Student transitions to university in Wales during COVID-19

Hodgkin, Kieran, Young, Nick, Rawlings Smith, Emma and Singh, Sonny (2023) Student transitions to university in Wales during COVID-19 Welsh Government 95pp.

Abstract

This report presents the results of a mixed methods study that aimed to explore how prepared first-year undergraduate Education students were for the transition to university during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales. The report enabled the research team to better understand the transition experiences of first-year undergraduates enrolled on education programmes in Welsh universities and the challenges they faced engaging with learning so that recommendations could be made to inform policy and practice.

This report:
• Outlines the research design and data collection tools
• Presents the findings from the questionnaire and focus groups
• Discusses their implications
• Makes recommendations and draws conclusions

Overall, 90 respondents completed a questionnaire with scale items (Krause and
Coates, 2008) and open-ended questions. This was followed by focus group
interviews with 18 students to gain a rich understanding of participants’ experiences of education before and during their transition to university.

Results suggest:
i) Students arrive at university with a range of academic, social and digital competencies, having experienced a diverse range of post-16 educational
provision.
ii) Educational institutions changed their approaches to teaching and learning
during the Covid-19 pandemic; social distancing measures and remote
learning reduced the number of social interactions with their peers and friends.
iii) Since March 2020, students have had fewer opportunities to present, perform
and work in various groups and spaces.
iv) The transition to university is a much longer phase than is currently theorised
and students identified a need for an extended induction phase.

The report concludes with further recommendations for schools, colleges, universities and Welsh Government and implications for future research. For example, we recommend that schools and colleges re-engage with university outreach to raise awareness and knowledge of Higher Education with post-16 students. We also suggest that in-person academic and social engagements and digital support are key elements of induction and should be freely available at any point when students want this need to be met. Further, we advise that institutional planning incorporates additional opportunities for academic and social interactions, and engagement in and beyond the campus to include in-person seminars and events, as well as visits, fieldtrips and residentials for all university programmes going forward.

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Contributors

Author: Emma Rawlings Smith

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