The Changing Landscape: Exploring the dichotomy between academia and first-year students' transition from school to university

This paper examines the role of the demands made by academia on forty first-year students and how that impacted on their transition from high school to the university environment in South Africa. It argues that the process of analysing and reflecting on the transition challenges of new students is vital because it will aid understanding of how the institutional practices affected the lives of students on both a personal and academic level. A case study design was used and three data sets were collected. Five academic challenges were identified by the students and analysed. The significance of the findings lies in the fact that the institutional practices impacted negatively on the students' self-efficacy, and as a consequence, on their academic performance and integration into the university environment.

16.12.2015 | Venicia McGhie, Salo Moodley & Hilary Naidoo (Cape Town)