Abstract

EISENBERG, Zena  and  ALMEIDA, Leandro S.. The academic expectations and later experience of incoming students in Higher Education. Rev. Diálogo Educ. [online]. 2024, vol.24, n.82, pp.1275-1288.  Epub Oct 21, 2024. ISSN 1981-416X.  https://doi.org/10.7213/1981-416x.24.082.ao14.

The article deals with a longitudinal study in which 106 students entering higher education were monitored for a period of six months. The objective was to verify the relationship between the expectations with which students enter, and their subsequent academic well-being, once they are aware of their academic performance for the first semester of coursework. To assess students’ expectations, the Brazilian Scale of Academic Expectations for First-year Students in Higher Education was used and, to assess well-being, the Academic Experiences Questionnaire was used in its reduced version. The results point to a more positive course and career experience among those students with higher expectations for the quality of their academic development. Furthermore, personal experiences were more positive among students who had high expectations to study abroad for some time. Another result that stood out was the difference between students who declared that they intended to continue with the course and those who did not (at the end of their first semester): those who wanted to remain had a more positive experience in terms of the institution, their course and career and on interpersonal aspects. We conclude that the initial expectations of students at the time of entry impact their academic experiences and adaptation to higher education, and it is important that higher education institutions invest in institutional support (including course and career guidance), and in the promotion of support networks for incoming students. Students with fewer personal resources and weaker previous training benefit from this institutional support, increasing their chances of persisting in courses and completing their coursework, doing justice to family and society's investment in the higher education of their young ones. To consolidate these findings, it is necessary to repeat this study with a broader and more representative sample.

Keywords : Higher education; First-year students; Expectations; Academic adaptation..

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