From Barriers to Adaptation: Freshmen's Self-Regulatory Strategies in University-Level Mathematics

Abstract

The transition from secondary to tertiary education requires freshmen to adapt to increased academic autonomy, a challenge intensified by shifts between synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities, particularly in mathematics. Guided by Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and a conceptual mediation model, this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined how academic barriers relate to academic achievement in Mathematics in the Modern World and how self-regulation and time-management practices shape students’ adjustment. Quantitative data were drawn from the final grades of 310 freshmen students at a Philippine state university, while qualitative insights were obtained through a focus group discussion with seven purposively selected students and analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Findings indicate that learning barriers influenced achievement indirectly through students’ regulatory capacities, while modality transitions were interpreted as transformative experiences fostering autonomy, self-awareness, and responsibility for learning.