Supporting the transition of undergraduate student teachers in one university in Scotland.

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56433/01a27a79

Keywords:

Initial Teacher Education, educational transitions, higher education support, First year experience

Abstract

This vignette is a snapshot of the support we planned and delivered at the start of the academic year 2025/26 to help our students feel that they matter. We explored the first-year experience from our perspective as course leaders in a Scottish university. This included capturing our discussions around mattering and the initial steps we took to support our students as they transitioned into higher education. We framed our thinking using Brookfield’s (2017) four lenses, considering the different ways we are trying to support our students and identifying relevant next steps. Through our discussions, however, it became clear that this was the start of something bigger than we had originally anticipated. Although our actions were small, the ripples were far reaching. The encouragement and enthusiasm shown by colleagues filled us with excitement and hope - and led to some very interesting discussions in our own school and across the university. We were interested in writing about these students because they will be entering a caring profession. We wanted to model that caring ethos here at the university through our work on mattering. 

Author Biographies

  • Lindsay Gibson, Mrs

    Lindsay Gibson is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include poverty, widening participation and transitions within higher education. Prior to this, she was a secondary science teacher for ten years where part of her role was supporting the primary to secondary transition.  She is currently studying towards a Doctorate in Education. Lindsay.gibson@glasgow.ac.uk 

  • Eilidh Soussi

    Eilidh Soussi has been a Lecturer in Teacher Education at the University of Glasgow since 2023. Her research interests include student teacher self-efficacy, Reading for Pleasure and mattering within higher education. Previously she was a primary teacher for around 17 years. During this time she was seconded to Education Scotland for two years. In 2014 she received her Masters in Educational Studies. She is currently studying towards a Doctorate in Education (EdD). Eilidh.Soussi@glasgow.ac.uk  

References

Brookfield, S. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher (Second ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Crozier, G., & Reay, D. (2011). Capital accumulation: Working-class students learning how to learn in HE. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2010.515021

Feldman, A. (1999). The role of conversation in collaborative action research. Educational Action Research, 7(1), 125–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650799900200076

GTC Scotland. (2021). The Standard for Provisional Registration. General Teaching Council for Scotland. https://www.gtcs.org.uk/documents/the-standard-for-provisional-registration [last accessed 10.10.25]

Moschella, E. A., and Banyard, V. L. (2021). Short measures of interpersonal and university mattering: evaluation of psychometric properties. J. Coll. Stud. Dev. 62, 55–71. doi: 10.1353/csd.2021.0004

Seary, K., Smith, A., Toth, G., & Flanders, M. (2023). STEPS, LEAPS and bounds: Is there a recipe for success?. Journal of University

Teaching & Learning Practice, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.53761/1.20.4.08

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Published

2026-06-09

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (part 2) (2026): EFYE Special Issue

Section

Vignette

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Lindsay Gibson, Eilidh Soussi

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