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Understanding the Transition to Higher Education

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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions

Synonyms

Acquiring a student skillset; Strategic stage in educational and vocational guidance

Definition

The concept of transition to higher education typically refers to the passage from secondary school to university or other recognized institutions of higher learning in an education system.

During the past several decades, leading studies including Bean (2005), Chickering and Reisser (1993), Coulon (1997), Fidler (1991), Pascarella and Terenzini (2005), Schnell and Doetkott (2003), and Tinto (1975, 1987) have helped lay the groundwork for establishing the transition to higher education as vast and rich field of research, one whose scientific and social relevance remain important today. (In March 2017, the journal Higher Education devoted a special issue to transition to higher education. There are many other journals, such as the Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition; International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education; and Journal of College Students...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laval University, Québec, QC, Canada

    France Picard

  2. University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Jonas Masdonati

Authors
  1. France Picard
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  2. Jonas Masdonati
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Correspondence to France Picard .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Jung Cheol Shin

  2. CIPES, Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro Teixeira

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Picard, F., Masdonati, J. (2017). Understanding the Transition to Higher Education. In: Shin, J., Teixeira, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_311-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_311-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-9553-1

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