The first year of tertiary study is a largely positive experience according to a group of just over 4000 young Australians who took part in an ACER study into their transition from secondary to tertiary education.

The transitions made by young Australians from secondary schooling to tertiary education are of particular interest to researchers and policy makers. The first year of tertiary study has been identified as the year in which the greatest amount of academic failure and attrition from study occurs (McInnis, 2001 and Williams, 1982) and, in the view of some researchers, completion of the first year is ‘more than half the battle’ in degree completion (Tinto, 1988). The first year experience of students, therefore, can have a major impact on later study options and participation.

The current study posed a range of questions pertaining to first year experience including reasons for any changes to initial enrolments. Background variables, including gender, earlier school achievement, depth of curiosity and attitudes to school were considered. The focus was on three main research questions:

• How satisfied are university and TAFE students with their initial experiences of tertiary education? What areas of their transitions have been difficult?
• Who is most likely to change course, or institution, or defer study or withdraw? What are their reasons for doing so?
• Are the outcomes and experiences of the ‘equity target groups’ – those students from backgrounds that historically have been under-represented in higher education – different from the experiences of other students?

Data were gathered by interview from 4026 participants in the ongoing Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) – an ongoing project that studies the progress of several groups of young Australians as they move from school into post-secondary education and work. Each of the students had been in Year 9 in 1998 and commenced study at a university or TAFE in 2002, immediately after completing Year 12. Students were surveyed at the end of their first year of tertiary study. Their level of satisfaction with tertiary study was measured by levels of agreement with a number of statements about their experiences in first year.

Student satisfaction

The overall picture painted by students of their first year experiences was largely positive. The vast majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that they liked being a student (94 per cent), tertiary student life suited them (87 per cent), they enjoyed the atmosphere on campus (88 per cent) and they had made close friends at their tertiary institution (89 per cent).  Over eighty per cent (82 per cent) indicated that the tertiary experience had lived up to their expectations.

In terms of the difficulties faced by first year tertiary students, the most common problems were ones of ‘time press’ and balance. Forty-seven per cent of students reported difficulties in juggling work and study, 40 per cent reported problems finding time for other commitments, and 29 per cent reported difficulties balancing personal relationships with study. When asked to nominate their area of greatest difficulty, juggling work and study commitments was still the most commonly nominated area at 26 per cent. Problems with balancing personal relationships and study or finding time for other commitments were less common. Twenty-one per cent of students indicated that their first year had been without major difficulty.

Very little difference was found in the levels of satisfaction with tertiary study as reported by university and TAFE students. However, a greater proportion of university students than TAFE students reported that they had difficulty in juggling work and study commitments (50 per cent compared to 35 per cent) while more TAFE students, compared to university students, reported that they had faced no major difficulties during their first year. Students at regional universities, meanwhile, reported more difficulties paying course fees than students at other universities.

Course change

Most students remained in their initial course at their initial institution at the end of their first year. Relatively small proportions of students changed course (2 per cent), or institution (one per cent). Slightly greater proportions withdrew (6 per cent) or deferred from study (4 per cent).

For those who had changed course, the most common reason was simply not liking the first course. The most common main reason for changing institutions was that the second institution provided better quality education that the first. The most common reason for withdrawing or deferring was that the course had turned out to be not what the student had wanted.

A number of student background factors were associated strongly with changes to initial enrolment. For example, students who were studying part-time were more likely to have changed institution during their first year than students who were studying full-time. Students who had not planned to participate in post-school study or who were studying at a TAFE college were less likely to have changed course than other students while students who did not score highly on attitudes to school scales or who were working full-time were more likely to defer and to withdraw from study.

The experiences of education equity groups

The experiences of students from the education equity groups were given special consideration in this study in order to determine whether students in these sub-groups had experiences that were different to those of other students. Members of the education equity groups are people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds; people from rural and isolated areas; people with disabilities; people from non-English speaking backgrounds; women (especially women in non traditional areas of study); and Indigenous Australians.

The results were fairly positive as students from most of the equity groups tended to report similar or higher agreement with the satisfaction items than other students. However, some areas of concern were identified. For example, students from remote or isolated location backgrounds nominated paying fees or other study-related costs as their main source of difficulty more often than other students. Indigenous students reported conflict between study and caring for children or other family members, as well as financial difficulties, more often than non-Indigenous students. Indigenous students were also more likely to withdraw from study during their first year, compared to non-Indigenous students.

Conclusions

The findings from this study revealed that, for the majority of first year tertiary students, their experiences of tertiary study were mainly positive. On the whole they were satisfied with many aspects of their lives as students and, although have faced difficulties, remained committed to continuing their education.

Some students, however, appeared to be having more trouble than others maintaining a balance between education and work commitments and experienced lower levels of satisfaction and an increased likelihood of terminating their study. Differences in the outcomes of first year students from rural and isolated backgrounds and Indigenous students are of particular concern. Results suggest that although these students have made the first step in accessing tertiary education, they may still face relatively high difficulties in continuing with their studies.

Further information and additional findings are contained in the report, The first year experience: The transition from secondary school to university and TAFE in Australia by Kylie Hillman, research report 40 in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program. LSAY is conducted jointly by ACER and the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).

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