From Micro to Macro

Abstract

Transition into higher education (HE) remains at the forefront of policy and practice in education worldwide (Gale & Parker, 2014). Transition as a process (Nicholson, 1990) in which individuals move from one stage to another may cause stress and discomfort that possibly lead to negative outcomes. Transition into HE is a particularly challenging process for the student due to a large variety of difficulties and requirements which could impede study success (Trautwein & Bosse, 2017). Moreover, increasing student numbers and diversity in European HE have reinforced concerns about study success in general and the successful transition to university in particular (Abbott-Chapmann, 2006, 2011; Vossensteyn et al., 2015; Wolter, 2013). Consequently, it is important to further develop our understanding of factors that can contribute to a successful and less stressful transitions into higher education for a diverse student body. In this special issue, we go beyond considering individual factors, such as student characteristics (micro level). In addition to student diversity, we investigate the impact of the learning environment/ institution (meso level) and national educational policies (macro level). Each study contributes to this endeavour by connecting two of the three levels of higher education.

Transition into distance education: A scoping review protocol

“…In a study conducted at the Polytechnic University in Bucharest, 30 percent of the surveyed 18to 21-year-olds considered their adjustment to the context of higher education to be unsuccessful due to crucial challenges, mainly organizational ones [22]. However, the factors regarded as critical differ among students [23], reflecting the growing heterogeneity of the student population [24,25]. Traditional undergraduate students, who generally enroll in a residential higher education program immediately after high school, vary in their sociodemographic characteristics, as well as in their study expectations, their methods of adapting to the new experiential space of higher education [23], and in other personal variables such as self-efficacy expectations [26].…”

Widening the Methodological Lens on the Investigation of Diversity in the Transition to Higher Education

“…In their introduction, the guest editors of the special issue "From Micro to Macro: Widening the Investigation of Diversity in the transition to Higher Education" describe a twofold aim: (a) to widen the perspective on research concerning the role of diversity in the transition process and (b) to contribute to further methodological developments in the field (De Clercq, Jansen, Brahm and Bosse, 2021). The guest editors acknowledge the need for a multidimensional approach (cf.…”