Nineteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper focuses on the transition experiences of students entering Higher Education (HE) via a vocational educational and training (VET) pathway or a return-to-study pathway at two regional institutions in Australia. The experiences and reflections of students and staff are represented in case studies and a thematic compilation of experiences. A critical approach to research and reflection questions the traditional separation of theory and method, interpretation, and data, subjective and objective, and ethics and science. The research revealed a growing category of higher education students being the first; students who have no family history of post-secondary education coined the term “the firsts” to describe themselves. They are the first in their family to go to TAFE and now the first to go to University. Some have extended family members who have post school qualifications but no one in their immediate family. For “the firsts”, their personal confidence that they could be successful in tertiary education is a primary barrier. Educators linked to these cohorts coined themselves as “bogan whisperers” or “student whisperers” to describe their relationship with these students and the range of activities that is incorporated into higher education in a regional context.