Adaptation to higher education: First-year students' perceptions

Introduction. The problem of students dropping out of higher education has been studied at international and national level. Also, it is a concern for higher education institutions to combat the phenomenon. Higher education dropout is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that significantly affects the performance of educational institutions and the future of students. This problem is a global concern with profound economic, social, and educational implications. 

Goals and Methods. The main goal is to analyze the aspects that students report as positive and negative in their adaptation to higher education. This study is part of a larger project that used mixed methods, adopting a concurrent embedded strategy. The data was collected from students through questionnaires with closed questions and two open questions were added to find out the students' perceptions: In relation to your academic life, what aspects do you consider positive in your adaptation to higher education? And, in relation to your academic life, what aspects do you consider negative in your adaptation to higher education? Participated voluntarily 456 Portuguese freshmen students, those who answered the open questions, with an average age of 21.48 years old (DP=6.98). The students’ answers were then analyzed using IRAMUTEQ.

Results. Concerning the positive aspects related to students’ adaptation to higher education three classes emerged: To develop knowledge, Adaptation to the institution, and Interaction with teachers and peers. On the other side, about the negative aspects related to students’ adaptation to higher education also emerged three categories: Class timetable, Adaptation to new academic system, and Study.

Conclusions. The results reinforce what is found in the literature about the importance to recognize that university adaptation (and dropout) is influenced by personal and contextual factors. These results correspond to the students' voice and are of interest to higher education institutions when planning interventions for freshmen students.