Transition within higher education institutions (HEI): Differences in learning culture (LC) between first-year, bachelor, and master students at a business school

Tertiary education comprises at least two phases, undergraduate and graduate studies. Often, the first year is regarded another, crucial phase where students familiarize with the study environment. It can be hypothesized that students' individual perceptions of learning and studying as well as the pedagogies they experience differ depending on their current study phase. Yet, differences between the phases in HE have rarely been investigated. To capture differences in student experiences in HE comprehensively, Jenert and Gebhardt (2010) have developed a framework describing Learning Culture in HEI. LC comprises a number of constructs on the three levels of the individual student, pedagogical interactions and the organization. The study first aims to quantitatively describe differences in LC between the phases of HE within a university. Based on this analysis, a second goal is to develop a deeper understanding of how students manage the transitions between different phases by applying qualitative research methods.