Skills, learning styles and success of first-year undergraduates

By J. Goldfinch, M. Hughes. 2007

167 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This study investigates the relationships between students' confidence in their generic skills on entry to university, their learning styles and their academic performance in first year. Research based on a large cohort of Scottish undergraduates found that students generally entered university feeling very confident that they already possessed good skills, and there was a suggestion of over-confidence in that those who failed the year entered with slightly higher confidence than other students. However, those students who withdrew during the year had significantly less confidence. The most significant combination of factors in explaining success in first year were a low score on the activist learning style scale and high initial confidence in the skills of self-reliance, time management and teamwork, together with lower initial confidence in written communication skills. The implications of this research are discussed and some suggestions made for improving educational practice.

Subfields: Education

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/37cc5aac69d150bc37763361d47ae482e471e20b

How researchers see this paper

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In Education

1. R. Bridgstock
2. Denise A Jackson
3. Marion Walker
4. G. Clark
5. C. Kamau
6. A. Clements
7. M. Tomlinson
8. D. Bennett

Citations in the corpus

• Testing a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills and its implications for stakeholders (2014, background): “Interestingly, Goldfinch and Hughes’ ( 2007 ) study of Scottish undergraduates found nationality and ethnic grouping did not influence student confidence in employability skills.”
• ‘It’s just like an extra string to your bow’: Exploring higher education students’ perceptions and experiences of extracurricular activity and employability (2013, background): “Furthermore, Goldfinch and Hughes (2007) found that students who were confident in their study skills upon arrival at university did not do as well as those who recognised the need to improve.”
• What actually works to enhance graduate employability? The relative value of curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular learning and paid work (2020, background): “As noted by Goldfinch and Hughes (2007), the true value of part-time work is more likely to be harnessed with deep reflection, again emphasising the need for educators to encourage students to consider ECAs, work and university-based learning activities in complement through portfolios or other…”
• Modelling graduate skill transfer from university to the workplace (2016, unknown): “Interestingly, Goldfinch and Hughes' (2007) study of Scottish undergraduates found nationality and”