Students in Transition The Journey from College to University

1
Students in Transition The Journey from College
to University

• Helen Crabtree and
• Carole Roberts

2
Context

• Policy in post compulsory education (equality of
  opportunity, employability)
• Changes to post-16 qualifications
• Increased, more diverse student population -
  challenges for university staff and students
• A problem of transition?

3
Themes in the literature

• Student expectations on entry
• Impact of new qualifications on student
  attainment/skills
• Review of implementation and impact of Curriculum
  2000
• The TL environment in college and university
  sectors

4
Phase 1- Comparing the TL Environment in
College and University

• Semi-structured interviews
• aims, practices, expectations, constraints
• 8 college tutors (4 SFC, 4FE)
• subject leaders/range of roles
• A level and vocational qualifications
• 10 university tutors
• range of u/g teaching experience/roles
• degree sub-degree, general vocational

5
How teacher effectiveness is monitored
Teaching aims and objectives
Teachers self-concept and beliefs
Level of support and guidance provided
Staff-student relationship
6
Programme aims

• Ideally the programme is seeking to develop the
  students capacity to think, to identify and
  appreciate the nature of problems, to identify
  solutions, to think about wider implications.
  HE
• aim of level 3 programmes is to progress to
  university in the main which means pass rates and
  success in exam results. The number one priority
  is to get the highest grade you can for your
  students. SFC

7
Phase 2 The Student Experience

• Questionnaire for students at college and
  university
• 192 college students 54 male, 38 ethnic
  minority, 60 A-levels, 33 BTEC, 7 voc
  A-levels,
• 163 university students 60 male, 50 ethnic
  minority, 75 A-level, 23 BTEC, 16 voc
  A-levels,
• Combined responses to some questions to assess
  the extent to which students are willing to
  take personal responsibility for learning
  (independent learning variable)

8
Findings (1)

• Students agree that they need to be more
  responsible for their own learning than before
  (1strongly agree, 5strongly disagree)
• College students
• 1.72 0.99 86 agree, 7 disagree
• University students
• 1.60 0.89 88 agree, 5 disagree
• (no significant difference)

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Findings (2)

• University students are slightly more
  independent (independent learning variable,
  possible range 8-40)
• College students
• 17.044.26 (actual range 8-31)
• 93 of respondents had score of less than 24
• University students
• 18.454.41 (actual range 9-32)
• 83 of respondents has score of less than 24
• (significant difference)

10
Findings (3)

• Fewer university students say that their current
  experience matches their learning preferences
  (1strongly agree, 5strongly disagree)
• College students
• 2.271.04 65 agree, 12 disagree
• University students
• 2.711.07 47 agree, 22 disagree
• (significant difference)

11
Findings (4)

• Most university students claimed that they had
  had no difficulty adapting to the change
  between college and university
• 74.5 no difficulty, 25.5 had difficulty
• females (36.5) more likely to report
  difficulty than males (18.6)
• no significant difference between lt21 gt21 or
  white/ethnic minority

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Findings (6) Regression Analysis

• ve association between independent learning
  variable and reason for taking a business
  qualification being an interest in the subject
  (college plt0.05, university p0.011)
• ve association between independent learning
  variable and level of attainment prior to entry
  (college students plt0.05)
• university students who had difficulty adapting
  had lower independent learning variable (plt0.01)

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Conclusions

• Students accept the need to take more personal
  responsibility for learning as they move from
  school to college and on to university
• Social environment appears to be important in
  helping students to adapt
• Majority of university reported no problems with
  the change from college to university (and are
  more independent than college students) most do
  not yet meet lecturers expectations

14
Useful further reading Crabtree H, Roberts C and
Tyler C (2007), Understanding the problems of
Transition, Proceedings of 4th Education in a
Changing Environment Conference, 12th -13th
September http//www.ece.salford.ac.uk/proceeding
s/papers/35_07.pdf Harvey L, Drew S, Smith
M.(2006) The First Year Experience A Review of
Literature for the Higher Education Academy,
http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/research/Harvey_Drew_Sm
ith.pdf Hayward G, Hodgson A, Johnson J, Oancea
A, Pring R, Spours K, Wild S Wright S (2006),
The Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and
Training Annual Report 2005-06,
http//www.nuffield14-19review.org.uk/files/docume
nts129-6.pdf Hodkinson P Bloomer M (2000),
Stokingham Sixth Form College institutional
culture and dispositions to learning, British
Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol 21, Issue
2, 187-202 Torrance H, Colley H, Garratt D,
Jarvis J, Piper H, Ecclestone K James D (2005),
The Impact of Different Modes of Assessment on
Achievement and Progress in the Learning and
Skills Sector, LSRC http//www.itslifejimbutnotasw
eknowit.org.uk/files/AssessmentModesImpact.pdf