Understanding academic transition and self-regulation: a case study of English majors in China

The transition from high school to university presents significant challenges for students, demanding adaptation across emotional and academic domains. This transition, often encompassing preparation, encounter, adjustment, and stabilization phases, involves navigating new academic requirements and contexts. Successful adaptation requires students to master diverse learning strategies, particularly self-regulated learning (SRL), defined as "learning that results from students' self-generated thoughts and behaviors that are systematically oriented toward the attainment of their learning goals." SRL involves assessing existing knowledge, identifying learning needs, selecting appropriate strategies, and employing them effectively before, during, and after learning. While research on SRL is extensive, studies often treat it as a fixed aptitude or focus quantitatively on its correlation with academic performance, neglecting the developmental aspect, especially during academic transitions. This study addresses this gap by focusing on the experiences of EFL learners, a largely under-researched population, specifically English majors in China, a significant segment of the international higher education landscape. The study aims to qualitatively understand the development of EFL learners' SRL skills in relation to their academic transition, providing insights for educators, policymakers, and parents to better support these students.

Existing research highlights the multifaceted challenges faced by university freshmen during their academic transition, including a lack of guidance, poor time management, inadequate language proficiency, and insufficient social support. While many studies investigate academic transitions across various disciplines, the focus often lies on social sciences, with EFL studies mainly concentrating on motivational shifts, learner identities, and classroom anxiety. Research on Chinese EFL learners' academic transitions is limited, focusing on broad aspects rather than the specifics of SRL development. Previous studies on SRL, primarily quantitative, haven't detailed the development process during academic transitions but generally suggest a positive correlation between self-regulation and successful transition. Specifically, research on EFL learners' SRL during their transition from high school to university is scarce, with limited studies focusing on the relationship between SRL skills and English proficiency. While acknowledging SRL's crucial role in academic success, understanding its developmental trajectory during the transition remains limited. This study, therefore, aims to explore the SRL development patterns among university EFL students over a one-year period, addressing how these students harness their SRL skills throughout their academic transition.

This study employed a qualitative case study approach, chosen for its flexibility in revealing the complexity of SRL development within a specific context. The study was conducted in the English department of a top Chinese university known for foreign language instruction, where students' prior English learning was largely examination-oriented, focusing on grammatical and lexical aspects. In contrast, university-level instruction emphasizes content-based learning and communicative competence. Four female first-year English majors participated, selected for convenience, representing diverse yet typical learning experiences as EFL learners. Data were collected through reflective journals (approximately 800 words each, four total) and semi-structured interviews (four times throughout the academic year, ranging from 45 to 120 minutes). The interviews were strategically timed to coincide with key academic challenges (e.g., after the first reading exam, at the start of the second semester, after midterm exams). Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The first author conducted initial coding, identifying preliminary codes and categories. These were refined through iterative review until relevant themes emerged. The second author reviewed the analysis outcome ensuring rigor and accuracy. The English translations of the excerpts used in the findings were double-checked for accuracy by the bilingual second author.

Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Students' active preparation to become self-regulated learners while overcoming challenges; (2) Exploration of SRL strategies facilitated by negative experiences; (3) Establishment of clear goals after encountering challenges and confusion; and (4) Continued efforts to explore self-regulated learning at university. Initially, students recognized the need for SRL due to the increased freedom and independence at university. However, they faced challenges with time management and heavy workloads, exacerbated by their previous teacher-centered learning style. This led to frustration and difficulty in implementing SRL strategies. Nevertheless, students actively sought solutions, contacting instructors for help or collaborating with peers. Peer pressure emerged as a significant factor, although its impact varied among participants. Some students used it as motivation to improve, while others found it increased their anxiety. Students' initial attempts at self-regulation sometimes clashed with their goal-setting, as they struggled with planning and time management without the direct guidance provided in high school. They often lacked the collaboration that they experienced in high school due to the university's environment and intense competition. Over time, students re-evaluated their learning goals, influenced by both internal and external factors, such as positive and negative experiences in courses. The successful establishment of goals correlated with enhanced SRL and improved academic performance. However, some participants lacked clear goals, partly because they experienced fewer challenges or had stronger existing skills, limiting self-reflection.

This study demonstrates that external negative experiences, such as challenges with learning content and peer pressure, strongly influence EFL students' engagement in SRL during their academic transition. This aligns with previous research but expands upon it by using a qualitative approach to provide detailed insights into the process, showing the non-linear development of SRL over time. The study highlights the role of peer pressure in driving SRL development, a finding potentially unique to the competitive environment of Chinese society. This study sheds new light on how academic challenges stimulate SRL development, complementing existing research that primarily focuses on peer support. The non-linear, multi-phase nature of the transition to SRL challenges previous models of transition that propose strictly sequential phases. The simultaneous occurrence of different phases highlights the complexity and dynamic nature of SRL development during academic transitions.

This study offers valuable insights into the development of self-regulated learning (SRL) among EFL students transitioning to university. External challenges and peer pressure significantly influenced their engagement with SRL, highlighting the non-linear and multi-phased nature of this process. The findings call for preparatory programs to equip students with SRL skills, increased instructor guidance to support their development, and pedagogical adjustments at the pre-university level to enhance content-based literacy. Future research could involve larger, more diverse samples, longitudinal studies, and explorations of SRL across different educational contexts.

The study's limitations include a convenience sample of only female participants from a prestigious university in China. This limits the generalizability of the findings to all Chinese undergraduate EFL learners. Future research should include more diverse participants and examine pre-tertiary learning to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the transition and SRL development.