Marjolein Torenbeek

‘It’s almost a mindset that teachers need to change’: first‐year students’ need to be inducted into time management

This article discusses the findings related to a number of research projects investigating students’ expectations and experiences of the first year in higher education. In particular, findings with regard to first‐year students’ expectations and challenges with issues of time management are reported. It was found that many students were realistic about having to plan their work independently, and having to spend a good amount of their time during the week on self‐study. However, many students found it difficult to regulate their self‐study and keep up with the work. They were also not always sure how they were to organise their self‐study time. It is argued that universities could and should play a more active role in helping first‐year students to make sense of time management.

The effect of the fit between secondary and university education on first‐year student achievement

Central in this study is the role of student variables and the fit between secondary education and university education in the explanation of first‐year student achievement. The fit between two levels of education can be defined in different ways. In this study the focus is on four fit‐aspects: appropriateness of expectations, and the degree to which there is a continuance with respect to teaching approaches, knowledge and workload. The conceptual model, a synthesis of the Model of Student Attrition, the Educational Productivity Model and the Transition Model, is tested with structural equation modelling, based on maximum likelihood estimation. The results indicate that the fit between secondary and university education, in terms of resemblance between the learning environments and experience of some adjustment, as well as social integration, student employment and motivation, affect first‐year achievement indirectly through time investment. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Predicting undergraduates' academic achievement: the role of the curriculum, time investment and self-regulated learning

The time students invest in their studies and their resulting achievement is partly dependent on curriculum characteristics. Degree programmes differ greatly with respect to how the curriculum is organized, for example in the type (e.g. lectures, practicals) and the number of classes. The focus of this study is on the relationships between curriculum characteristics, self-regulated learning, time investment and achievement. Structural equation modelling was used to study the relations between these variables in a sample of 200 bachelor degree students in four degree programmes. Results show separate positive effects of the number of scheduled classes and class attendance on academic achievement. At the same time, more scheduled lectures and practicals lead to lower class attendance and time spent on self-study. Self-discipline and motivation predict achievement indirectly through class attendance.

Predicting first-year achievement by pedagogy and skill development in the first weeks at university

Central in this study is the relationship between the pedagogical approach and generic skill development in the first 10 weeks at university, students’ perception of the fit between secondary and university education and first-year achievement. Information regarding the pedagogical approach and generic skill development was gathered through questionnaires, interviews and analyses of syllabus information. Students’ perception of the fit was examined with a questionnaire, and their achievement scores were obtained from the university administration. A conceptual model was tested by means of structural equations modelling, and showed a good fit with the data. Results showed that the pedagogical approach affects first-year achievement directly and indirectly, through skill development and the perceived fit. Attention for basic skills and collaboration skills showed positive effects on achievement, whereas the effects of higher-order skills were adverse.

The relationship between first-year achievement and the pedagogical-didactical fit between secondary school and university

Central in this study is the degree to which the pedagogical‐didactical approach in undergraduate programmes aligns with the pedagogical‐didactical approach in secondary schools, and how this is related to first‐year achievement. Approaches to teaching at secondary schools and in first‐year university programmes were examined by interviewing school management, school teachers and university lecturers. The teaching approaches found within the schools were contrasted against the academic teaching approaches, resulting in four types of fit. With multiple regression analysis the relationships between these four types of fit, gender, prior achievement and first‐year achievement were examined. The results showed that prior performance is positively related to first‐year achievement, as well as a fit characterised by more student‐centred teaching in the first year compared to the approach to teaching at secondary school.

How first year students perceive the fit between secondary and university education: the effect of teaching approaches

This study focuses on the effect of teaching approach in the first period in the first year of university on the perceived fit between secondary and university education and achievement. Teaching approaches were examined through interviews with 24 university teachers and analysis of prospectus information within seven undergraduate programs. Qualitative analysis resulted in three different categories to teaching: an approach that is mostly student‐centered, an approach that is combination of student‐ and teacher‐centered teaching, and an approach that is mostly teacher‐centered. The perceived fit was examined through a questionnaire, among 688 first‐year students in the seven undergraduate programs. Structural equations modeling showed that as teaching approach is more student‐centered, students are more satisfied with the fit between secondary and university education, which has a positive effect on achievement in the first year. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

How is the approach to teaching at secondary school related to first-year university achievement?

The study presented here is an elaboration on recent educational effectiveness research focusing on long-term school effects. Central in this study is the approach to teaching at secondary schools and its relation to student perception of the fit between school and university and 1st-year academic achievement. Based on previous research, a coding scheme is developed to classify pre-university schools based on the approach to teaching in the upper 3 years. Schools are scored according to this coding scheme and grouped with hierarchical cluster analysis, resulting in 3 groups: 1 characterized by a strong teacher-regulation approach, 1 with a shared regulation approach to learning, and 1 intermediate group. Multiple analysis of covariance shows differences between school clusters regarding student 1st-year achievement in soft science programmes.