‘If I had missed it I would have been the lost little sheep’: Exploring student narratives on orientation to first year

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study reports on an on-entry orientation intervention designed to support and retain students transitioning to higher education at an Irish private higher education institution. Following the intervention, a qualitative study was conducted with the aim of exploring new undergraduate student experiences of transitioning to higher education and their narratives of participating in the orientation. Six themes emerged during the analytical process: academic anxieties, expectations of higher education, the impact of studying on students’ lives, finding our way: orientation, fitting in and making friends, and the transition from secondary school. Findings indicate that orientation interventions which focus on the on-entry phase of the study lifecycle can have a positive impact on new higher education students.

KEYWORDS:

• Student success
• transition
• induction
• higher education
• orientation
• retention

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Craic: Irish word meaning fun which has been brought into English usage.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Orna Farrell

Orna Farrell is Programme Chair for the DCU Connected BA in Humanities, BA in English & History, and BA Single Module in Dublin City University. She has recently completed her doctoral studies at Trinity College Dublin, which explored the development of critical thinking through eportfolio-based learning for online distance students. Working within DCU’s National Institute for Digital Learning her research interests include higher education transitions, educational technology, digital historical skills and eportfolio-based learning.

James Brunton

James Brunton has a BA (Hons) in Applied Psychology from University College Cork and a PhD in Social/Organisational Psychology from Dublin City University (DCU). He is Chair of the DCU Connected BA in Humanities (Psychology Major) programme in Dublin City University. Working within DCU’s National Institute for Digital Learning, his research interests include the psychology of identity formation, socialisation/induction processes for ‘off-campus’ higher education students, and digital assessment.

Samantha Trevaskis

Samantha Trevaskis is a third-year undergraduate student studying Psychology with DCU Connected. Her research interests include Educational and Health psychology, as well as Neuropsychology. Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, she will continue with further education in Psychology.