The transition experiences of direct entrants from overseas higher education partners into UK universities

This two-year study was conducted to explore the experience of international direct-entry students making the transition from overseas higher education partners to a UK University. Using mainly qualitative data from forum discussion, focus-group interviews and face-to-face interviews with students a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTeaching in higher education Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 414 - 426
Main Authors Quan, Rose, Smailes, Joanne, Fraser, Walter
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2013
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
direct entrants
Foreign students
Higher education
international students
transition
United Kingdom > UK
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Summary:This two-year study was conducted to explore the experience of international direct-entry students making the transition from overseas higher education partners to a UK University. Using mainly qualitative data from forum discussion, focus-group interviews and face-to-face interviews with students and staff, we document how international direct-entry students cope with academic and social anxieties during their transition. The findings reveal that there are some similarities, such as language issues, which are experienced by most international students. However, this study has highlighted a distinguishing factor for direct-entry students which relates to the use of intra-networks to overcome their social anxieties. The exploratory analysis also indicates that international students entering directly into an academic programme at a later study stage face a steep learning curve and require additional support to adapt quickly to a UK educational system.
ISSN:1356-2517
1470-1294
DOI:10.1080/13562517.2012.752729