Page 188 - Secondary school students’ university readiness and their transition to university Els van Rooij

Academic adjustment in university
Figure 7.1 Conceptual model of motivational and behavioural factors impacting academic adjustment and student success outcomes
7.2.4 Educational context
ere are two characteristics of the Dutch secondary and higher education system
that are relevant in this study. First, in the Netherlands, as in many other European
countries, the secondary school system is differentiated: From grade 7 onwards,
students attend a level of secondary education that matches their capabilities. Pre- 7 university education is the highest of the three existing levels and graduating from pre-university grants access to a degree programme at a research university. For
some programmes additional requirements are at play, such as speci c subject uptake in pre-university education, but in general the application process is not as intense as for example in the United States. Second, also quite common in Europe, students entering university choose the degree programme they major in before they start.
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