Transition to Higher Education as a Life Upgrade (original) (raw)
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Experience and expectations of transition to higher education: a qualitative exploration
New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, 2018
Transition to higher education is challenging, and may be more difficult for some groups than others. The transition from level 3 foundation year into level 4 offers the opportunity to explore student perspectives. Qualitative survey and focus group data were collected from current and previous Level 3 students, to ascertain student perceptions about induction, level of belonging, confidence about Level 4 and to identify useful support sources. Over a third of eligible Level 3 students (n=102) participated, but numbers of eligible participants from Levels 4, 5 and 6 were limited. Despite the heterogeneous nature of Level 3 students the majority of students recognised the value of the foundation year. Data suggested that Level 3 students did not identify with the university. Those who did highlighted the importance of social outlets such as clubs and societies. A major cause of dissatisfaction was perceived lack of clarity about the foundation year, including the programme, subjects...
This study focuses on the transition to higher education experienced by Portuguese freshman-year students, displaced and nondisplaced from their parents homes, residents on a peripheral island located in the south of Europe called Madeira island. To understand better how students perceive this transition, we collected their narratives and analyzed them with three instruments of analysis of narratives: Structure, Process and Content narrative manuals. The results were an indicator of the narrative enrichment of the students in this transition period. The findings indicate that there is no significant differences between the two groups of students in terms of narrative elaboration. The two groups scored low on narrative richness: in terms of content, structure and narrative process. This might be explained by the changes and reorganizations that the transition to higher education system implies, causing stress and confusion on students, that evolve into an impoverishment of their narratives about that transition life task.
International Journal of Educational and Life Transitions
Education can provide individuals access to work and career possibilities. It may also contribute to greater societal equality, facilitating social mobility. The transition from secondary school (SEC) to higher education (HE) (and beyond) is particularly important, impacting both on individuals’ lives and on society more widely (e.g., by supplying labor markets with required qualifications). Taking an interdisciplinary, cross-national perspective, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 young people from Germany, Argentina, and Chile, aiming to enhance understanding of individuals’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators of transitioning from SEC to HE, in the context of their personal/family situations, social structures and cultural environments. Thematic data analysis pointed to commonality in terms of what young people from the three countries consider as facilitators (e.g., personal ambition; support from family/friends) and barriers (e.g., high expectations of oneself...
Transition to higher education; prospective and retrospective student experiences
New directions in the teaching of physical sciences, 2020
Pre-university (foundation or Level 3) study attracts significant student numbers annually, but approximately 10% of successful Level 3 students do not progress into their university degrees. This project aimed to identify the experiences of current and previous Level 3 students, using questionnaires and focus groups to explore differences by gender, ethnicity and intention to study. One hundred and two current and 56 previous level 3 students participated. Those who felt part of the university were significantly more likely to agree that the foundation course met their expectations. Personal support from academic staff, was highly ranked by students in all year groups, peaking in the final year. Despite considerable student diversity, the foundation year met expectations. However this was significantly lower for Black students compared with other ethnicities, which needs further exploration. Fostering 'belonging' to university is important for foundation year students to improve retention rates into their degree courses.
From further to higher education: transition as an on-going process
This paper argues that transition is not a one-off event that occurs when students first enter universities but is an ongoing process that is repeated over time. We draw on qualitative data from a longitudinal project on " non-traditional " students who entered a research-intensive university in Scotland direct from further education colleges. This cohort of 45 was asked about their views on college and university learning in a study that was conducted throughout their time at university; a sub-sample of 15 was then followed up 10 years later. Our data suggest that four significant transitions, or set of critical moments, can be identified: the loss of a sense of belonging on coming to university, learning to fit in by the end of the first year, changing approaches to learning and belonging in the final years of study and changing selves in the years following graduation. At each point, positive relationships with peers and staff made a significant difference to how these transitions were managed. Moreover, the changes experienced continued to have an impact on the personal and professional lives of the cohort.
Educacion XX1, 2022
Higher education students need to be more autonomous when they change to this new learning environment. This is one of the reasons why many students find the transition to higher education a challenging experience, also shown by the high dropout rate in the first year of higher education. Researchers in this area have pointed out different academic, sociodemographic, psychological, and sociocultural variables that may explain students' adaptation to higher education. In this line of investigation, there have been calls for more longitudinal research to understand how students adapt to their arrival at the university. In this longitudinal study, 148 participants filled out a learning diary/survey on a weekly and biweekly basis during their first university year, reporting their satisfaction, challenges,
Higher Education
The South African higher education sector is faced with high attrition and low retention rates. Studies conducted by the Council on Higher Education in South Africa have found that 50% of black students who access university study drop out, and the majority of dropouts occurred in the first year of study. While these studies revealed what the challenges were and why they occurred, not much has been done to overcome or prevent the challenges. Therefore, knowledge on how first-year students could be assisted and guided to adjust successful to the university environment is paramount. The goal of this article is to determine which factors enable new students' successful adjustment to the university environment. Identifying these factors was deemed important because they could be used to assist and guide new student cohorts. Thirty-two first-year students were the research participants, and data were collected from all of them through a questionnaire, two written reflective pieces, the students' results and individual interviews. Content analysis, using a three-stage open coding process, was used to categorize the findings into themes and sub-themes. The findings revealed that 20 of the 32 students had difficulty overcoming their transition challenges and failed some or all their subjects at the end of their first year of study. The remaining 12 students overcame their challenges and achieved study success. They identified three overall factors that enabled them to adjust and integrate successfully to the university environment.
The purpose of this article is to explore how one group of students reflect upon their transition into the higher education environment. This qualitative research project followed one group of female undergraduate students as they moved through the first year of study. All of the participants were the first in their family to consider further education and each participated in four semi-structured interviews over one year. Drawing on the conceptual lens of 'turning points', the intent is to provide a 'close-up' analysis of the complex process of identity formation within the university landscape. By revisiting the students at various points over time, richly descriptive detail about what this undertaking means for those involved can be presented and the significance of these turning points explored in terms of their wider political implications.
Student voice in ‘the transition to university’ problem
There is a long and ongoing concern for students moving into higher education for the first time. We locate our study in the discussion of perceptions of students as underprepared for university studies. In the context of this discussion our students are highly successful school leavers, who meet stringent entry requirements. Yet at the end of 2009 about 25% of the students were excluded from continuing with their studies for not meeting minimum academic requirements, and indications are that an additional 20-30% of the same cohort is potentially facing exclusion at the end of 2010. The study points to several implications for higher education. Perhaps seriously entertaining the notion of the university as the underprepared entity in the interface between student and higher education may open fresh ideas in terms of dealing with transition. In this we need to be guided by research about entering students rather than commonsense notions about what might be needed. This involves more than just a cursory look at how students’ prior knowledge about subject areas has changed.The data from our study makes it clear that an emphasis on academic orientation (rather than mere physical and social orientation) is needed. In order for higher education to better ”mind the gap” and to possibly even acknowledge our own underpreparedness, we need to better understand our students’ strengths and weaknesses. We need to move beyond the ‘defensive cynicism’ (Haggis, 2006, p. 3) that frame first year difficulties in terms of a wearing down of standards and equating wider access with the sacrifice of valued higher education ideals.
Navigating through higher education: mature students in transition
In our paper we are going to focus mature students close to 50 years old. We will present the results of two life histories co-constructed with these mature students, who have entered university in the year of 2010/2011. Our particular interest is to investigate how they have lived this very important transition to higher education.