“Because Uni is totally Different than What You Do at TAFE”: Protective Strategies and Provisions for Diploma Students Traversing their First Professional Experience Placement at University

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 43, Issue 3, 2015, pages 262-276

This article used a phenomenological approach to understand students’ previous knowledge and experiences as they navigated through their first professional experience unit.

The participants were students, who enroll in a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University, with a Diploma in Children’s Services attained from a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution or a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
The study identified factors including institutional structures and course content as challenging to the diploma student.

To ensure diploma students can successfully transition to and participate in their first professional experience unit at university, all stakeholders including the university, the academics teaching the students, and the students themselves need to commit to a multilevel support programme.
Key findings from this study support the previous research on this student cohort.