In 2010, Kazakhstan became the Bologna Process signatory and aligned the structure of academic degrees towards the Bologna conventions. In the context of the state’s decision to introduce academic values of European education including learner choice, learner autonomy, learner trajectories, this paper explores learner’s actual experiences and strategies regarding their social and academic integration at university. The paper specifically examines availability of support systems for university entrants. Student transition is complex and involves different elements of the academic system as it is supposed to provide the bridge between school and university. As Pascarella and Terenzini (2005: 629, in Brigss et al., 2012: 8) note, “change in any given area [of student change] appears to be the product of a holistic set of multiple influences, each making a distinct, if small, contribution to the change”. In the context of students’ social and academic integration at university, the overarching research question that we pursue in this paper is “What kind of support system do schools provide for school leavers?”. The main research question is followed by two sub-questions: 1. What elements of ‘university preparation’ do schools provide to school leavers as they embark on their higher education experiences? 2. How schools and universities partner and interact with each other in order to provide smooth student transition? The sample consisted of two types of participant categories: the first sample consisted of 15 education administrators, university leaders and school teachers who shared their views on transition process. The second sample was subdivided into school students and first-year university students. The sample included 17 school leavers attending mainstream secondry schools across different regions and 15 first-year students attending state higher education institutions.

Briggs, A.R.J., Clark, J., Hall, I. (2012) Building bridges: understanding student transition to university. Quality in Higher Education, 18(1), 3-21. doi: 10.1080/13538322.2011.614468