Massey will partner with four regional secondary schools in a new project to support pupils as they move into tertiary education.

The project Enabling academic literacy: Smoothing the transition to tertiary learning has received $200,000 in funding from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

School of English and Media Studies Associate Professor Lisa Emerson is the project�s primary investigator.

Professor Emerson and Massey researchers Angela Feekery and Ken Kilpin will work with pupils at Hata Paora College, Cullinane College, Wanganui City College and Taihape Area School.

�The aim of the project is to support pupils from low-to-mid decile schools through the transition into tertiary education by providing a two-year programme of support in academic literacy,� Dr Emerson says.

In the first year, the researchers will work with the four schools to develop the academic literacy of their Year 13 pupils. �We will be resourcing teachers, developing peer support networks for teachers, and providing peer mentors for the pupils,� she says. �The peer mentors will be Massey students who have been selected and trained to support the pupils.�

In the second year the project team will continue to work with the pupils who progress into tertiary study. They will also hold a national hui for secondary and tertiary teachers on improving the transition to tertiary learning through academic literacy, based on the team�s research.

Professor Emerson says she is excited by the project�s opportunities. �Pupils from lower decile schools often struggle to transition to tertiary study, and research shows that, even if they enrol at university, they often fail to complete their first year.

�Retention is a very important issue for universities, and we hope our project will show an effective way universities can support and retain students through this vital period of transition.�