Abstract

CHIMENYA, Ulita M.. Transition from high school to university: First-year students' reading experiences. Reading & Writing [online]. 2025, vol.16, n.1, pp.1-10. ISSN 2308-1422.  https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v16i1.517.

BACKGROUND: Various studies have established that the transition from high school to university for first-year students is problematic. Research confirms that most students experience challenges with reading for meaning due to underdeveloped reading abilities OBJECTIVES: This article investigates the first-year students' transition from high school to university, focusing on their reading engagement as they shift from reading in schools to reading at university. The article draws from a bigger study conducted at a South African university, which focused on teaching reading strategies among first-year multilingual students METHOD: A qualitative approach was used in the study. Two lecturers and 48 first-year extended degree students were purposively selected. Theoretically, the article draws on academic literacy to establish how first-year students' transition from high school to university can be further improved by creating space for them to actively participate in additional reading platforms to enhance their reading abilities RESULTS: Among other factors, the article established that first-year students experience challenges with transition due to the following reasons: the complexities and more demanding nature of academic texts, the heavy workload at university, independent learning, and time management CONCLUSION: The results reveal that the current interventions to assist first-year students regarding academic reading are inadequate, which means more strategies should be put in place to achieve a successful transition to university space by first-year students CONTRIBUTION: Additional reading platforms meant to introduce first-year students to various academic literacy conventions and facilitate a successful transition from high school to university are suggested

Keywords : transition; first-year students; reading challenges; reading practice; critical literacy; additional platforms; reading discussions; reading workshops.

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