2026/05/11 by Sarah Walker, Lillian Smyth, Riemke Aggio‐Bruce +1 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Higher Education Practises and Engagement #Higher Education Research Studies #Higher Education and Employability
paper · doi:10.1080/0309877x.2026.2669515
openalex publication_date 2026/05/11 · openalex created_date 2026/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Research in the area of student transitions to university has often focused on outcomes and on specific sub-populations, rather than understanding of the student lived-experience of orienting themselves at university. The current research qualitatively analyses a set of short student-generated narratives on their experience of transition to university (N = 330). This approach allows us insight into what is important and significant to the student, but also into the processes and mechanism of transition in a field where experimentation is often not appropriate. Data were collected at Australian and Asian institutions in students across a range of fields of study. Thematic analysis indicated three overarching themes in student narratives (social, academics and emotions), each of which were qualified by descriptions of costs, benefits and uncertainties. Taken together, the findings from this data indicate some points of tension in the transition experiences of students moving into tertiary education. Findings indicate some ways forward in getting a clear understanding of what it means to attend university as we move towards facilitating successful transition into higher education.