Which aspects of university life are most and least helpful in the transition to HE? A qualitative snapshot of student perceptions

Journal article


Hughes, G. and Smail, Olivia 2014. Which aspects of university life are most and least helpful in the transition to HE? A qualitative snapshot of student perceptions. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 39 (4), pp. 466-480. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2014.971109
AuthorsHughes, G. and Smail, Olivia
Abstract

Whilst there is a significant consensus, in the literature, that student transition to HE plays a major role in future academic performance and success, there is, as yet, no broad agreement as to how best to support students during this process. Theoretical accounts of transition offer some direction to educators but acting on these accounts may be problematic, as many students do not understand the process they are experiencing or the needs of their new environment. Without this understanding, well-developed interventions may fail to gain student engagement at that time. A better understanding of which aspects of university life do seem most relevant to students, during transition, may help universities to better target their support. This qualitative study requested two cohorts of students to respond to two open statements, seeking to identify which aspects of their experience they found most and least helpful. In this way it was hoped to gain some insight into which aspects of university life were most dominant in their thinking. To identify key themes, among which were (1) social support, (2) psychological mind-set and lifestyle, and (3) university actions, 498 responses were received, coded and analysed. Academic concerns did not appear to be a significant theme. The findings of this study suggest that transition support may gain better student engagement if it is initially focused on social integration and student wellbeing and lifestyle. Universities may also wish to pay more attention to the impact of administrative processes failing to meet student needs in the transition period.

KeywordsEducation; student transition; first year student
Year2014
JournalJournal of Further and Higher Education
Journal citation39 (4), pp. 466-480
PublisherInforma UK Limited
ISSN0309-877X
1469-9486
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2014.971109
Web address (URL)http://hdl.handle.net/10545/625925
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
hdl:10545/625925
Publication dates12 Dec 2014
Publication process dates
Deposited10 Aug 2021, 10:20
Accepted24 Jun 2014
Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

ContributorsUniversity of Derby
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
File
File Access Level
Open
Permalink -

https://repository.derby.ac.uk/item/92wx6/which-aspects-of-university-life-are-most-and-least-helpful-in-the-transition-to-he-a-qualitative-snapshot-of-student-perceptions

Download files

  • 90
    total views
  • 47
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 4
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

The Challenge of Student Mental Well-Being: Reconnecting Students Services with the Academic Universe
Hughes, G. 2021. The Challenge of Student Mental Well-Being: Reconnecting Students Services with the Academic Universe. in: Student Support Services Springer.
Student perspectives on improving mental health support services at university
Priestley, Michael, Broglia, Emma, Hughes, G. and Spanner, Leigh 2021. Student perspectives on improving mental health support services at university. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12391
Predicting stress and mental wellbeing among doctoral researchers
Byrom, Nicola C., Dinu, Larisa, Kirkman, Ann and Hughes, G. 2020. Predicting stress and mental wellbeing among doctoral researchers. Journal of Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1818196
Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: the balancing act
Jones, Emma, Priestley, Michael, Brewster, Liz, Wilbraham, Susan J., Hughes, G. and Spanner, Leigh 2020. Student wellbeing and assessment in higher education: the balancing act. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1782344
Managing student mental health: The challenges faced by academics on professional health care courses
Hughes, G. and Byrom, Nicola C. 2019. Managing student mental health: The challenges faced by academics on professional health care courses. Journal of Advanced Nursing.. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13989
Relationships Between Creativity, Wellbeing, and Learning and Their Implications for Students in Higher Education
Hughes, G. 2019. Relationships Between Creativity, Wellbeing, and Learning and Their Implications for Students in Higher Education. in: Encyclopedia of Educational Innovation Springer Link.
Student mental health: The role and experiences of academics.
Hughes, G., Panjawni, Mehr, Tulcidas, Priya and Byrom, Nicola 2018. Student mental health: The role and experiences of academics. Student Minds.
How to develop creative capacity for the fourth industrial revolution: Creativity and employability in higher education
Wilson, Chris, Lennox, Peter, Brown, Michael and Hughes, G. 2017. How to develop creative capacity for the fourth industrial revolution: Creativity and employability in higher education. Knowledge, Innovation & Enterprise.
From transcendence to general maintenance: Exploring the creativity and wellbeing dynamic in higher education
Hughes, G. and Wilson, Chris 2017. From transcendence to general maintenance: Exploring the creativity and wellbeing dynamic in higher education. Knowledge, Innovation & Enterprise.
An investigation of the views, understanding, knowledge, experience and attitudes of sixth form teachers in regard to the preparedness of their students for the transition to university
Hughes, G., Massey, Frances and Williams, Sarah 2016. An investigation of the views, understanding, knowledge, experience and attitudes of sixth form teachers in regard to the preparedness of their students for the transition to university. Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).