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A student ’ s progress through their degree should be regarded as a series of transitions .
Stuck in the middle
Study investigates how unis can support students beyond the first year .
By Richard Garfield
New research from the University of South Australia looks at the level of support universities give to students after they ’ ve made the initial transition to higher education by posing the question : ‘ What happens when early support tapers off in later years ?’
The results , Moving Beyond First Year : An Exploration of Staff and Student Experience , published in the Student Success journal , suggest new approaches universities could take to address drop-out rates for students in their second or later year of study .
“ Rather than delaying the difficulties of transition to the middle years of degrees , administrators should recognise that university is seen as a series of transitions and plan accordingly ,” said co-author Dr David Birbeck .
“ Universities give a lot of attention to first years , and making sure they settle in . Then , at the other end of the journey , they provide the support to ensure that the transition into the workforce is also successful .
“ But we wanted to consider those in between : what happens to them ? Are they being appropriately supported ?”
The research involved creating two separate focus groups made up of course coordinators and program directors , and asking them to discuss what they saw as the key challenges for students after their first year .
An e-survey was also distributed to students to gauge their experience of their second and subsequent years of study .
Most survey respondents were aged between 18 and 35 , with 78 per cent in the second or third year of their degree while the remainder were in their fourth year or above .
The responses from the teachers suggested they felt students were well supported , but lacked “ the basic skills they expected students to have as they entered second year ”.
Fatigue and “ the reality of disciplinespecific courses not fitting with students ’ perceptions of their chosen career ” were also identified as sources of additional stress for students in their second or later years of study .
The researchers highlight that a student ’ s progress through their degree should be regarded as a series of transitions , which should be kept in mind when considering how best to support them .
“ First year is seen as a more generalist year , with students sharing lessons with people from other disciplines .
“ When they hit second year , the study becomes more focused on their specific discipline , and students report that they find this quite a jolt .”
Birbeck says that for some the increased workload is the key factor , while for others it ’ s the fact that they realise they may have chosen the wrong path of study .
“ Then they get to placements , where their learnings go from mainly theoretical to practical . For students who had trouble balancing their lives beforehand , placement exacerbates that ,” he said .
The participating students were asked to outline the challenges in their current year of study that they felt their first year hadn ’ t adequately prepared them for .
“ We also explored whether the courses they were currently studying were easier or harder compared to their firstyear courses , and what they believed would assist in supporting students to succeed beyond the first year of study ,” Birbeck said .
In terms of the types of support offered to them by universities , students said they got most value out of support services delivered as part of their program of study – like help with academic writing or improving their time management skills – rather than support offered separately to their studies which they had to seek out for themselves .
The students also reported the importance of supportive staff and making connections to their peers thanks to targeted activities organised by their teachers .
“ Recognising that it is a series of transitions is one that needs to be embedded in how the student experience is dealt with ,” Birbeck said .
“ Similarly , if staff are aware of what is happening across a whole program , they are better able to support students .
“ The importance of caring teachers cannot be overstated in ensuring students are successful .” ■
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