aspiration for study, whilst marginalised ethnic groups were more likely to aspire to further study than their White\/White British peers. The findings highlight the importance of aligning curriculum content with students\u2019 career goals and further study aspirations to enhance engagement and motivation. Recommendations include embedding diverse career pathways into course content, supporting progression into postgraduate study, and expanding outreach and work experience opportunities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1042\/etls20253025","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]],"date-time":"2026-01-28T16:01:56Z","timestamp":1769616116000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1042\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Longitudinal study of changing inspirations and aspirations of first-year students before and after the Covid-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1042","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5210-0647","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charlotte","family":"Boyd","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"1School of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, U.K."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5177-8574","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David P.","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1School of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, U.K."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0997-0217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melissa M.","family":"Lacey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1School of Biosciences and Chemistry, Sheffield Hallam University, U.K."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"288","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026030510215796000_ETLS-2025-3025C1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"139","DOI":"10.1007\/s13384-014-0165-9","article-title":"To aspire: a systematic reflection on understanding aspirations in higher education","volume":"42","author":"Gale","year":"2015","journal-title":"Aust. 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