Chapter 1. Purpose and scope of project

The problem of the transition from secondary school to the first year at university is not new in Australia - see for example Powell (1979) on transition and Downes (1976) on predicting performance - but the issues change with time. The problem can be devastating for individuals and their families, and it represents an enormous social and economic waste (Pargetter (1995).

Knowledge about the transition in Australia is largely based on either anecdotal evidence, large-scale surveys covering a number of different universities, or 'sidestream' results from research that has other stated aims. Overseas research on transition is extensive and its validity and relevance to the Australian context needs to be investigated: findings are often in conflict in both the international and Australian research literature. Related research of the investigators suggests that while transition problems - and means of overcoming them - can be studied to some extent at a general level, some are specific to a student category, discipline or institution.

For many years it has been recognised that many students experience difficulties when making the transition from secondary school to university study. The problem is common to students entering all Australian universities and is experienced across a range of fields of study. The early experiences of undergraduate students in mass higher education systems are vital in establishing attitudes, outlooks and approaches to learning that will endure beyond the undergraduate years. Changes in secondary curricula do not appear to have brought about any improvement in the transition experience.

The origins of this project lay in the work undertaken by Craig McInnis and Richard James in First Year on Campus-Diversity in the Initial Experiences of Australian Undergraduates (1995) and by Monash University in its Making the Transition Conference Report (1995). Research and transition initiatives have continued at both institutions since then.

The work is concerned with a more detailed analysis of the transition problem, and has involved discussions with schools and university staff, implementation of various pilot programs, an analysis of resources devoted to first year teaching and a detailed analysis of statistical data of the performance of transition students. As there is no commonly used set of performance indicators at present, the study looked at identifying indicators of best national practice and potential funding parameters.

Attention to this issue as a national strategy would significantly improve the overall performance of ‘transition’ students. For individual students the consequences of a difficult transition can be costly, most obviously in terms of loss of confidence and income. The economic costs to universities and society are immediately evident in early withdrawals in the first year. But as the McInnis and James study showed, a third or more of first year students who remain enrolled have serious doubts about their choice of course and their level of commitment to study is problematic. Indeed, the effects of negative transitions to first year tertiary are easily underestimated since they are often only revealed as discontinuation or failure in later years.

This study investigates the secondary-tertiary transition process and explores the general and, where possible, specific nature of the relationship between inputs, such as teaching methods, and outputs, such as first year academic performance and student satisfaction. The effects of student characteristics (eg TER, age, language spoken at home, sex, socioeconomic status) are tested. The aim is to develop performance indicators of institutional effectiveness in the secondary-tertiary transition process; and develop guidelines and possible funding parameters which will encourage institutions to ensure a successful transition process for their students.