scholarly journals Exploring Social Integration of Sport Students during the Transition to University

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Hayman ◽  
Linda Allin ◽  
Andrew Coyles
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Policy ◽  
The North

This paper outlines findings from a study exploring student experiences of their transition and social integration during the first semester of a sport programme at a post 1992 University in the North of England. The study was implemented due to an issue with retention across the sport degree programmes and the knowledge that whilst a student’s decision to withdraw from university is multifaceted, it is influenced by factors relating to a lack of social integration, including homesickness and difficulties in making new friends (Thomas, 2002). A failure or lack of opportunity to socially integrate can also negatively impact the opening months of a student’s university experience (Mackie, 1998; Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005). Students were engaged as partners and co-creators with academic staff throughout the study: second year peer mentors undertook qualitative interviews with first year students, which focused on the students’ experiences of the transition to university, the importance of social integration, including barriers and facilitators and the role sport may play towards this process. Nine first year students were interviewed. Findings and best practice which may assist academic and support staff in maximising the overall university student experience are presented. Implications to aid effective university policy and practice to improve student retention, attainment and progression are discussed as well as identifying how sport can play a role as both a facilitator and barrier to developing sense of identity and belonging.

scholarly journals Development, Implementation and Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary For-Credit Subject to Help Students Transition to University

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Schütze ◽  
Jenna Bartyn
Keyword(s):  
Student Retention ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
First Year ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Experience ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Academic Demands

The first year university experience is inherently linked to student retention and success. First year students are often unprepared for the academic requirements of university, which can result in stress, poor student outcomes and low student retention rates. Although there is considerable literature on the challenges students face when transitioning to university, there is limited research on successful interdisciplinary for-credit transition subjects that support students, particularly in Australia. An interdisciplinary for-credit transition subject for first year university students was designed, implemented and evaluated to determine students’ perceptions of its effectiveness in preparing them for the academic demands of university. Thematic analysis of 36 qualitative interviews with students was conducted. Students reported having gained knowledge and confidence in the essential academic skills required for university and therefore felt more prepared. Implementing similar subjects in other settings may provide a strategy to support students’ transition to university.

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Academic and Social Integration and Commitment on Retention

NASPA Journal ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Beil ◽  
Carol A. Reisen ◽  
Maria Cecilia Zea ◽  
Robert C. Caplan
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Academic Integration ◽  
Research University ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Academic And Social Integration ◽  
Private Research

This longitudinal study predicted retention from academic integration, social integration, and commitment to remain in college in a sample of first-year students at a residential, private research university. When assessed separately, first-semester reports of commitment mediated the effects of both academic and social integration on retention six semesters later.

South Bend

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-29
Author(s):  
Doug Feldmann ◽  
Mike Ditka
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Business Courses ◽  
The North ◽  
Soccer Team ◽  
University Of Notre Dame ◽  
South Bend ◽  
The University

This chapter examines how Bob Thomas headed for South Bend, Indiana, and arrived at the University of Notre Dame as a walk-on in football. When Thomas appeared for his first day of football workouts, he was greeted with the cold dismissal typically given to walk-ons. After waiting in line for the secondhand equipment issued to non-scholarship players, he was given the ignominious jersey number 98. With first-year students ineligible for the varsity at that time, Thomas spent his initial year at Notre Dame suiting up for the limited number of freshman football games while also playing in a few contests for the university's club soccer team. Otherwise, he acclimated himself to the milieu of college as he took up residence on the North Quad. After completing one semester of a pre-med curriculum, Thomas realized it would be difficult to continue that concentration while playing football. He took some business courses and ultimately ended up majoring in government studies. The chapter then details Thomas's career as a kicker for the Fighting Irish.

scholarly journals Selective Planning of the First Year Experience in Higher Education: A Sweden-Australia Comparative Study of Support

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Michael Christie ◽  
Sorrel Penn-Edwards ◽  
Sharn Donnison ◽  
Ruth Greenaway
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Satellite Campus ◽  
First Case ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The University

Literature on the support of the First Year Experience (FYE) in institutions of Higher Education provides a range of modelled approaches. However, we argue that institutions still need to selectively plan which approach/es and attendant strategies are best suited to their particular contexts and institutional policy and practice frameworks and how their FYE is to be presented for their particular student cohort. This paper compares different ways of supporting students in their first year in two contrasting universities. The first case study focuses on a first year course at Stockholm University (SU), Sweden, a large, metropolitan, single campus institution, while the second investigates a strategy for supporting first year students using a community of practice at a satellite campus of the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), a small regional university in South-East Queensland, Australia. The research contrasts a formal, first generation support approach versus a fourth generation support approach which seeks to involve a wider range of stakeholders in supporting first year students. The research findings draw conclusions about how effective the interventions were for the students and provide clear illustrations that selective planning in considering the institution’s strategic priorities and human, physical, and resource contexts was instrumental in providing a distinctive experience which complemented the institute and the student cohort. (212 words)

scholarly journals Knowledge and practice of condom use among first year students at University of the North, South Africa

Curationis ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Peltzer
Keyword(s):  
Condom Use ◽  
South African ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
First Year ◽  
Expiry Date ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

The aim of the study is to investigate knowledge and sexual practices with reference to correct use of condoms among first year South African University students. The sample consisted of 206 participants, 146 female and 60 male, the mean age was 20.9 years (SD=3.4), with a range from 17 to 34 years. Results indicated that one third (29.2%) of the sample reported never using condoms, 35.4% always, 19.8% regularly and 8.5% irregularly in the past three months. About 90% levels of correct answers for condom use were found for the items of ‘condoms as protection against STD and AIDS’, ‘expiry date of condoms’, and ‘re-using condoms’. More than 15% were not aware that a condom should be put on before any contact with the vagina. The most common mistakes with respect to condom use were ignorance about the correct moment to put on a condom (56%), and when to take off a condom (55%). Male sex and especially increasing recent sexual encounters was associated with correct condom knowledge. The most common reasons for not using a condom were ‘I do not have the AIDS virus’ and ‘I thought I was safe’ seems to indicate a low perceived susceptibility. Findings are discussed in view of condom promotion programmes.

scholarly journals Developing Animated Cartoons for Economic Teaching

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-80
Author(s):  
Yu Aimee Zhang ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Positive Feedbacks ◽  
Learning Efficiency ◽  
Economic Studies

Purpose – A picture is worth a thousand words. Multimedia teaching materials have been widely adopted by teachers in Physics, Biotechnology, Psychology, Religion, Analytical Science, and Economics nowadays. To assist with engaging students in their economic study, increase learning efficiency and understanding, solve misconception problems, encourage in class discussion, and increase final performance for students (especially for international students and RA students), some animations and cartoons are developed to explain basic economic concepts for both macroeconomic and microeconomic concepts, issues and events. Methodology – Two surveys were first conducted to collect first year and international students’ requirement and suggestions. Cartoons and animations were then designed and developed to solve the major misconception and misunderstanding problems facing first year students or international students in their economic studies. Qualitative interviews were conducted to collect feedbacks for the cartoons developed for this project from economic lecturers, tutors, students and other teachers and students without economic backgrounds. Learning efficiencies from animations and text materials are also compared by the length of learning time in this paper. Findings – Surveys in this study support the view that different students have different preferred learning methods. However, practice case studies are the preferred learning method for both first year university students and international students. The animated cartoons developed in this research received strong positive feedbacks from peer colleagues in Economics, teachers from other faculties, tutors in Economics, first year students, international students and RA students with dyslexic problems. Utilisation of these resources can improve learning efficiency, help students in their understanding and long-term memory of the subject, engage students in their studies, and increase interest in undertaking economic studies amongst all other students. Value – The results of this study could be used in any Economics subject, as well as for self-study by Economics students and others. As part of the Teaching and Learning Project, these materials are capable of being further used in mobile applications to assist in engaging students in their learning.

scholarly journals “My First Year in The University”: Students’ Expectations, Perceptions and Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 3134-3145
Author(s):  
Kam-Fong Lee ◽  
Chin-Siang Ang ◽  
Genevieve Dipolog-Ubanan
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Students First ◽  
Career Prospect ◽  
The University

This study aimed to explore students’ first year experience to provide insights that may prove to be useful for institutional policy and practice. A semi-structured interview was conducted on 30 undergraduates from a private university to examine their perceptions, experiences, and attitudes towards first year experience. Themes were derived from the analysis of the transcribed interview transcripts. The results showed that in general students pursue tertiary education as it can guarantee their career prospect and intellectual development. Moreover, classroom engagement and academic staff engagement on students were less crucial in comparison to peer engagement. However, the students’ perceptions of studentship and quality of teaching were positive. Lastly, most students were satisfied with their first year experience in the university. Practical implications, recommendations and limitations for future practice are put forth

scholarly journals Student Support and Transition Through a Buddy Programme to Foster Social Integration

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-63
Author(s):  
Ana Naidoo ◽  
Hestie Byles ◽  
Sindi Kwenaite
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Contact Point ◽  
Student Support ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Of Pretoria ◽  
University Life ◽  
Student Advisor ◽  
Peer Advisors ◽  
The University

The University of Pretoria (UP) began offering formal academic student support in 2011 when the first faculty student advisor (FSA) was appointed. Although many more FSAs were subsequently appointed, assistance to all the students in need of support remained insufficient. However, financial assistance through the collaboration grant received from the Department of Higher Education and Training in 2018 made it possible to explore new areas of support. The UP was able to pilot four innovations due to the availability of additional funds. These included generic workshops across faculties; the creation of a hub in the library, which served as a common contact point for students requiring assistance; the appointment of peer advisors; and a Buddy Programme for first-year students. This article explains the Buddy Programme as perceived by the senior students who mentored the first-year students. The mentors are known as “big buddies”. Our work on this programme is based on Tinto’s (1975) ideas about social integration. The Buddy Programme was introduced to assist first-year students in their transition from school to university life. This paper highlights the challenges that first-year students faced and it explains how the concepts could become institutionalised once university activities have been normalised in the post-pandemic future.

Academic staff perspectives on first-year students’ academic competencies

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana-Kristin Mah ◽  
Dirk Ifenthaler
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
First Year ◽  
Technology Proficiency ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Competencies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the expectations, perceptions and role understanding of academic staff using a model of academic competencies (i.e. time management, learning skills, technology proficiency, self-monitoring and research skills). Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten members of academic staff at a German university. Participants’ responses to the open-ended questions were coded inductively, while responses concerning the proposed model of academic competencies were coded deductively using a priori categories. Findings Participating academic staff expected first-year students to be most competent in time management and in learning skills; they perceived students’ technology proficiency to be rather high but their research skills as low. Interviews indicated a mismatch between academic staff expectations and perceptions. Practical implications These findings may enable universities to provide support services for first-year students to help them to adjust to the demands of higher education. They may also serve as a platform to discuss how academic staff can support students to develop the required academic competencies, as well as a broader conversation about higher education pedagogy and competency assessment. Originality/value Little research has investigated the perspectives of academic staff concerning the academic competencies they expect of first-year students. Understanding their perspectives is crucial for improving the quality of institutions; their input into the design of effective support services is essential, as is a constructive dialogue to identify strategies to enhance student retention.

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