Transitional experiences of first-year psychology students and implications for pedagogical practices

The transitional experiences of psychology students beginning their journey into Higher Education has changed drastically over recent years. This has undoubtedly been due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing mental health crisis that students face, and a shift in student expectations relating to teaching and learning practices in Universities (Atlam et al., 2022). This study aimed to investigate whether levels of student support, self-esteem, and perceived stress are predictive of better overall adjustment to studying psychology in Higher Education. A sample of 127 first-year psychology students studying at a University in Northern Ireland participated in this study by completing an online survey which measured each of these constructs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that increased levels of self-esteem and decreased levels of stress were predictive of better social and personal-emotional adjustment to University. Interestingly, social support was not identified as a significant predictor of social or personal-emotional adjustment to University at this early stage of studying psychology. Implications of these findings on teaching and learning will be discussed and recommendations put forth to enhance and promote inclusive teaching and learning practices within the discipline of psychology.