Crossing Borders: The Transition to Higher Education

1
Crossing Borders The Transition to Higher
Education

• Dr Hilary Fabian (Reader)
• The North East Wales Institute

2
Aims of presentation

• To explore issues of transition for students as
  they start university
• To identify common features of transitions (to
  nursery, primary school, secondary school, higher
  education, work etc).

3
Some theoretical perspectives

• Ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner)
• Rites of passage (van Gennep)
• Cultural understanding / acculturation
  (Bruner/Brooker)
• Cultural mediation (Vygotsky)
• Symbolic Capital (Bourdieu)
• Relationships (Corsaro)
• Emotional well-being (Goleman)
• Agency (James, Jenks Prout)

4
Methodology

• 36 first year ECS students conduct an email
  exercise six weeks after starting their programme
  as part of their introduction to HE to explore
  their thoughts about
• Expectations of learning
• Social aspects of studying at HE
• Support for learning
• Part of an on-going action research project (2nd
  year)
• Results in changes to induction programme.

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Questions for Students

• 1. The Level and amount of work (progression,
  lectures, assessments)
• 2. Social Aspects (what has helped/hindered you
  in making friends?)
• 3. Any difficulties and how they have been
  resolved
• 4. Improvements that could be made to the
  programme
• 5. Any other comments about the programme and
  your first weeks at NEWI

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Key Findings

• Difficulties with the transition
• Work load assignments amount, writing,
  bunching means that lack of opportunity to learn
  from marking lack of awareness beforehand about
  the level / amount of work taking more time than
  anticipated
• Home / study balance time management, travel,
  family, getting tired
• Concern about getting lost
• Settling into a routine
• Keeping up / expectations
• Accessing information library, VLE etc
• Learning in a second language.

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• Aspects that helped ease the transition
• Level of support from staff approachable
• Activities around the campus that helped a sense
  of belonging / being a student
• Opportunities to make new friends, e.g. sport,
  group work, induction activities, knowing others
  were in the same position
• Knowing people beforehand
• Not being judged
• Friendship developed confidence
• Making it work for themselves individual
  difference (taking control).

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Common Features of Transitions

• Communication
• Relationships
• Emotional well-being
• Belonging to a community
• Learning processes

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Communication

• The right amount of information (both given and
  received) and level of accessibility (both pre-
  and post-transfer), instils confidence, reduces
  stress and helps make learning accessible.
• Understanding the language of the next stage
• Knowing who to contact and how
• Co-construction working together
• Each stakeholder sharing information
• Knowing about the next curriculum / assessment
• On-going information revisiting.

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Relationships

• Making a transition with a friend or making
  friends during a transition builds confidence and
  helps individuals to flourish in the new
  situation.
• Knowing how to make friends
• Providing opportunities to make friends e.g.
  Group activities and team work
• Learning to support one another
• Cultural and social capital transfer
• Having trust in the organisation.

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Emotional well-being

• Socio-emotional well-being during a transition
  can help develop confidence and provide feelings
  of being in control which in turn lead to
  continuing cognitive achievements.
• Managing stress
• Physical well-being Keeping healthy
• Negotiating the border-crossing to a zone that
  feels comfortable
• Feeling suitable agency being in control
• Balance between the recognisable and the new
• Gaining confidence
• Developing resilience.

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Belonging to a community

• A sense of belonging to the community is an
  important contributor to adjustment. It gives
  greater confidence to ask questions, take the
  initiative and meet new expectations.
• Familiarisation with the environment
• Developing an identity of belonging to the
  setting
• Sharing course values
• Bringing own culture and identity
• Rites of passage
• Cultural understanding and scaffolding.

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Learning processes

• Curriculum continuity across phases of education
  can help with confidence.
• Challenge of learning at the next level
• The what and how of learning
• Feeling de-skilled
• Teaching and learning styles
• Time management /getting organised to complete
  the work
• Acknowledging knowledge
• Being assessed.

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Interconnected aspects of Transition

• Social and emotional well-being
• Friendships, getting to know people
• Gaining an identity connected to place
• Learning about the culture.
• Cognitive continuity
• Teaching and learning styles
• Learning about learning at the next level
• Fulfilling expectations of self and others.

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Links to initiatives (England)

• EYFS Principles (England)
• Enabling Environments
• 3.4 The Wider Context Transitions and Continuity
  (working in partnership)
• Every Child Matters outcomes
• Enjoy and achieve
• Transitions (ready for school)
• ECM agenda influences the HE agenda and provides
  opportunities to respond to ECMs at HE level.

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Changes introduced at NEWI

• Communication during the first week programme
  information meeting with academic tutor for
  tutor to learn about the student knowing the
  rules of assessment how to address tutors
  where to go on the first day how to contact
  tutors
• Relationships team building activities meeting
  tutors
• Emotional well-being relax kids voice care
  financial advice
• Belonging to a community treasure hunt round the
  campus having an ID card and email address
• Learning processes study skills library visits
  understanding assessment advice from previous
  students.
• First week and on-going throughout the year

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References

• Bourdieu, P. 1991. Language and symbolic power.
  Cambridge, Polity Press.
• Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human
  Development Experiments by Nature and Design.
  Massachusetts Harvard University Press.
• Bruner, J. S. (1996) The Culture of Education.
  Massachusetts Harvard University Press.
• Brooker, L. (2002) Starting School Young
  Children Learning Cultures. Buckingham, UK Open
  University Press.
• Corsaro, W.A (2005) The Sociology of Childhood.
  London Sage publications.
• Dunlop, A. W. (2003) Bridging Early Educational
  Transitions in Learning Through Children's
  Agency. European Early Childhood Education
  Research Journal, Themed Monograph Series No.1.
  pp. 67-86. ISSN 1350-293X
• Fabian, H. and Dunlop, A.W. (Eds.) (2002)
  Transitions in the Early Years. 2002. London
  RoutledgeFalmer Publishers.
• Fabian, H. (2002). Children Starting School.
  London, David Fulton Publishers.
• Goleman, D. (1996) Emotional Intelligence.
  London Bloomsbury Publishing.
• Van Gennep, A. (1960). Rites of Passage.
  (Translation by Vizedom, M. B. and Caffee, G.
  L.). London Routledge and Kegan Paul.

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Correspondence

• Dr Hilary Fabian
• Education Childhood Studies Leader
• School of Education and Community
• The North East Wales Institute
• Plas Coch
• Mold Road
• Wrexham
• LL11 2AW
• h.fabian_at_newi.ac.uk
• 44 (0)1978 293337