An Investigation of First-Year Students' and Lecturers' Expectations of University Education

Abstract

Transition from school to university can cause concern for many students. One issue is the gap between students' prior expectations and the realities of university life, which can cause significant distress, poor academic performance and increased drop-out rates if not managed effectively. Research has shown several similarities in the expectations of staff and students in regards to which factors determine academic success, but there is also evidence of dissonance. For example, staff consider independent study and critical evaluation as key factors, whereas students view feedback on drafts of work and support from staff as being most important. The aim of the current study was to determine what expectations students hold when starting university education, and what expectations university lecturers have of students entering university. Lecturers (n = 20) and first year students (n = 77) completed a series of questionnaires concerning their expectations of learning in HE (staff and students) and their approach to teaching (staff). Results revealed that students have largely realistic expectations of university. For example, the majority expected to be in charge of their own study. Some unrealistic expectations were also evident, e.g., most expected that teaching would be the same at university as it had been at school. The expectation that lecturers would provide detailed notes varied as a function of student age. Lecturers reported modifying their expectations of students and adapting their teaching approach according to year of study. Information-transmission/teacher-focused style was more common when teaching 1st year students; a more concept-changing/student-focused approach tended to be used when teaching 2nd year students (and above). Lecturer's expectations of student engagement did not differ according to year. Less experienced lecturers reported more negative expectations of student engagement than did experienced lecturers. In line with previous work, we observed overlap in expectations of staff and students, but some clear differences too.

Instructional Leadership and Lecturers’ Job Performance in Public Universities in Uganda

“…The extent to which lecturers complete their jobs plays a critical role in enabling a university to achieve its purpose. Lecturers who perform their jobs as expected enable their university to achieve its purpose as desired, but the reverse occurs when there is lecturer job underperformance (Hassel & Ridout, 2018). The latter is unfortunately the situation facing public universities in Uganda (Sanga, 2017).…”

Factors Affecting Academic Performance of First-Year University Students: A Case of a Vietnamese University

“…Those who enter with either overtly low or too optimistic expectations, possibly due to the lack of disciplinary aspirations or having little knowledge of the academic reality, tend to be more easily discouraged and are, therefore, more likely to experience higher levels of stress and depression when they soon realise that unrealistic expectations are not easily met (Vasconcelos and Almeida, 2018). The challenge for first-year students also come from unrealistic beliefs about class sizes, staff availability, and workload (Lowe and Cook, 2003;Smith and Hopkins, 2005;Crisp et al, 2009;Kandinko and Mawer, 2013;Hassel and Ridout, 2018). For another, first-year students may lack the fundamental understanding of their course.…”

“…For individual students, achieving academic success has essential and far-reaching impacts in personal, educational, and professional terms. It contributes to students' self-esteem, wellbeing, motivation, and perseverance in learning and has implications on their career choice, personal income, level of success, and community participation (Durden and Ellis, 1995;Gainen, 1995;Hassel and Ridout, 2018). Poor academic performance or academic failure are often associated with attrition, reduced graduate output, and an increased cost of education (Jayanthi et al, 2014;Bolton, 2019).…”

Meeting Diversity in Esl Classroom: A Pedagogical Model for a Globalized Milieu

“…Previously, most research has been confined to the exploration of university students" expectations of various academic programs with a focus on self-regulated leaning (Hassel &Ridout 2018;Money et al 2017;Paechter, Maier &Macher2009), vocational and utilitarian orientations (Lehmann 2008) and interactive lectures with group-based activities (Sander et. al.…”