49
Criminology , Sociology , Economics and Finance , International Politics , Policing and Business Enterprise . In total , 9 participants , aged 21 – 25 , took part in this study ( M = 3 , F = 6 ).
The study is limited in its design by scale , as the student sample was restricted to 9 participants from two institutions in North Staffordshire ' ; as such , wider generalisations to the entire UK student population cannot be made . However , all participants shared similar experiences in relation to their mental wellbeing after university , including in terms of how social media affected their wellbeing , and how they thought their universities could have better supported them , therefore , data saturation was reached . 100
To analyse the interview data , I used a thematic analysis ( TA ) approach . TA enables the researcher to identify patterns within and across data in relation to participants ’ lived experience , views , perspectives , behaviour , and practices . 101 I followed Braun and Clarke ’ s six-step guide for thematic analysis , this included :
● Step 1 : Become familiar with the data
● Step 2 : Generate initial codes
● Step 3 : Search for themes
● Step 4 : Review themes
● Step 5 : Define themes
● Step 6 : Write-up . 102
Findings and Discussion
Career Planning Results highlighted that graduates who had a clear idea of the career they wanted to pursue suffered less from poor mental wellbeing than graduates who were uncertain . Out of the four participants who were not sure what they wanted to do after graduation , two went on to postgraduate study and two gained employment in an ‘ unsatisfying ’ job role .
Many participants felt underwhelmed when they graduated , due to feeling that their degree did not qualify them for a specific job role or industry '. Concerns were raised regarding
100
Patricia Fusch and Lawrence Ness . ' Are we there yet ? Data saturation in qualitative research .' The qualitative report 20 , no . 9 ( 2015 ): 1408 .
101
Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke . ' Using thematic analysis in psychology .' Qualitative research in psychology 3 , no . 2 ( 2006 ): 77-101 .
102
Ibid .