First year university life: expectations versus reality
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Na stiahnutie
Dátum
2025
Názov časopisu
ISSN časopisu
Názov zväzku
Vydavateľ
Gate Association for Teaching and Education : Bazilej
ISBN
ISSN
1694-609X
1308-1470
1308-1470
Abstrakt
First-year university students face challenges during their transition to higher education, which can impact their academic success and well-being. This paper reports the views of 88 first-year undergraduate students from Slovak Universities regarding their expectations upon entering university and their experiences during the initial months of study. Purposive sampling technique was utilized. Students´ perspectives have been gathered through asynchronous e-interviews to explore the gap between student expectations and the reality of university life. An exploratory qualitative research design, which included inductive reasoning and an e-interview, was applied. The data were analysed using content analysis with recurrent themes identified and coded. The answers shed light on how students perceive their academic aspirations, social integration, and the support provided by their institutions. The results highlight the influence of factors such as academic demands, institutional support, and personal development on students' experiences. The analysis reveals students' priorities in knowledge acquisition, career preparation, and supportive teaching environments, as well as their surprise at the pace and volume of academic work. The conclusions refer to the importance of considering student perspectives in developing orientation programs and support services, due to the crucial role of the first year in promoting student success and retention. Future research should explore changes in student perceptions and the effectiveness of related interventions. The findings show that while students enter university with high aspirations for academic growth, career development and social integration, they often face challenges that test their resilience and adaptability.
Popis
In: International journal of instruction. Bazilej : Gate Association for Teaching and Education, 2025. ISSN 1694-609X. Vol. 18, no. 3 (2025), pp. 335-352.
Kľúčové slová
vysokoškolskí študenti, vysokoškoláci, college students, preferencie, preferences, študijné predpoklady, study skills, adaptačný proces, adaptation process, vysokoškolské vzdelávanie, college education
Výstup z projektu
KEGA 004UCM-4/2022 Podpora zdravia a pohody študentov prostredníctvom inkluzívnej edukácie na terciárnom stupni
Citácia
Práva a licenčné podmienky
CC BY-NC-ND Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0. International
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess