The First Undergraduate Year

Those who elected to continue with the research were interviewed iteratively during each semester of their first undergraduate year. The interview questions were semi-structured, informed by the questionnaire data elicited during years 1 and 2 when they were studying for A levels. These emerging themes funnelled into more probing, personalised questions which were triangulate to gather the required rich descriptions of their social and academic lives. The rapport I had already established with my students and the existing, meaningful relationships we had built during their A levels afforded easier access to their thoughts and perceptions about what was occurring throughout their transition from FE to HE. Moving from school to college was difficult, and similarly, the transition from college to university challenged most of the participants. Adjusting to the new style of teaching and the accompanying expectations of their lecturers was very different than previous experiences they explained, and there were other academic barriers they faced. Simultaneously, they were also having to adjust to new social fields, and the two became inextricably intertwined as you will read from their testimonies.