'Why Bother if the Students Don’t?' The Impact of Declining Student Attendance at Lectures on Law Teacher Wellbeing

Abstract

There are emerging studies in Australia on declining student attendance at face-to-face classes in law schools, particularly where the classes are recorded and recordings made available to students online. While there is some, albeit limited, scholarship on the nexus between attendance and student wellbeing, the impact of declining student attendance on the wellbeing of law teachers is largely unexplored. An empirical mixed method study at the University of Western Australia Law School was recently undertaken to seek to understand student attendance rates and the motivations underlying student attendance or non-attendance at face-to-face classes. Data collected from the teachers’ surveys and focus group discussions from the wider study provide valuable insights into the relationship between student attendance rates and law teacher wellbeing.

Keywords: wellbeing, student attendance, lectures, law teachers, law teacher wellbeing

JEL Classification: K10