This article was originally published as: Students’ Transition into Higher Education: Incorporating High-Impact Practices to Foster Smooth Transition and Academic Success
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Abstract
The transition into Higher Education (HE) is a problematic situation for students and academic institutions worldwide. This scenario is even more apparent in the South African environment as a majority of the student body resides in low-income, rural environments and are first-generation university students. Such a context presents unique challenges such as separation from family, cultural differences and family obligations, together with academic and social integration pressures, thus placing students in an unfamiliar environment within HE. If successful integration into HE is not achieved at this initial stage of entry, students face the risk of academic failure.The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges faced by South African first-year students as they transition into HE and the impact of peer mentorship on the successful progression of university students.Findings reveal that engaging in high- impact practices inherent in first-year student experiences ultimately leads to the promotion of student success in areas such as increased academic performance, participation in activities with educational goals, student contentment and persistence in completion of their studies. This paper proposes an intervention that supports a smooth transition of students into higher educationas itdraws from the strategies of High-Impact Practices (HIPs) applicable to undergraduate courses.
Authors
- Radha Reddy (Durban University of Technology, South Africa)
- Charmaine Naidoo (Durban University of Technology, South Africa)
- Noelene Simone Ross (Durban University of Technology, South Africa)
Keywords
high-impact practices, first-year student transition, higher education, peer mentoring
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