The first year of university is often considered challenging and difficult for students who are adjusting to different academic and social demands. In this context, teacher-student interactions can play a crucial role in fostering student motivation, engagement in learning, a sense of belonging to the university and academic persistence. Although…

This paper examines an alternative approach to grading at a public university in Singapore. Beginning in 2014, all incoming students were given a 'grade-free' period of assessment. This was designed to give new students time to adjust to university life and to inspire students to approach their learning free from the worry of grades. Similar to…

Researchers have been investigating student dropout, and possible reasons leading to it, for quite a long time. Cumulatively, the results of these research attempts show that drop out of students depends on several factors, of which only a relatively small number can directly be dealt with by universities. Therefore, the overall research problem…

Individual differences in 'adaptability' -- cognitive, behavioural, and emotional adjustment in the face of change, novelty, and uncertainty -- are theorised to influence students' academic achievement and course satisfaction; although the literature examining these relations in tertiary education is sparse. In the present study, first-year…

Disengagement and a lack of motivation have been found to be the major reasons for student drop out from higher education. In order to broaden our understanding of institutional and personal factors associated with intention to complete a college degree, this investigation examined the relationship between students' perceptions of classroom…

The introduction of the new UK tuition fees resulted in concerns about the impact on higher education (HE) uptake, and raised questions regarding students' motivations for attending university. The current study explored first-year undergraduate psychology students' (N = 56) reasons for attending HE through a series of focus groups. These were…

Outputs from a computerised touch pad turnstile security system that recorded business students' entries into and exits from a university's buildings revealed that a significant number of the institution's first-year intake withdrew from their (business) degree programmes within a few weeks of enrolment. Accordingly, a sample of these "early…

Framed by the accounting education change debate and growing national concern regarding student attrition, this paper examines the perceptions of first-year students as they commence their study of accounting at an Irish university. It explores a range of factors which impact on students' learning: their motives for entering higher education,…