Measuring the beginning: a quantitative study of the transition to higher education

Brooman, Simon; Darwent, Sue

doi:10.1080/03075079.2013.801428

Cited by 131 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As they moved through their first year, students were more able to engage with staff, especially through the tutorials, as relationships developed and students' sense of not knowing gradually changed. These findings accord with other research that demonstrates the importance of developing social engagement, seeking help and information and interacting with other students in learning to fit into the university community (Brooman & Darwent 2013;Devlin 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

See 1 more Smart Citation

From further to higher education: transition as an on-going process

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper argues that transition is not a one-off event that occurs when students first enter universities but is an on-going 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.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Brooman & Darwent 2013;Scanlon et al 2007) and more limited research on non-traditional students (e.g. Bathmaker & Thomas 2009;Clayton et al 2009).…”

Section: Transitions and Non-traditional Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From further to higher education: transition as an on-going process

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Research literature on student transitions tends to concentrate on the initial year of study with a strong steer towards the induction period (Brooman and Darwent 2013;Devlin 2013;Leese 2010). In part this emphasis on the students' early experiences stems from the neo-liberal policy environment in which universities are located, where poor scores on performance measures, such as student attrition and failure, are damaging to their reputation and financial health.…”

Section: Transition Experiences At Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It all just clicked’: a longitudinal perspective on transitions within university

Christie

Tett

Cree

et al. 2014

Studies in Higher Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explores the transitions that a group of students, admitted from further education colleges as part of broader widening access initiative at a Scottish researchintensive university, made across the lifetime of their degrees. It investigates how they negotiate their learning careers beyond the first year, and how they (re)define their approaches to independent learning as they progress to the later years of their courses. Evidence is drawn from 20 students who were interviewed during each of their three or four years of study to provide a longitudinal account of their experiences of engagement and participation at the university. We draw attention to three ways in which the students made transitions across the course of their degrees: to increased knowledge of the conventions of academic writing; to enhanced critical skills; and to practical strategies to prioritise learning.

show abstract

“…Several studies investigate the direct and indirect effects of self-perceived interaction with fellow students on study success (e.g., Brooman and Darwent 2014;Christie et al 2004;Torenbeek et al 2010;Meeuwisse et al 2010;Severiens and Wolff 2008). However, few studies address what determines students' academic support relationships in a FLC and how they are connected by social relationships with peers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergent achievement segregation in freshmen learning community networks

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A common assumption about Freshmen Learning Communities (FLCs) is that academic relationships contribute to students' success. This study investigates how students in learning communities connect with fellow students for friendship and academic support. Longitudinal social network data across the first year, collected from 95 Dutch students in eight FLCs, measure both social and academic relational choices within and beyond the FLCs. Using stochastic actor-based models, the study tests two competing hypotheses. The alignment hypothesis states that students connect with their similar-achieving friends for both academic and social support, leading to an alignment of both types of networks over time. In contrast, the duality hypothesis states dissimilarity between academic support networks and friendship networks: Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, Kopparhammaren 2 Norra Grytsgatan 10, 601 74 Norrköping, Sweden students should connect with better-achieving fellow students for academic support and to more similar peers for friendship. The data support the alignment hypothesis but not the duality hypothesis; in addition, they show evidence of achievement segregation in FLCs: the higher the students' achievement level, the more they connect with other students for both academic support and friendship, relating in particular to peers with a similarly high achievement level. The results suggest that lower-achieving students are excluded from the support provided by higherachieving students and instead ask similar lower achievers for support. They thus cannot benefit optimally from the academic integration FLC offer. The article concludes with recommendations of how to support students in an FLC so that they can reach optimal achievement potential.

show abstract

Measuring the beginning: a quantitative study of the transition to higher education

Cited by 131 publications

References 35 publications

From further to higher education: transition as an on-going process

From further to higher education: transition as an on-going process

‘It all just clicked’: a longitudinal perspective on transitions within university

Emergent achievement segregation in freshmen learning community networks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About