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This paper investigated the extent to which the engagement levels of a self-selected cohort of students enrolled in first-year law programmes at three New Zealand universities varied according to ethnicity. When viewed in the light of factors identified within the international literature as having a bearing on student engagement and, in consequence, academic success and retention, no significant differences were identified in the ways students of Pakeha (European), Maori, Pasifika, Chinese and Indian descent interacted with the law school at which they were enrolled. This was despite some identified differences in students' backgrounds and motivations for study and in the external factors having an impact on their study. Nevertheless, the identified differences between the ethnicities in relation to personal and external factors can be utilised to enhance and/or improve the engagement of particular groups of students. Overall, the findings indicate a need for law schools to focus on student engagement in first-year programmes with a view to improving the engagement levels of students across all ethnicities.

From 2014 to 2019, we conducted a national longitudinal study capturing the law school and beyond experiences of a self-selected cohort of students who were enrolled in first-year law programmes at the Universities of Auckland, Canterbury, and Waikato in 2014. Our aim was to provide law students, law teachers, law schools, the Council of Legal Education, and the legal profession with comprehensive data on the Aotearoa | New Zealand law student and law graduate experience. Data were collected on seven different occasions over students’ time at law school and transition into the workforce. A total of 75 students (9.5 per cent of the full dataset, n = 785) participated at each data point, and we sought to capture their lived experiences as law students and graduates. Consistent with actual enrolments at Aotearoa | New Zealand law schools, a majority of the cohort (64 per cent, n = 48) was female. Consistent with the gender-focused Aotearoa | New Zealand and international literature, our results show that in some respects the law student experience was a gendered one. However, this finding was not replicated in early workplace experiences. We consider what lessons the identified gender differences offer for law teachers, the legal profession, and employers of law graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates cross-sectional and longitudinal trends in data collected from a self-selected cohort of law students enrolled at three New Zealand universities. From the beginning of their first year of study to the end of their third year, students were invited to complete questionnaires that documented a range of expectations, perceptions, and attitudes. Analysis was carried out to better understand students' interest in a legal career, satisfaction with law school, and psychological distress across their first three years at law school. Using descriptive and inferential statistics, we found that students' academic self-efficacy (i.e. perceived ability to be successful in law courses) and attitudes towards assessment emerged as noteworthy contributors to the law school experience. Students who persevered across three years of law school remained stable in their career interests and satisfaction with law school. However, two out of three students appeared at risk for mental health difficulties and we document an increase in psychological distress from the beginning of law school to the end of second year. Discussion focuses on how law schools might respond to these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]