Cognition and the First Year Experience: How Studying the Mind Equips Students for Learning

What Is First Year Experience (Fye) And Why Does It Matter?

The transition to college has consistently been acknowledged to be challenging for students (Astin, 1984; Terenzini et al, 1996; Goodman & Pascarella, 2006). Students often experience the challenge of increased autonomy and the unfamiliarity with collegiate instructional style and norms, and in many cases are not prepared for the academic challenge of higher education (Collier & Morgan, 2008). When faced with these challenges, many students perform poorly in their classes and are more likely to drop out of the university (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). This challenging transition resulting in low student retention is likely to be exacerbated because of increasing access to higher education for students who learned what success in college requires from their family or previous teachers.