Understanding transitions, the first postsecondary term

grantor: University of TorontoThe primary purpose of this research was to discover how students felt about the experience of transition from high school to post-secondary educational institutions in the context of other significant life changes that they experienced. I was particularly interested in discovering what kinds of practices which high schools and post-secondary institutions followed which facilitated or inhibited transitions. I also hoped to ease their transition by providing them with opportunities to meet to discuss problems as they occurred. The participants were five students who had recently completed high school and had just enrolled in the fall term of a post secondary program. I conducted initial interviews with them before they began orientation week. Thereafter I met with three of them as a transitions team and all of them individually on a bi-weekly basis to explore transition issues. I also shadowed students on their campuses, visiting those places where they socialized and studied. Students also contacted me by phone, and e-mail. They arranged impromptu visits as they felt the need. Data collection was completed during the winter of 1996/1997. The data indicate that two factors contributed significantly to the perception students had of their transition. Regardless of the kind of post-secondary educational institution attended, participants who stated that they were happy about the first term were those who had established career goals prior to establishing educational goals. For them the transition was merely a phase. For students whose long term goals were less well defined the transition presented more difficulty. Another critical emerging issue was the sense of community. Those who established themselves with new friends at the new institution seemed to enjoy activities associated with the first term far more than those who were less involved in the social life of the new institution. This study reveals that, for the participants, academic preparation was adequate while social, emotional, and vocational preparations were less adequate. In total, nine themes emerged in the data analysis. These were Vision, Sense of Community, Students' Preparation and Preparedness, Institutions' Preparation, Support from Parents, Role of the Student, Desire for Change, Community College Stigma, and Commuting Distance.Ph.D