The DOI matches its Crossref record; 16 of the 16 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Mind the Gap: Are students prepared for higher education?
Abstract
A pilot survey of science students conducted by Cook & Leckey confirmed that student study habits formed in secondary school persist to the end of the first semester of university life. Such a conclusion indicates that students are not bridging the gap between school and university quickly and effectively. The study reported here is based on surveys of first year students across the University of Ulster and compares their prior perceptions with their experiences after one term. We consider the literature relating to preparedness and student retention and present the results of these surveys in this broad context. Most students appear to have managed the transition into university life success fully since they do not experience the academic, personal and practical difficulties they expected. There is, however, a considerable minority (20-30%) who consistently experience academic and personal problems and for whom coming to university has been a negative experience. These students are at risk, if not from drop-out, then from under-performance and lack of fulfilment.
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“Results of these studies indicate that academic adjustment problems are highly prevalent (around 50%) and negatively impact students’ functioning, including worse grades, high university dropout rates, and poor mental health [25–29].”
From Effectiveness and mediators of change of an online CBT intervention for students with adjustment disorder—study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2023) · cites this paper as [27]
In the citing paper
“Results of these studies indicate that academic adjustment problems are highly prevalent (around 50%) and negatively impact students’ functioning, including worse grades, high university dropout rates, and poor mental health [25–29].”
From Effectiveness and mediators of change of an online CBT intervention for students with adjustment disorder—study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2023) · cites this paper as [27]
Citations
Cites
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Preventing students from dropping out
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Predicting Freshman Persistence and Voluntary Dropout Decisions from a Theoretical Model
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1980) · The Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.2307/1981125 · Cited by 538
Developing Student Autonomy in Learning
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Do Expectations Meet Reality? A survey of changes in first‐year student opinion
Cook, A. L., & Leckey, J. F. (1999) · Journal of Further and Higher Education · doi:10.1080/0309877990230201 · Cited by 232
Self-citationIncreasing undergraduate student retention rates
Rickinson, B., & Rutherford, D. (1995) · British Journal of Guidance & Counselling · doi:10.1080/03069889508253002 · Cited by 137 · cited 4×
“Following the classification of Rickinson & Rutherford (1995), those students who had not contemplated leaving at any stage during the first two months of starting university were classified as low risk.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialGrosset, J. M. (1991) · Research in Higher Education · doi:10.1007/bf00974435 · Cited by 99
Determinants of student wastage in higher education
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Theobald, M. (2021) · Contemporary Educational Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101976 · Cited by 478
van der Meer, J., Jansen, E., & Torenbeek, M. (2010) · Studies in Higher Education · doi:10.1080/03075070903383211 · Cited by 172
Juszczyk-Kalina, A., Holas, P., & Farchione, T. J. (2023) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-023-07744-9 · Cited by 4
Metadata
- Authors
- Lowe, H., & Cook, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Ulster (GB)
- Venue
- Journal of Further and Higher Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2003-02
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 53-76
- ISSN
- 0309-877X (ISSN-L)
- 1469-9486
- OpenAlex
- W2072012388
- Cited by
- 583
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 46 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 62.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Further and Higher Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Outcomes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Education › Evasion and Academic Success Factors
- Keywords
- transition to higher education, student readiness, first-year students, study habits, secondary school to university transition, student retention, school dropout, academic difficulties, student perceptions, science students
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