Abstract:
Research into higher education has established that the first year of study is highly significant, as it is the time when students are most vulnerable in terms of academic failure, as well as most likely to experience social, emotional, and financial problems (McInnis, 2001). Entering university has been shown to move through three distinct stages - separation, transition to the new group, and incorporation/ integration (Tinto, 1988). This paper discusses the experience of a cohort of first year pre-service teachers as they move through these stages, reporting on a project undertaken by the Faculty of Education at UTAS. This project involved three elements designed to support students' transition to university study - a week-long orientation program; diagnostic testing in literacy, numeracy, and ICT proficiency; and a program of integrated and embedded support for students identified as at risk in their university study, and their preparedness for teaching. The student cohort is discussed in terms of students' backgrounds, and their reasons for studying teacher education. Following this, the paper addresses students' experiences of transition, and the role played by the orientation program in this transition. Finally, students' ongoing questions and concerns related to their dual roles as students and pre-service teachers are explored.