Making the connections: transition experiences for first-year education students

Abstract

For first-year students, making a successful transition into university studies can be an exciting challenge and a daunting proposition. Recent research in Australia (McInnis et al 2000) and internationally (Bridges 2000; Pargetter et al 1998; Tinto 1994, 1998), suggests that many first-year university students, particularly those coming directly from secondary schools, find the transition into academic life difficult, often feeling a lack of connection to the university context. Successfully managing these feelings, assisting students to quickly develop a sense of ‘belonging’ and connection, is vital for a number of reasons.