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Using in-depth interviews, it shows that failure sits at the intersection of individual student experiences, institutional structures, and pedagogical approaches. Themes include fear of first-time failure, lack of preparedness, imposter syndrome, challenges taking ownership, non-traditional barriers, and institutional practices that reinforce failure. Building on Carr’s Pedagogy of Failure, the study emphasizes emotional well-being, open dialogue, and structured support. It recommends co-curricular spaces such as living learning communities to help students learn from failure without punitive academic consequences.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/failing-better-understanding-and-supporting-students-through-failure-in-higher-education/588346/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/failing-better-understanding-and-supporting-students-through-failure-in-higher-education/588346.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Putri","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How is failure defined in higher education, and why can it vary between students and staff?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Failure is not a single objective concept; it ranges from negative instructor feedback to losing credits or withdrawing. 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Using in-depth interviews, the study reveals that failure in higher education exists at the intersection of individual student experiences, institutional structures, and pedagogical approaches. Themes in the discourse surrounding student failure include the fear of failing for the first time, a lack of preparedness for university study, the impacts of imposter syndrome, challenges in taking ownership of academic journeys, unique barriers faced by non-traditional students, and institutional barriers that reinforce failure. While failure is promoted as a learning opportunity in higher education, institutional structures and practices often contradict this view with punitive measures that can impact students'academic careers. Building on Carr's Pedagogy of Failure, this research emphasizes the need for approaches that prioritize emotional well-being, open dialogue, and structured support through failure. One recommendation is to use co-curricular activities, such as living learning communities, as safe spaces for students to experiment with and learn from failure without academic consequences. Overall, institutions need to support student learning through failure better while also addressing systemic barriers and providing equitable support for diverse student populations.  \nIntroduction  \nWhat does it mean to fail? At its most basic, failure is defined as “an absence or lack of success”(Sime, 2019); however, what constitutes failure or success is subjective. Within higher education, students may have differing perspectives on what it means to fail, depending on their experiencesand circumstances. For example, student definitions of failure may range from receiving negative feedback from an instructor to not obtaining their desired grade, to losing a credit, or being forced to withdraw from their studies. In turn, staff, instructors and institutions themselves may have their definitions of what failure looks like in the post-secondary environment, which can manifest both explicitly and implicitly.  \nDespite a vast body of literature on failure in higher education, there remains a gap in understanding the perspectives of university decision-makers and their impact on students (Ross et al., 2023) . Drawing on interviews with university administrators, this article explores how failure is understood, positioned and addressed within the post-secondary environment. Implications and recommendations for improving student experiences with failure are informed by a “pedagogy of failure” as introduced by Allison Carr (Carr, 2013, 2014) and encourage the use of co-curricular activities to support student learning.  \nPerspectives on Failure  \nPerspectives on failure within higher education are mixed. Rhetoric around failure generally falls somewhere on the continuum of two extremes – either encouraging failure avoidance at all costs (i.e. success is the only acceptable option) or espousing the benefits of learning from failure. Traditionally, failure has been stigmatized and not valued within higher education (French, 2018; Mortensen & Younas, 2024) . Society places a high value on success, and as such, failure is associated with negative emotions that distract from learning (Edmondson, 2023; Shepherd & Cardon, 2009) . Negative views towards failure are often embedded within higher education systems, discouraging students from experimenting with failure (Smith & Henriksen, 2016; Walsh, 2023) . It is also commonly viewed as a personal deficit, leading to negative judgments of the individual (Edmondson, 2023; Feigenbaum, 2021) . In addition to experie","cbCaiufEliiHsyPN","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiufEliiHsyPN","pdf",161951,18,"English","# Introduction\n# Perspectives on Failure\n## Stigmatized vs generative understandings of failure\n## Productive failure as a pedagogical practice","[{\"question\":\"How is failure defined in higher education, and why can it vary between students and staff?\",\"answer\":\"Failure is not a single objective concept; it ranges from negative instructor feedback to losing credits or withdrawing. Students and institutions may define failure explicitly or implicitly based on their experiences and circumstances.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main negative impacts and risks associated with a stigmatized view of failure?\",\"answer\":\"Stigmatized failure is linked to negative emotions that distract from learning and can be embedded in higher education systems. It may also be treated as a personal deficit, leading to judgment, shame, and longer-term consequences such as withdrawing from an entire program.\"},{\"question\":\"How does “generative” or “productive” failure differ from failure avoidance, and what support is recommended?\",\"answer\":\"Generative failure frames failure as a natural, formative process that provides beneficial feedback. Productive failure uses instructor-supported tasks that are initially beyond students’ skills, coaching them through roadblocks in a safer environment with reduced impact on final outcomes. The study also recommends co-curricular safe spaces like living learning communities and structured emotional support during failure.\"}]","Failing Better - Understanding and Supporting Students Through Failure in Higher Education | PDF",1792065057,45]