Participants were recruited i) by contacting HE institutions across Chile, Argentina and Germany and asking for an invite to be circulated to current students; ii) by getting in touch with personal contacts at HE institutions in the three countries and asking them to forward interview invites to their own contacts; iii) through snowballing, by asking (potential) interviewees to recommend possible further participants. Interviews were arranged and carried out with 23 individuals – 8 in Chile, 7 in Argentina and 8 in Germany. To satisfy the chosen theoretical and purposive sampling strategy (e.g., Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007) and for individuals to qualify for participation, they had to fulfill the criterion of being currently enrolled as a HE student in one of the three countries of interest. We sought to recruit both students that had recently started HE and those that had been studying for several semesters or were nearing study completion.

Participants were enrolled in many different study subjects (e.g., mathematics, business, English, theology). Most participants (n = 14) were female. Participants’ age ranged between 18 and 34 years. Aside from studying, nine participants worked in part-time paid employment, two were doing an internship and two further were volunteering (Table 1).

Interviews were conducted in the interviewees’ native language, face-to-face or via telephone, using a semi-structured interview guide (Appendix 1). Following a short introduction, interviewees were asked to elaborate on their experiences growing up, including any formative experiences. We then enquired about their current study experience and intentions following graduation. Questions about interviewees’ general goals in life followed. We then turned to interviewees’ experiences of transitioning from SEC to HE, including any difficulties faced, or any factors facilitating the transition. Next came a section exploring interviewees’ anticipated transition experience from HE to the workplace or elsewhere. Finally, interviewees were asked to elaborate on the role of education (to success) in life. Interviews were recorded and subsequently transcribed using the verbatim transcription method (Poland, 1995). All interviews were translated into English prior to starting the analysis process.

To facilitate data analysis, we loosely drew on Bronfenbrenner’s EST (2009). This contributed to an understanding of students’ transition experiences, and perceived barriers and facilitators, at an individual level (e.g., individual abilities or motivation), and at microsystem (i.e., interactions between students and their family and friends), mesosystem (e.g., interactions between students and former teachers), and exosystem (i.e., structural factors such as governmental policies) levels. Furthermore, from an international perspective, we were interested in differences and similarities of perceived transition experiences between Argentina, Chile and Germany.

We conducted thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021) on the interview transcripts. Thematic analysis provides an adaptive, flexible method for capturing the meaning of interview data and facilitates eliciting important themes around thoughts, feelings, and expectations. The approach has also been used by other researchers (e.g., Packer et al., 2022; Takriti et al., 2022) seeking to explore experiences of individuals transitioning into education. We applied the steps described by Braun and Clarke (2006), using the online whiteboard Miro to visually assist our analysis. We started by forming and revising codes within the interview transcripts across multiple cycles (for examples see Appendix 2), additionally extracting exemplary quotes. There were substantially more facilitator codes (220) than barrier codes (97). Next, the three countries’ codes were compared and distinctive features were noted. The analysis was conducted by one author and cross-checked independently by a second author who analyzed one interview per country; codes were then compared for consistency in the analyzing scheme (95% consistency; any disagreements were discussed within the author team). Next, four overarching themes and 24 sub-themes pertaining to young people’s transition experiences were derived and discussed within the author team: i) individual factors, ii) institutional and iii) structural influences as well as iv) the impact of family and friends/peers.

More individual-level codes could be extracted compared to the other three levels. This is, perhaps, unsurprising given that we were specifically interested in young people’s individual transition experiences. Thus, the first theme refers to individual-level factors perceived as facilitators or barriers in the SEC-to-HE transition. The theme is defined through six sub-themes, the two sub-themes own abilities, ambition and motivation and interest in and identification with the field of study, respectively, being the most frequently mentioned, across all three countries. In Argentina and Germany in particular, these two individual-level sub-themes seem to be the most important facilitators in the SEC-to-HE transition, exceeded only by a positive environment among peers & fellow students (sub-theme within Theme 2).

Students’ own abilities, such as being organized and being able to adapt to the new (study) environment, served as an important facilitator to a successful transition. Motivation was equally important in facilitating a smooth transition; students were motivated to take up and persist in studying by various aspects, including, specific expectations in oneself or the importance of the studies and the prospect of a promising career following graduation:

Interest in the subject of study was often mentioned as a factor that made starting one’s studies, and persisting, easier. Identification with the study subject was perceived as a further facilitator, particularly when choosing a specific subject in the first place:

Conversely, lack of identification with one’s study subject was also mentioned several times as a reason for changing the course of study, for example, or to account for difficulties experienced initially.

In the case of Germany in particular, practical (work) experience, either before taking up or in parallel to studying (e.g., working part-time), was perceived as important by students to facilitate a successful transition:

Practical (work) experience enabled students to think more carefully about their choice of subject and to develop knowledge that might be useful in their studies, thus facilitating a successful transition. That said, students who had gained work experience prior to taking up studying, perceived this “break” between SEC and HE to have made it more difficult to adjust to the daily routine and mindset required for studying:

Some students believed that being well prepared for university constituted an advantage for them. Such preparations go above and beyond regular completion of SEC and include, for example, pre-university programs and private classes.

In contrast to the previously mentioned facilitators, pressure on oneself and mental issues was identified as a barrier. This sub-theme relates to students having such high expectations of themselves that they are unable to live up to them:

Lack of skills and knowledge was identified as a further barrier for students at the individual level, most frequently being mentioned by Chilean students:

This theme refers to the most immediate environmental influence on students, namely their family, friends, and peers within and outside HE, and is divided into five sub-themes. Amongst these, a positive social environment was the most important factor facilitating a successful transition, in all three countries.

One facilitator mentioned several times by students is family members having studied. Some interviewees perceived this as an encouragement to equally pursue a degree whilst others indicated that it helped them decide on a particular study subject and/or made it easier for them to begin their studies:

In other cases, students mentioned their parents (or other close family members) not being university educated and therefore being particularly encouraging of their offspring attending university, this equally acting as a powerful facilitator in the transition.

The positive influence of role models, such as older friends, was also among facilitators mentioned by interviewees in Argentina and Germany; the influence of role models was not referred to by Chilean students.

Of all aspects perceived to facilitate a successful SEC-to-HE transition, a positive environment among peers and fellow students was the most frequently mentioned, in all three countries. In almost all interviews, students explained feeling greatly supported by their friends and fellow students, for example through study groups, helping each other with study content or through mental support:

A positive family environment was also frequently mentioned as beneficial in the SEC-to-HE transition. Many students reported that their parents had supported them throughout their school years and in their studies, for example mentally or financially. This support made students feel secure and stable in their pursuit of (higher) education:

Whilst for many students, family was perceived as a source of support, some interviewees indicated that their parents put pressure on them, which acted as a barrier. Pressure to perform/succeed and high expectations from individuals and entities other than one’s own family members, such as acquaintances or society, were also mentioned as negative influences:

The third theme comprises five facilitating and hindering factors related to the integration of different systems and entities such as high school and university, former teachers and university lecturers, or the change in educational and life structures. In Germany and Chile in particular, barriers were found to relate mostly to a poor educational background and/or a change of structures.

Lack of or inadequate prior education and support from high school resulted in some students not being able to keep up with the lecture content. Moreover, these students perceived examinations as being more difficult to them compared to their fellow students who had graduated from other SECs. In Chile, the difference in quality between private and public high schools was particularly emphasized, as a factor that may lead to unequal study conditions for young people:

Support from lecturers and university – or lack of support – was equally understood as an important factor in the SEC-to-HE transition. For most interviewees, this factor was considered positively, as a facilitator:

Yet, some students reported that a lack of personal contact with lecturers and anonymity within the institution had been problematic. That said, for most students the anonymity and lack of personal contact ceased being an issue in later semesters as they had smaller courses which provided them with more individual and personal support. Unlike in German and Chilean interviews, lack of support from the university was not mentioned as a barrier by Argentinian students.

Several students explained having been positively influenced by their former SEC teachers – partly because they acted as a role model and inspiration to them, but also because of mental support and individual guidance being provided:

A further barrier was perceived pressure and high expectations set by the university. A high quantity of (difficult) examinations in the first semesters, for instance, constituted an obstacle for many interviewees, which not all of them were able to overcome, as a result changing their study subject.

A change in living and learning structures, that is from an everyday life organized by parents and SEC to the great degree of freedom and independence afforded by a university context – without the obligation to attend lectures and an opportunity to choose study subjects oneself – presented a challenge for students in their transition:

This theme refers to factors outside of students’ control impacting on their SEC-to-HE transition, including household financial stability (or lack thereof) or a sheltered (or respectively difficult) childhood.

In Chile in particular, economic support in terms of access to scholarships and funding from the government or other institutions seems to be a crucial factor for students for a successful transition and for being able to pursue a HE degree:

In contrast, this factor was not perceived as a barrier in Germany whilst in Argentina it was mentioned less frequently than in Chile.

In more than half of the interviews, a sheltered childhood was identified as a facilitator to a successful SEC-to-HE transition – above all in Germany, followed by Argentina:

The positive aspect of a sheltered childhood was reported only once by Chilean participants, a difficult childhood instead being mentioned much more frequently as a barrier:

In summary, in all three countries, factors at the individual level such as own abilities, ambition and motivation and interest in & identification with study subject were most frequently perceived as facilitating a successful SEC-to-HE transition. In Argentina and Germany in particular, these two individual-level subthemes were the most frequently mentioned facilitators, surpassed only by the microsystem-level sub-theme positive environment among peers and fellow students. In Chile, the exosystem-level factor economic support, in terms of access to scholarships and funding, seems crucial to a successful transition, while this factor was identified only infrequently in Argentina. Similarly, in Argentina as in Chile, a sheltered childhood, equally an exosystem-level factor, was only rarely mentioned in a facilitative capacity. In Chile, the facilitator practical (work) experience (individual-level) was identified in only one interview, whilst role models (microsystem) were not mentioned as being conducive to a successful transition at all. In contrast, in Germany, the importance of role models and practical (work) experience were named as facilitators in several interviews.

In Germany and Chile, barriers experienced by interviewees often related to institutional factors, such as poor previous education or change of structure. In contrast to the other two countries, structural factors at the exosystem level such as lack of economic support and difficult childhood were not mentioned in the German interviews. In the case of Argentina, it was not possible to identify one specific (type of) barrier as being particularly relevant to individuals and their transition experiences.

We interviewed young people who had completed the transition from SEC to HE and were at different stages in their studies. Some participants had changed their study subjects and/or had stopped studying temporarily and started again later. To supplement our research, we suggest comparing and contrasting our findings to findings from interviews with young people who have not done the transition – either because they failed in the transition (and terminated their studies prematurely) or because they did not attempt to move from SEC to HE, for whatever reason that may be.

Moreover, further studies could recruit different, more diverse, and larger samples. In particular, it was not possible in our study to comprehensively capture differences within countries. Most notably, in the federal countries Germany and Argentina, federated states may display significant differences regarding educational policies and thus young people may experience the SEC-to-HE transition differently from one state to another. Furthermore, a comparison of our results to results from countries with entirely different social settings (e.g., Asian or African countries) would contribute to enabling wider generalizability and applicability of conclusions. Our study’s reach could also be extended by conducting quantitative research with larger samples.

Cross-national, particularly qualitative, research, is inherently challenging in terms of ensuring consistency in the research process. Here, we used several interviewers in the different research locales, each with their own unique interviewing style. Although all interviewers were thoroughly briefed to facilitate consistency, we noticed differences in the interviews concerning length, interviewees getting off topic, etc. Some of these differences may be culture-specific, for example German interviews being shorter and more to the point (Hofstede Insights [n.d.] note that Germans appreciate a direct communication style) compared to Argentinian and Chilean interviews. Other differences, however, are likely to have been caused by employing different interviewers. We recognize this as a study limitation. Yet, we believe that using native interviewers was “the right thing to do” since they were likely to understand the specific social settings better and, as a result, be able to engage more with interviewees than non-native interviewers.

Support, particularly emotional support provided by family members, friends, and fellow students, was perceived as crucially important by young people. Emotional support aside, students did not feel sufficiently supported regarding how to organize their (student) lives: A frequently mentioned barrier pertains to the change of structure young people experience when moving from SEC, where they typically live with their family, to HE, where they often move to a new city and into their first flat. Such a move puts (new) students in a situation they have no experience with; moreover, they need to adapt to student life – which is rather different to school life –, requiring high levels of independence. Adapting to such a major life change can be facilitated by support regarding prior preparation; for example, increasing understanding and perhaps even practicing living by oneself, making one’s own decisions, planning one’s own schedule, etc. Cage et al., (2021) highlighted that relationships between schools and HE institutions need to be enhanced through more induction events and trial courses. Furthermore, HE institutions could provide more detailed information about student life (e.g., what to expect when starting the first semester) and support students through a well-planned transition phase, especially in the first months of their studies (Leese, 2010). Although many such efforts are likely already being undertaken by family, friends, and institutions alike, change of structure was frequently mentioned by interviewees, suggesting that more needs to be done to adequately prepare young people for – and support them in – the SEC-to-HE transition, particularly by institutions.

Moreover, students believed that having the required set of abilities, being ambitious and motivated to pursue their studies to be highly conducive to a successful transition, just as much as being interested in and able to identify with a chosen study subject. Thus, it is important for young people nearing the end of their SEC career to develop a good understanding of their own strengths, and interests, so that they can make informed decisions about a study subject they might both enjoy and succeed at. Such knowledge about oneself can be gained through (guided) personal reflection, and through, for instance, conversations with study counsellors or taking psychological ability, personal strengths, or interests’ assessments. It is also important that academic advisors are adequately prepared to explain how specific courses and studies can contribute to each student’s individual goals (Guertin, 2015). Whilst such measures may already be available to some prospective students, they need to be accessible much more widely, and at no or very low cost. The same goes for information material about the available range of study subjects (e.g., contents taught, career prospects) which should be distributed widely and relatively early on in young people’s SEC careers to enable them to make informed decisions.

Besides, economic support was a frequently mentioned factor by students, acting as a facilitator if individuals were able to readily “pay their bills” and as a barrier if their financial situation was unstable. It is therefore important, from a policy viewpoint, to provide sufficient scholarships and other financial aids, particularly to individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In Germany, for example, students from lower-income families are eligible for substantial financial support provided by the government, as detailed in the Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz. We welcome such (long-standing) measures, though believe that they are not sufficiently far-reaching and that more needs to be done to enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, financially untroubled access to HE (cf. Mocca et al., 2019).

Having discussed implications for some of the most important barriers and facilitators, we further wish to re-iterate the point made by Perna (2006) and others (e.g., Packer & Thomas 2021) that transitions should be considered holistically. Thus, any policies aiming at facilitating a successful transition should take into account that the different hindering and helping factors – and indeed the different levels (themes) we explained in the context of Bronfenbrenner’s EST (2009) –, are interrelated and should therefore not be considered in isolation.

Moving from SEC to HE is a challenging and oftentimes stressful experience for young people. We have shown here that there is a wide range of facilitators and barriers impacting on students’ transitions. Despite commonality across the three countries examined regarding important facilitating and hindering factors, we conclude that transitions are experienced subjectively differently in different contexts; this depends, for instance, on where and how someone grew up and currently lives. In this way, we have enhanced academic understanding of young people’s experiences following SEC, shedding further light on how educational organizations relate to social structures. From a practical and policy perspective, our study’s findings can inform suggestions for improving individuals’ access to – and success within – HE institutions.