First-year students encounter a plethora of challenges upon entering university. However, little is known about how they adjust and work through these challenges during the transition phase. This study investigates the relationships among transitional challenges, well-being, help-seeking, and students' adjustments to the university by combining…

Despite being a degree that leads to diverse employment in a wide range of industries, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) has long had a bad reputation when it comes to employment outcomes for graduates. The challenge of overcoming this disjuncture has significant implications for current and prospective BA students, especially with respect to attrition…

The transition to university is an exciting yet challenging period for many students. While previous research has documented the association between stress and adjustment, little is known about the long-term effect of students' early stress on their subsequent university adjustment. The present study sought to examine the effectiveness of a short,…

University dropout is a phenomenon of growing interest in the knowledge society. However, it is a complex phenomenon in which a variety of academic and social variables interact with each other. Cyberbullying is also something that has been the subject of increased research recently, and although it has most often been studied in primary and…

There are multiple challenges associated with participating in a first-year undergraduate management unit at the university level. Students' performance in such units is a critical milestone in their learning journey and can create positive/negative inertia for their future performance and continuation in a program. Through exploratory abductive…

This paper draws on research conducted in four publicly funded secondary schools in the South-East of England that explored the higher education decision-making of prospective first-generation university entrants accessing school-based widening participation interventions. It begins by introducing an "ecology of intersecting influences"…

This paper reports on a study that replaced marks with digital badges in an undergraduate Initial Teacher Education course. The aim was to examine the impact of badging on students, and on the quality of university provision. Data collection consisted of surveys and focus groups. The study found that while digital badges had considerable potential…

This study attempted to answer two questions: (a) Are there significant differences in students' motivation for enrollment among freshmen of an education department between universities with high, medium, and low academic levels? and (b) Can the academic level of the universities and enrollment motivation significantly predict students' engagement…

In the context of a marketised higher education system, meaningful interpersonal connections remain of paramount importance to many students. Using a story-completion method, we examine how relationships impact upon students' experiences of higher education, and explore the importance of relational pedagogies. We draw upon data from a longitudinal…

Implementation of the European Higher Education Area changed the assessment model in higher education towards a competence-based system, so that students are assessed by what they demonstrate they can do (competences). However, assessment of certain key competences, such as reading, ceases at higher education. The question remains whether reading…

Within Australia, Vocational Education and Training (VET) is promoted as a pathway for low socioeconomic status (LSES) students to enter Higher Education (HE). However, greater equity will only occur if these students achieve successful university outcomes. But how should such success be defined? This paper examined two data sources (i.e., nine…

How does students' academic commitment develop over the course of their first term? Process research on students' early academic experiences has been scarce due to a lack of appropriate high-density-high-frequency research designs. We thus have very limited knowledge on how students become academically committed over time. Drawing on the analogue…

The transition to university life is challenging, involving academic adaptation and social and lifestyle adjustment, so it is no surprise that attrition is at its highest in the first year of attending university. Studies have investigated factors influencing students' adjustment, and the formation of a new learner identity within university has…

This article explores arguments for adopting appreciative inquiry (AI) as an action research approach that generates pedagogic development in UK and international higher education. An overview of AI considering the methodological dilemma of focusing only on positive experiences is discussed. Findings from focus group discussions in a post-1992 UK…

With the use of social media for academic purposes gaining in popularity, the underlying motivation for this study was to seek a detailed understanding of its impact on students' academic performance. A survey of 334 first-year students in accounting courses at five Australian higher education institutions was undertaken to evaluate the different…