Krassimira Teneva

1. Not just fun
The importance of social transition
Krassimira Teneva, Jess Inglis
Samantha Jane Logan
Student Support Services

2. Background / Context
• Student Transition and Progression
• International Experience
• Work with non-traditional groups of students
– mature students, carers and care leavers
– international students
• Offer part of the SHU 'transition in' support
offer
• Enable some ongoing transition support

3. Why is transition important?
• students who do not transition successfully
are less likely to persist (Thomas, 2002)
• they are more likely to experience academic
difficulties and underachieve (Kantanis, 2000)
• they are likely to have lower self esteem and
confidence which can hinder their ability to
engage fully with the academic process
(Kantanis, 2000)

4. Social transition is thought to
be crucial to student retention
and success but is given little
attention within institutions
Harvey, L., Drew, S. with Smith, M. (2006). The first year
experience: a literature review for the Higher Education
Academy. York. HE Academy

5. What does successful social transition
look like?
• students feel that they matter and they are
appreciated
• students have established support networks
(peers, staff and family)
• students are involved actively in their
university community
• students have a strong sense of belonging to
the course, faculty, university

6. How and when do we make this
happen?
• Two case studies
– Mature student welcome programme 'transition
in' support
– Culture Connect - ongoing transition support
throughout the year

7. Bibliography
• Kantanis, T. (2000). The role of social transition in students' adjustment to the first-year of
university. Available from
http://www.aair.org.au/app/webroot/media/pdf/JIR/Journal%20of%20Institutional%20Research%2
0in%20Australasia%20and%20JIR/Volume%209,%20No.%201%20May%202000/Kantanis.pdf.
Accessed 15 Jun 2015
• Tinto, V. (1998) Learning Communities and the Reconstruction of Remedial Education in Higher
Education, Replacing Remediation in Higher Education Conference, Stamford University, Jan 26-27
• Tinto, V. (2000) Reconstructing the first year of college, in Student Support Services Model
Retention Strategies for Two-year Colleges, Washington DC: Council for Opportunity in Education
• Thomas, L. (2002) 'Student retention in Higher Education: the role of institutional habitus', Journal
of Educational Policy, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 423-32
• Harvey, L., Drew, S. with Smith, M. (2006). The first year experience: a literature review for the
Higher Education Academy. York. HE Academy
• Bigger, J.J. (2005). Improving the odds for freshman success. Retrieved from NACADA Clearinghouse
of Academic Advising Resources Web Site:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Advising-first-year-
students.aspx - See more at: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-
Articles/Advising-first-year-students.aspx#sthash.rLLjy67N.dpuf. Accessed 15 June 2015