Reading the World of University : What Counts?

This paper will address the issues encountered by first year students in reading and reshaping the culture of university. The interim findings of a six year study will be dismantled in order to uncover what counts in the experience of first year university and the ramifications for educational practice and discourse. Feedback from staff continues to indicate that there is growing disparity between their expectations of first year students and student performance in areas such as independent learning, research skills, academic reading and writing, as well as the use of new technologies. There also seems to be a gap between the students’ perceptions of their own abilities with respect to literacy practices and the demands placed on them in the tertiary setting. Dialogic critical reflection on the part of both students and staff empowers these individuals to read the world from multiple perspectives and to reshape future directions