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Cited by 53Doctoral Education Challenges and SolutionsHigher Education Research StudiesYouth Education and Societal Dynamics

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Transitions from Undergraduate to Taught Postgraduate Study: Emotion, Integration and Belonging

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McPherson, Charlotte, Punch, Samantha, Graham, Elizabeth·2017·Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice
DOI 10.14297/jpaap.v5i2.265
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Abstract

The notion and terminology of ‘transition(s)’ have long dominated discussions of pathways from youth to adulthood and have increasingly come to characterise the educational journeys people make, with a strong emphasis on the shift from schooling to undergraduate study. However, the transitional experiences of postgraduate students have been significantly overlooked with powerful presumptions around postgraduate students being educational ‘experts’ and ‘naturals’ obscuring the often highly challenging nature of their transitions. The lack of literature in this field is most pronounced around the taught postgraduate (PGT) population, about whom the least is known. This is due in part to ambiguousness around PGT study itself (Glazer-Raymo, 2005) which falls between the clearly-defined undergraduate and doctoral degrees, and has been declared as the “forgotten sector” (Millward, 2015) of higher education. This paper addresses this gap in understanding by synthesising the available literature on PGT transitions, and on postgraduate transitions more generally, alongside qualitative focus group data from a small-scale project with Masters students and supervisors conducted at a Scottish university. It finds that transitions to PGT education are complex, emotional and challenging for most students, and highlights some institutional practices that can isolate, confuse and hinder the progress of Masters students. Thus, the paper argues that, contrary to conventional assumptions, transitions from undergraduate to PGT education are not inevitably straightforward and can be characterised, at least initially, by anxiety, self-doubt and disorientation. Key challenges for Masters students do not necessarily relate to the higher learning materials, but the lack of clarity around what PGT level study entails and the limited opportunities for integration and sense of belonging. Greater clarity of expectations and earlier feedback, alongside peer support, can help to smooth transitions to postgraduate study. The paper also highlights the particularly difficult transitions of students unfamiliar to the university and identifies challenges specific to funded and non-funded students.

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  • Peer support has a positive influence on international students' socio-cultural transition, and the buddy scheme helped international students navigate their cultural transition into UK higher education, particularly practical issues.

    “In line with wider literature, this study found peer support has a positive influence on international students' socio-cultural transition (McPherson, Punch and Graham, 2017; Shu et al., 2020; WONKHE, 2022)”

    From How a buddy scheme created social and intercultural space for international and home students (2024) · cites this paper as McPherson, Punch and Graham, 2017

    The 'Peer and staff support' section says peers helped students in the Scottish study navigate the transition to taught postgraduate study. It does not establish that those students were international or that the transition was socio-cultural. The cited sentence does not mention a buddy scheme, and the retrieved passages provide no evidence for one. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 38

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Metadata

Authors
McPherson, C., Punch, S., & Graham, E.
Affiliations
University of Stirling (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice
Publisher
University of the Highlands and Islands
Published
2017-03-01
Volume
5
Issue
2
ISSN
2051-9788 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.14297/jpaap.v5i2.265
OpenAlex
W2621681173
Cited by
53
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
FWCI
4.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions
  • Social Sciences › Education › Higher Education Research Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Keywords
master's students, sense of belonging, student integration, student anxiety, peer support, student supervision, institutional practices

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