SURI Student Research: Sophomore Layla King Examines College Students’ Self-awareness
Sophomore Layla King, an English secondary education major, spent the early part of
this summer diving into how college students understand and talk about self-awareness
as part of her Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project.
“As a future educator, I am especially aware of the value of soft skills,” King said. “While this is imperative… sometimes the development of those important soft skills — such as self-awareness — stays stagnant or is even lost completely.”
With guidance from Dr. Zachary Wooten, assistant professor of leadership studies and advisor for the Honors College’s civic and professional leadership minor, King analyzed student perspectives to better understand how campus culture influences personal development. The project seeks to uncover through qualitative analysis how students define, experience, and engage with self-awareness in their everyday lives. She explained that her “primary means of data collection is through focus groups, [which] allows us to gauge student perspectives through a low-pressure environment. … Participants engage in discussions with one another, collaboratively sharing ideas and viewpoints.”
Dr. Wooten emphasized that the project connects to broader themes of student development: “Combining WCU’s focus on personal and professional success, the topic of self-awareness is meaningful both in and out of the classroom. Self-awareness helps individuals better understand their values, emotions, strengths, and limitations… Layla investigates all of this and more.”
The research is structured around four key questions: how students define self-awareness, what qualities they associate with it, what shapes their understanding of it, and how self-awareness on campus compares to the world beyond. “These questions are guiding the data analysis process as we hope to find a multitude of answers and perspectives,” King shared.
Inspired by her HON 100 course on self-awareness and development, King took what she learned in the classroom and used it as a starting point for something bigger. “She built upon and moved beyond the limitations of the class to engage in phenomenological qualitative research,” Dr. Wooten said, noting her interdisciplinary approach and highlighting “her analytical mind and insatiable curiosity.”
Ultimately, King hopes that the findings from this project will not only generate meaningful discussions but also inspire broader, long-term changes in how educators and institutions approach the teaching and development of soft skills like self-awareness. “Understanding student perspectives on this topic can help future educators at WCU and beyond create curricula that implement specific examples and ways for students to grow in these skills,” she said.
Wooten agreed: “Anyone interested in personal or professional development will find her research compelling and useful as a case study for other projects focused on young adult development or higher education leadership.”
“My favorite part would probably be the introduction to research as a whole,” King said. “It’s made me excited about what’s to come and how I’ll use it as a future educator.”
This year’s SURI cohort included more than 30 students who spent five weeks as full-time researchers with faculty mentors, presenting their projects at a concluding ceremony on July 9. SURI is overseen by the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.