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Conference theme: Student Populations and Diversity
Title: Improving student diversity through transition support at the University of Western Australia
Judy Skene
Abstract
Diversity within populations is valued for the creative input and fresh perspectives
that heterogeneous groups contribute (Cox 1994; Thomas & Ely 1996). A key
feature of the literature on transition to tertiary education, however, identifies
the pressure on students from diverse backgrounds to conform to mainstream academic
culture. Lawrence (2002), for example, notes that students whose life experiences
and social location differ from the majority of undergraduate students face
additional challenges because they must gain familiarity with the dominant discourse
in academic life. These added pressures to conform contribute to decisions to
abandon study, and therefore delimits the desired aim of increasing diversity
within student populations. This paper details strategies of the Transition
Support Programme to assist students from targeted equity groups at the University
of Western Australia to establish themselves in their first year at university.
A diverse student population is dependent upon ensuring both access and success
for students from equity groups.
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