Page 245 - Secondary school students’ university readiness and their transition to university Els van Rooij

Chapter 8
to university; and 3) we know secondary school teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding university preparation.
8.6.1 What does university readiness entail?
In order to adjust e ectively to university, students need to be curious, to put in e ort in their learning, and to be able to regulate their own learning process. In secondary school, di erent types of students based on these characteristics can already be identi ed. Some students score high overall – these students are the most successful in university – and some score low overall – these are the least successful. In addition, there is a group of students who are curious but do not work very hard – mostly boys doing science coursework. On the other hand, there is also a group of hard-working students who score lower on curiosity – mostly girls doing humanities/social sciences coursework. To get more ready for university, these boys should learn to work harder, and these girls should gain curiosity.
8.6.2 How can secondary school teachers help students to get ready?
Most secondary school teachers believe it is part of their job to prepare students for university, but a lack of time due to preparation for the nal examinations and not knowing what universities expect from rst-year students make this di cult for them. erefore, in order to prepare students better for university, rst, there should be more awareness in secondary schools that meeting the requirements of the nal examinations does not guarantee university readiness, because graduating from secondary school does not imply that a student has the curious attitude, the willingness to work hard, and the capability of self-regulation that are needed in university. Once university preparation is recognised as a more explicit and prominent goal, communication between schools and universities is important, as is a critical look at the nal examinations and whether they clash with or contribute to making students ready for university.
en, students’ curiosity and interest in gaining academic knowledge can be increased by bringing the academic world to the classroom, for example by discussing current research that appeals to students due to a connections with their own lives and experiences. For students who are taking humanities and social sciences coursework, it is also important that the richness and academic value of the humanities and social sciences is shown, for example by discussing important knowledge in elds that students do not encounter in school subjects, e.g., from elds like psychology or law.
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