Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the First-Year Experiences of University Students

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to systematically review the literature on the first-year college student experience. The study used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) to review the studies. The review included 161 studies from 2000 to 2019 within the Scopus database. Results indicated that almost half of the studies were conducted between 2015 and 2019 such that there is an increase in the number of studies. Most productive scholars were from Nordic Countries on this topic while the US, Australia, and UK published a high number of articles. Surprisingly, there were more qualitative studies than quantitative ones. Intellectual structure of knowledge base of research underlined the importance of first-year in college, transition to higher education, and student retention. Academic and social integration was the most frequently studied topic. The study broadens our understanding of the structure and processes of the first-year experience.