First-year accounting students' experiences adjusting chalenges to university life

Abstract

The object of research: to explores the adjustment experiences to university life of first year accounting students.
 Investigated problems: Adaptation challenges, to the university environment which creates significant stress, affect retention, academic performance, and social demands of first year students – all academic and social integrations are major challenges for first year students.
 The main scientific results: The findings for the study revealed that first-year accounting students report encouraging and undesirable academic and social adjustment experiences respectively. Encouraging academic adjustment experiences related to the availability of support from departmental personnel from the faculty. Undesirable academic experiences included lack of time management, and workload and independence issues.
 The area of practical use of the research results: Encouraging social adjustment included, among others, the introduction of mentors to first years, as well as a wellness center; on the other hand, undesirable social adjustment highlighted independence and disintegration. The study further suggests that universities, through their student support services and faculties, should have in place support strategies, as well as a programme, which promote the interaction of first year students within their institutions throughout their first year of study.
 Innovative technological product: According to the findings, the study recommends coordinated methods to ensure that the first year's accountings receive full support in order to help them successfully adapt to and fit into the new environment. The introduction of electronic platforms that allow first-year stakeholders to organize students and interact with their lecturers and other support structures like mentors and supplemental instructors (SI) a few weeks before the official class sessions is promoted. Additionally, it might be recommended for the wellness center to host workshops for freshmen on time management, managing the workload at the institution, and how independence can occasionally work against a student's academic wellbeing.
 Scope of the innovative technological product: Students in their first year of accounting at one of South Africa's technical universities served as the study's respondents.