Transition from high school to university: First-year students’ reading experiences

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.