Autonomy and the ability to learn: making the transition to higher education

Penny Childs and Jill Spencer, University of Plymouth

The aims of stage 1 of the research are to identify factors that might be significant in assisting or hindering the transition to higher education and in developing learner autonomy. Questionnaires were distributed to student volunteers in October 2000 and May 2001. A total of 204 responses were received to the first questionnaire and 146 to the second. 90 students responded to both questionnaires.

Focus group discussions were held in October 2000 with a total of 35 students. 21 of the 35 also responded to both stage 1 questionnaires. In the group discussions students were asked to consider the same questions that appeared in the first questionnaire. The fact that participants were volunteers and not necessarily a representative sample may skew the responses, although this can be monitored. The transcripts from the focus groups are currently being analysed.

Result of the first questionnaire

A disproportionate number of responses to the questionnaire (164 out of 204) were from one institution (Bristol), with 20 each from Middlesex and Plymouth. However, since the study is qualitative and not quantitative, this disparity is less of a problem than it might otherwise be.

There were considerably more responses from students under the age of 21 than mature, and from females rather than males. Most respondents had entered through the A level route. Whether this pattern is representative of the three institutions remains to be seen.

The questionnaire aimed to elicit responses about:

• the expectation that students had of higher education and their perceived experience since joining
• the impact of any differences between the expectation and experience
• any differences between previous learning or life experiences and that in higher education (and their impact)
• the skills, attributes and qualities that students perceived themselves as having and as needing to develop in order to achieve 'graduateness'
• the factors and processes that might assist in development
• the locus of control over this development (personal, tutor, institutional)
• concerns that students might have about learning and teaching in higher education

An initial analysis of some (70 of the 204) of the responses has been undertaken. For ease of exposition, responses may be divided into three broad themes: change, integration and skills. However, these are not discrete areas, and the inter-relationship between them is evident in the responses. It must also be remembered that the questionnaire was completed during the second week after enrolment, and this may impact on the type of response given. Analysis of the focus group discussions and second set of questionnaires may provide different and/or additional factors that students considered significant once they had more experience of higher education to draw upon. Nevertheless, the initial impression from this first set of questionnaires is that some of the results are remarkably similar to those encountered in the preliminary study.

Change

Change was perceived by many students as a factor causing anxiety or concern. Common expressions used in describing expectation and initial experience were overwhelming, intimidating, nervous, humbling, uncomfortable, alienating. However, for others the prospect or experience of change was less daunting and words like enjoyable, interesting, exciting, fun, challenge crop up again and again to describe the expectation or experience. In some cases this is despite the change and in others it is because of it. (This may depend on the area in which change was anticipated. Thus changes in social life were more likely to elicit positive responses. Changes in approaches to study were more likely to elicit responses of concern, but this might be caused by the way the questionnaire was worded.)

Change in both social and academic areas was perceived as a significant factor, and the need to adapt to the change is frequently acknowledged. As one mature male student put it, starting university always requires an adjustment period adapting to workload, cultures, languages and distance from home.

Some of the most commonly cited examples of change related to independence in life, diversity in the peer group, workload and nature of the work, and independence in study.

Independence: several students (although exclusively students under the age of 21) expected attending university to require a shift towards personal responsibility and self-reliance. On the whole this was seen as a positive experience although concerns included managing my own financial problems and being very lonely and possibly homesick. The latter raises questions about the importance of early integration into the academic community, which is dealt with below.

Diversity of cultures/age/background: many indicated that they anticipated change in their social contacts in that university would consist of a variety of different ethnic backgrounds and age groups. Most perceived this as a positive experience:

“ I thought it's going to be great. In the way that it's going to be an amazing experience as there will be more mature students and lecturers. Moreover I'll be mixed with people of different outlooks and cultures from all over the world which will help me to grow in a different way. ”

(A mature male student)

However, some found that their experience did not match their expectation, although this may be affected by the institutional context. As one female student put it: I thought everyone would make the effort to get to know each other to learn about different cultures and backgrounds and experiences. There's not nearly as much socialising and people tend to stick to their own social circles.

Concerns about the change in social contacts were few but most common amongst mature students, some of whom had concerns about feeling alienated or uncomfortable mixing with the young ones.

Workload/nature of work: this was one of the most common areas referred to as one of change. Most students had anticipated that doing the degree would be hard work and that there would be a heavy workload. But even so, many found it harder than they had anticipated or found that there was much more work than expected. Several, most frequently A level entrants, indicated that the amount of work differed from their previous experience. Even some who found the workload easier than anticipated commented that the work was different in nature rather than amount. Two examples of common responses are:

“Fairly demanding upon you physically and mentally. I didn't expect it to be so hard with the amount of reading that we have and there are more cases to learn that I didn't expect to have.”

(Female, under 21, A level entrant)

“Less work than expected with law in quantity but more taxing.”

(Male, under 21, A level entrant)

The workload and juggling the need to work with socialising (in the case of younger students) and with other commitments (in the case of the more mature) was a major concern for many. Several strategies were proposed for dealing with this concern, but the most common was the need for time management, self-organisation and commitment. Several of the 'younger' students recognised the need for what one described as a balance between spending time studying an area in which I have great interest and in becoming more independent, meeting new people and learning non-educational lessons (female, under 21). The more mature students expressed similar feelings although a balance was needed for different reasons:

“One has to be fully committed and time management skills definitely need to be improved. I lack time not commitment.”

(Mature female with children)

Independence in study: this was the most frequently cited example of change. The workload and nature of the work became even more of a concern when combined with the change in responsibility for study.

Many students commented on being surprised by the lack of class contact time and the amount of 'private study' required, even though most had expected a change in the approach to study. Some were even surprised in that they had felt that less class contact, less pressure from teachers to do the work and a more relaxed atmosphere would make university life easier. Things were not always as they seemed as one student commented:

“I thought that university life would have been very easy due to few hours of lectures and much free time but it is a much more complex way of studying.”

(Male, under 21)

The shift in the perceived locus of control and responsibility was a major concern, and even more so when this differed from previous experience. More comments about a difference between previous learning experience (and concern about it) were received from A level entrants than from others. This suggests that they may find that the transition is harder, because their prior experience provides less preparation for the shift in control over the learning process. So whilst one male mature student commented favourably on the preparation provided by the Access route (it introduced me to study time management and taught us self-study techniques which I believe university expects from every student) there were no such comments from A level entrants. Indeed, many of these students felt that they needed more time to adapt and were being pushed in the deep end and expected to be very independent at an early stage. Whilst most accepted that the tutor role in higher education should be supportive and less directive, some still hankered after a slightly more school-orientated approach. For example one said because it is up to the individual to learn and read for themselves I am worried that we will be pushed in at the deep end and expected to swim. The difference from formal class teaching will be a hard transition and will take time.

Some students viewed the change in approach to study as a positive experience but most had concerns about it. The concerns caused by the change in approach were various and included:

• losing direction
• not maintaining the motivation
• 'not knowing if you are doing enough work generally, or doing it as efficiently as possible
• lack of confidence
• not being able to take relevant and thorough enough notes which are useful for revision
• less time to ask questions and have them answered

One commented:

“Honestly there is a big difference. What I have noticed so far is that in the previous educational experience we had long time lectures whereas here it is very short and you have to spend most of your time in private study and research which I believe will help us more because we are very independent.”

(Male, mature)

Personal strategies to deal with the change included time management, self-organisation, self-motivation, determination and commitment. Students also recorded that tutors could provide assistance by giving regular feedback on performance, clarification, encouragement and reassurance. Taking responsibility for one's own learning was much less of a concern when students felt that appropriate tutor support was available.

One female student, who expressed concern about adapting to the change, commented that:

“Although I knew I will need to work more independently I thought there will be someone to help us but we do not get help as much as we did at college/school.”

This may be contrasted with another female who had less concern about adapting:

“I understood that we would have to do quite a lot of work on our own without guidance. I was quite right in my impression of individual and independent study. However there is some guidance by our tutors and I am fairly confident that I will be able to cope with the difficulties of the course.”

Integration

A number of students made comments that related to the level of their satisfaction with and commitment to the institution. The importance of settling in and feeling part of the social and academic community was perceived by many as a significant factor. Comments are made on the following: the importance of peer support, tutor support and 'other' support and the importance of being able to make a contribution to the community.

Peer group

The importance of the peer group was noted by many students. Socialising and meeting new people was one of the most common expectations mentioned by the younger students. (The responses about the peer group were almost exclusively about socialising. Only one student from the sample referred to the significance of forming study support groups with peers.) For some this had caused mixed feelings before joining. For most, but not all, it was an area where expectation matched experience. Many commented on how important this had been in helping them to settle in quickly and easily.

One female under the age of 21 expresses what many indicated:

“I expected it to be very stressful and daunting meeting new people. I also thought I would be very lonely and possibly homesick. It was very different as meeting new people was so easy and huge fun. It was quite easy to fit into the university lifestyle and so there was not a huge initial feeling of homesickness.”

The peer group could even provide support to counter-balance some of the problems encountered elsewhere. So one female student who was finding independence more daunting than expected and found little help from the department, which she described as too impersonal, found what she needed in halls of residence, where I feel I have received more support.

Mature students also recognised the importance of the peer group, although there tended to be more concern about integration with younger students and a recognition that this could adversely affect settling in. However, some found peer support from other like-minded mature students which helped them to settle.

Tutor support

The relevance of tutor support in reducing concern about independent study is noted above, and some students also commented on how important they felt it was to have a personal tutor or mentor. More generally, many responses indicated the significance of tutors being approachable, available and not too busy if you need help or too stand-offish. Many commented favourably on their experience, which for many was not what they had expected.

The perceived importance of this for integration is reflected in the following two comments from female students under 21:

“The university does also appear to be a lot less intimidating than I envisioned, the lecturers are more relaxed and help is on offer from all quarters. It is a much more self-motivated mode of teaching which I do in fact enjoy but only because tutors seem to provide a safety net.”

And in relation to how things that staff could help with:

“More one to one discussions and more of a support network to make you feel more like a person than a mere number.”

Contribution

Several students also commented on the significance of being able to participate in classes, and felt that tutors could help their development by providing for more student interaction and involvement. Class size was a concern for some in this context, because there might be less opportunity for debate and students might not be able to contribute and ask questions in such large classes.

Institutional support

The most frequently cited areas where it was felt that the university could do more to help students get off to a good start were by providing more organised induction, more assistance from library staff, more assistance with accommodation and computing skills.

Skills

Students were asked to comment on personal development and the type of skills, qualities and abilities that they expected to develop. They were also asked what they thought would help them to develop. A very brief analysis of the responses to these questions indicates that the types of skills perceived as important fall into three categories: practical, cognitive and interpersonal. These are not entirely satisfactory categories, because some skills (such as oral communication) fall within more than one (practical and interpersonal). Several students also mentioned the affective side of learning.

The range of skills identified (in order of frequency) were:

• cognitive - analysis, thinking, argument, evaluation, critique, knowledge and/or understanding of law, application and problem solving, objectivity, memory
• practical - research, reading, time management, self-organisation, recording - note taking and note making, exam technique, computer skills, library skills
• interpersonal - oral communication (including vocabulary), written communication, listening, group work
• affective - confidence, self-motivation, commitment, self-discipline, determination, self-reliance

There is some evidence that the institution has an impact on the type of skill identified by students. There is also a possibility that gender, age and entry route also have an impact. This requires further investigation. Most students identified personal responsibility for skills development and the most common processes were perceived to be reading, practice, preparation, research, recording, participation and attendance.