How do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?

Courtney Geritz; Maria Raciti; Aaron Tham; Daeul Jeong

doi:10.63608/ssj.4145

Back

How do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

How do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?

Courtney Geritz, Maria Raciti, Aaron Tham and Daeul Jeong

Student Success, Vol.Advanced access

05-Oct-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63608/ssj.4145

Files and links (1)

pdf

How do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?382.01 kBDownload View

Published Version (Advanced Access) Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Higher education

Expectation-experience mismatch

first-year transition

regional university students

First-year, first-time (FYFT) students enter university with expectations shaped by institutional recruitment communications, social media, and broader media narratives. During transition, lived experiences may diverge from these expectations, creating expectation-experience mismatch. While student expectations and satisfaction are well researched, less is known about how students respond to expectation-experience mismatch and how these responses influence satisfaction. Drawing on cognitive dissonance and coping response literature, this study examines FYFT students in regional Australian universities. Data were collected through a national survey of 405 students and analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings show that expectations were associated with both positive and negative emotional response outcomes, and that these outcomes influenced satisfaction. Positive emotional response outcomes had a stronger relationship with satisfaction than negative emotional response outcomes. The study reframes expectation-experience mismatch as a common feature of transition and highlights the value of student-driven strategies that strengthen constructive action and student agency during the first year.

Details

Title: How do First-Year, First-Time Regional University Students Respond to Expectation-Experience Mismatches?
Authors: Courtney Geritz (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Maria Raciti (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Aaron Tham (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Daeul Jeong (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Student Success, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
DOI: 10.63608/ssj.4145
ISSN: 2205-0795
Copyright note: Copyright (c) 2022 Courtney Geritz, Maria M. Raciti, Aaron Tham, Daeul Jeong. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991263896302621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

1 Record Views