Using Narrative Learning to improve the academic performance of at risk first-year students.

The EU2020 strategic objective of a more cohesive growth through knowledge based economy calls for improved models to sustain the acquisition of the key competence Learning to Learn for disadvantaged Higher Education students exposed to the risk of social exclusion. The successful implementation of the EHEA hinges on the social dimension of Higher Education in terms of access, participation and completion of studies. NUI Maynooth, in conjunction with its European partners, INSTALL1, is responding to those needs and challenges by developing innovative solutions to address disadvantaged students’ constraints to acquiring and developing the Learning to Learn key competence. Narrative Mediation Path (NMP) is a tool developed to examine student behaviour during semesters when they have performed badly or are experiencing difficulty with academic work. NMP promotes acquisition of Learning to Learn and is based on the psychological concept of mentalisation. The paper focuses on narrative learning and discusses the development and implementation of NMP as a model for intervention and its potential impact on student engagement.