first-year students

The transition from secondary school to higher education is a critical period that shapes students' academic engagement, social integration, and persistence. Despite increased access to higher education in South Africa, many first-year students enter university with expectations that differ substantially from their subsequent experiences, creating adjustment challenges. Guided by Tinto's Theory of Student Integration and Educational Transition Theory, this study explored first-year students' expectations. It examined how students perceived and experienced mismatches between these expectations and the realities of university life. The study adopted an interpretivist qualitative research paradigm and an exploratory descriptive design. Data were collected through three focus group discussions with 21 purposively selected first-year students at a comprehensive university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. They were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed an expectation–reality mismatch in three areas: social integration and peer relationships, course selection and academic guidance, and academic workload alongside self-directed learning demands. Participants who identified as first-generation students described experiencing additional transition difficulties, which they associated with limited social and cultural capital, inadequate career guidance, and low digital literacy. Participants also associated persistent socioeconomic inequality with these difficulties. The study concludes that expectation–reality mismatch is a psychologically meaningful mechanism through which structural inequality translates into experiences of uncertainty, diminished belonging, and academic disengagement during the first year. Strengthened orientation, mentoring, academic advising, and digital literacy support are recommended to improve student adjustment, engagement, and retention.

Moral education of the individual is a complex and multifaceted process that includes pedagogical and social phenomena. However, the process of moral education is to some extent autonomous. Moral education is effectively carried out only as a holistic pedagogical process that meets the norms of universal morality, the organization of all life and student life, including modern youth. As well as activities, relationships, communication, taking into account their age and individual characteristics. The result of a holistic process is the formation of a morally whole personality, in the unity of its consciousness, moral feelings, conscience, moral will, skills, habits, socially valuable behavior. Moral education includes: the formation of students’ awareness of their connection with society, dependence on it, the need to coordinate their behavior with the interests of society; familiarization with moral ideals, requirements of society, proof of their legitimacy and reasonableness; transformation of moral knowledge into moral beliefs, creation of a system of these beliefs; formation of stable moral feelings, high culture of behavior as one of the main manifestations of respect for people; formation of moral skills. The content of education is understood as a system of knowledge, beliefs, skills, qualities and personality traits, stable behavioral habits that students should possess in accordance with the set goals and objectives. In today’s rapidly changing world, the ability to be independent and self-sufficient is increasingly recognized as a vital skill for success in various areas of life, including education. This is especially true for first-year university students, as they transition from the structured environment of high school to the more autonomous and demanding world of higher education. Developing independence skills in these students is crucial for their adaptation to the university environment and overall personal and academic growth. The concept of independence encompasses various aspects, including the development of autonomy and the development of skills that enable students to navigate the complexities of university life. Autonomy refers to the ability to make decisions, take initiative, and act independently, while the development of independence skills involves acquiring the necessary competencies to function effectively in the educational environment. The state of knowledge regarding the development of independence skills in first-year students is an area of ongoing research. Understanding the factors that contribute to the development of independence in students is essential for supporting them during this transition and enriching their overall educational experience.

Student retention, graduation, and employment are major outcomes in higher education. They reflect the effectiveness of the institution in shaping the future workforce. Thus, this study examined undergraduate retention, graduation, and employment in 2020-2024. The Divisions of Academic Affairs, Registration, and Planning provided secondary data on 9 issues: admission plans, enrolment reporting, course registration, leave of absence, academic results, loss of student status, retention, graduation, and employment status. The study found that most students who lost status were from large northeastern institutions and were reported for portfolio round enrolment. They had low entrance academic performance. Most students in this cohort had GPAXs between 0.00 and 0.99 in 2024, with the lowest being 1.19. The Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies lost the most students. Mahasarakham Business School had the most, mostly first-year students. Many retained students came from big northeastern schools and reported for enrolment in the Portfolio round, followed by the Quota round. The mean entrance GPAX was 3.27, and the mean current GPAX was 2.34. The Faculty of Nursing had the greatest retention rates in the second and third years. Pharmacy and veterinary sciences had the highest retention rates in the fifth year and above. Most students who graduated within the curriculum's timeframe came from major northeastern schools and reported for portfolio round enrolment. Most students graduated on schedule, usually in the second semester. Large-school graduates worked largely in the northeast. The Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies had the greatest employment rate, whereas Mahasarakham Business School had the most employed graduates. Overall, 94.92% of graduates found work within a year. At 100.00%, the Faculty of Medicine achieved the greatest employment rate in its field.

The aim of this study was to identify the latent profiles of young adults based on their levels of cyber victimization, perceived social support, self-compassion, and difficulties in emotion regulation (DER), and to examine whether these profiles differed according to gender and academic year. The study included 425 young adults enrolled at a public university in Türkiye. Data were collected using the Cyber Victimization Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and the R3STEP procedure were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed four distinct latent profiles: The Protective Resources Profile, Low Self-Compassion / High DER Profile, Moderate Psychosocial Adjustment Profile, and High Self-Compassion / Average DER Profile. The R3STEP analysis indicated that gender was significantly associated with latent profile membership, whereas academic year showed limited associations. Specifically, compared with male students, female students were less likely to belong to the Low Self-Compassion / High DER Profile and the High Self-Compassion / Average DER Profile rather than the Protective Resources Profile, but were more likely to belong to the Moderate Psychosocial Adjustment Profile rather than the Low Self-Compassion / High DER Profile. Additionally, fourth-year students were more likely than first-year students to belong to the Low Self-Compassion / High DER Profile rather than the Protective Resources Profile.

This study examines prospective associations among classroom environment, perseverance of effort (POE), consistency of interest (COI), and learning engagement in mental health education courses (MHEC). Participants were 468 first-year students from three schools at a university in East China. A three-wave time-lagged survey measured classroom environment at T1, the two grit dimensions at T2, and learning engagement at T3. Because each construct was measured only once and baseline levels were not controlled, the design establishes temporal separation but does not constitute a fully longitudinal mediation design or support causal inference. Structural equation modeling indicated that classroom environment and POE were positively associated with learning engagement, whereas the unique association between COI and learning engagement was not statistically significant. Bias-corrected bootstrap analysis showed a significant prospective indirect association through POE, but not through COI. Because the two specific indirect effects were not formally contrasted, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary evidence of dimension-specific patterns rather than evidence that the two indirect pathways differ significantly.

این مطالعه به بررسی ارتباطات آینده‌نگر میان محیط کلاس، پشتکار در تلاش (POE)، ثبات علاقه (COI) و مشارکت در یادگیری در دوره‌های آموزش سلامت روان (MHEC) می‌پردازد. شرکت‌کنندگان شامل ۴۶۸ دانشجوی سال اول از سه دانشکده در یک دانشگاه در شرق چین بودند. یک پیمایش سه‌مرحله‌ای با فاصله زمانی، محیط کلاس را در زمان اول (T1)، دو بُعد پشتکار را در زمان دوم (T2) و مشارکت در یادگیری را در زمان سوم (T3) اندازه‌گیری کرد. از آنجا که هر سازه تنها یک بار سنجیده شد و سطوح پایه کنترل نشدند، این طرح جداسازی زمانی را برقرار می‌کند اما یک طرح میانجی‌گری طولی کامل محسوب نمی‌شود و از استنباط علی حمایت نمی‌کند. مدل‌سازی معادلات ساختاری نشان داد که محیط کلاس و POE با مشارکت در یادگیری رابطه مثبت دارند، در حالی که ارتباط منحصر به فرد COI با مشارکت در یادگیری از نظر آماری معنادار نبود. تحلیل بوت‌استرپ با اصلاح سوگیری، ارتباط غیرمستقیم آینده‌نگر معناداری را از طریق POE، اما نه از طریق COI، نشان داد. از آنجا که دو اثر غیرمستقیم خاص به طور رسمی با یکدیگر مقایسه نشدند، یافته‌ها باید به عنوان شواهد مقدماتی از الگوهای خاص ابعادی تفسیر شوند و نه به عنوان شواهدی مبنی بر تفاوت معنادار دو مسیر غیرمستقیم.

Background This study examined the predictive relationship between metacognitive thinking, academic self-regulation sub-dimensions, and academic burnout among undergraduate students in Jordan. Methods Using a convenience sample of 631 students, three validated scales were administered: the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, the Academic Self-Regulation Inventory, and the Academic Burnout Inventory. Two-way ANOVA, correlation analyses, and multiple stepwise linear regression were employed to analyze the data. Results Two-way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences in metacognitive thinking, self-regulation, or academic burnout based on gender. However, significant differences were identified based on the year of study; upperclassmen (third- and fourth-year students) demonstrated significantly higher levels of metacognitive thinking and self-regulation, whereas first-year students reported the highest levels of academic burnout. Correlation analyses revealed significant inverse relationships between metacognitive thinking, self-regulation, and academic burnout. Multiple stepwise linear regression indicated that self-regulation dimensions—specifically decision-making, goal setting, and learning from mistakes—along with metacognitive thinking, significantly predicted academic burnout, with decision-making emerging as the strongest individual predictor. Conclusion Institutional support should focus on embedding targeted interventions that enhance self-regulatory capacities and decision-making skills to mitigate academic stress and burnout.

زمینه: این پژوهش رابطه پیش‌بین میان تفکر فراشناختی، زیرمقیاس‌های خودتنظیمی تحصیلی و فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی را در میان دانشجویان مقطع کارشناسی در اردن مورد بررسی قرار داد. روش‌ها: با استفاده از یک نمونه‌گیری در دسترس شامل ۶۳۱ دانشجو، سه مقیاس معتبر به کار گرفته شد: پرسشنامه آگاهی فراشناختی، پرسشنامه خودتنظیمی تحصیلی و پرسشنامه فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی. برای تحلیل داده‌ها از تحلیل واریانس دوطرفه، تحلیل همبستگی و رگرسیون خطی چندمرحله‌ای استفاده شد. نتایج: تحلیل واریانس دوطرفه تفاوت معناداری از نظر آماری در تفکر فراشناختی، خودتنظیمی یا فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی بر اساس جنسیت نشان نداد. با این حال، تفاوت‌های معناداری بر اساس سال تحصیلی مشاهده شد؛ دانشجویان سال سوم و چهارم سطوح بالاتری از تفکر فراشناختی و خودتنظیمی را نشان دادند، در حالی که دانشجویان سال اول بالاترین سطوح فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی را گزارش کردند. تحلیل همبستگی‌ها روابط معکوس معناداری میان تفکر فراشناختی، خودتنظیمی و فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی نشان داد. رگرسیون خطی چندمرحله‌ای نشان داد که ابعاد خودتنظیمی—به ویژه تصمیم‌گیری، هدف‌گذاری و یادگیری از اشتباهات—همراه با تفکر فراشناختی، به طور معناداری فرسودگی شغلی تحصیلی را پیش‌بینی می‌کنند و تصمیم‌گیری به عنوان قوی‌ترین پیش‌بین فردی ظاهر شد. نتیجه‌گیری: حمایت‌های نهادی باید بر ادغام مداخلات هدفمند جهت ارتقای ظرفیت‌های خودتنظیمی و مهارت‌های تصمیم‌گیری برای کاهش استرس تحصیلی و فرسودگی شغلی متمرکز شود.