Optimism in the expectations of higher education students: a sentiments analysis

Abstract

Students’ expectations in higher education have different dimensions and influence academic performance and permanence at the institution. This study aimed to understand the expectations of students enrolled in statistics subjects at Ufrrj in a sample of 383 students. The data was analyzed using text mining and sentiment analysis techniques. The period of participation in the survey was categorized as follows: pre-pandemic, remote, transition, and return to face-to-face. The results indicated significant optimism in the students' expectations, regardless of the stage of participation. A varied lexicon was used with a greater diversity of positive terms, including "learning", "succeeding", and "good". The most frequently mentioned negative term was "difficulty". The research highlights the need for actions to transform students' initial optimism into strategies for overcoming the difficulties of the academic trajectory.