Higher Education Transitions

Eva Kyndt is an assistant professor at the Research Group of Occupational and Organisational Psychology and Professional Learning at KU Leuven – University of Leuven, Belgium.Vincent Donche is an associate professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Training and Education Sciences at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Keith Trigwell is a professor of higher education at the University of Sydney, Australia. Sari Lindblom-Ylänne is a professor of higher education at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Review 1 The proposed book is very relevant and timely. Transitions to higher education and further from education to work have proved to be critical phases in individuals’ educational and career paths. Recent fast changes in society and the world of work have made them even more critical than before Transitions form a challenge to the education systems and pedagogical practices, and practitioners and policy makers need research based knowledge to support students and graduates in and through these transitions. The scientific merit of this book lies in its strong empirical natureReview 2 This book is highly relevant to the domain of learning and instruction. It is particularly timely given current high levels of youth unemployment and high participation levels in higher education, making successful transitions paramount. The relevance of the proposal is greatly enhanced by the bredth of coverage, other texts focusing on transtions are often narrow in scope. This proposal has high scientific merit. It draws effectively on a good range of relevant theoretical perspectives and it’s particularly valuable that the proposal covers both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and includes longitudinal studies. The emphasis on a wide range of different student transitions is original and valuable. The chapters include a rich array of original approaches to considering student transitions. The book proposal shows considerable bredth. It is particularly pleasing to see that transitions into, within and out of higher education are considered. Too many texts in this area have focused only on transitions into higher education. I would expect that this book would be very influential in the field. I would certainly recommend it to my colleagues who have an interest in transtions. The authorship of the book includes many highly respected leaders in research into higher education.

• List of Contributors Preface Investigating Transitions to higher education: A conceptual framework Fear of Academic Failure as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Different Transitions towards Learning at University: Exploring the Heterogeneity of Motivational Processes Transition to an international degree programme: Preparedness, first-year experiences and success of students of different nationalities Study success in science bachelor programmes: predictive value of secondary school grades ‘Cutting Rough Diamonds’: The transition experiences First Generation Students in Higher Education Section 2: Transitions within higher education Transitions within university: Concepts and cases Student engagement and the transition from the first to second year in higher educationThe development of learning strategies in higher education: impact of gender and prior education Insights into the experienced stress and self-regulation of learning of veterinary students in educational transition phases Who succeeds at the university and how much time does it take? A longitudinal analysis at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) Learning journeys and Master's literacies: Chinese first-degree students' transitions to postgraduate studies in the UK Section 3: Transitions from higher education to the labour market Transition from higher education to the labour market: State of the art The labour market’s requirements profiles for higher education graduates The transition from university to working life - An exploration of graduates’ perceptions of their academic competences How higher education may contribute to the development of graduates’ generic competences Enrolment of first-year students in knowledge domains: Unpacking transformative practices in three introductory courses Assessment of competences in knowledge work and object-bound collaboration during higher education coursesConclusion