Mapping the transition: Content and pedagogy across the school-university boundary

Abstract

The period of transition for students from school to university is of great importance, however it is also potentially fraught with difficulties. Incoming students are faced with a study environment very different to anything they have known before and often face a steep learning curve of new study skills and learning methods in order to keep afloat. Whilst these factors are well recognised and have been addressed in literature, there is a growing recognition of the fact that how students perceive their chosen subject has a large impact on how they perform. In fact it has been suggested that students‟ expectations of a subject may be better predictors of performance in tertiary education than the previous performance of students in school examinations.