Exploring the Role of Digital Ecological Systems on Students’ First-Year Transition Experiences at Top Universities in China

• In Event: Innovation in the Digital Era: Comparative and International Perspectives on Curriculum and Student Engagement

Proposal

Introduction
After Renn and Arnold (2003) applied Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theories (EST) to higher education studies, it became a widely used framework for research on college student development (see Renn and Smith, 2023, for a summary). However, with the development of the digital age in recent years, cyberspace and various online resources and platforms have increasingly impacted people’s day-to-day lived experiences. How exactly has the digital era transformed the university ecosystem? What effects have these changes had on student development? These issues urgently require investigation.
This study employs an interpretative epistemology and a longitudinal qualitative approach, focusing on the transition experiences of 43 first-year undergraduate students at two selective Chinese research universities. It explores the following research question: How do the digital ecological systems of the top universities shape Chinese students’ first-year transition experiences?
The findings aim to contribute to existing ecological models in higher education and provide insights into students’ first-year transitions in the digital era.

Theoretical Perspectives
The theoretical framework of this study is the EST model by Bronfenbrenner (1979) and Bronfenbrenner and Morris (2007). The EST model highlights that student development is driven by dynamic interactions within multiple contexts(Bronfenbrenner, 1979). It acknowledges the interaction between individual characteristics and the various environments they encounter, exploring how these interactions influence developmental outcomes. The mature EST model comprises four core elements: Person, Process, Context, and Time (PPCT) (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007). This study primarily utilizes the “Context” and “Time” components to conceptualize the digital ecological systems of the universities. “Context” involves nested ecological systems. This component typically starts with the microsystem, representing the most proximal settings where interactions occur. In HE research, microsystems usually encompass immediate environments such as roommates or classes (Kitchen et al., 2023). The mesosystem connects these microsystems through university structures like academic programs, support interventions, and peer cultures (Renn & Arnold, 2003; Renn & Smith, 2023). The exosystem encompasses indirect influences, including institutional policies, while the macrosystem covers broader societal influences. The “Time” element accounts for both personal life events, such as students transitioning to university, and broader socio-historical contexts, like the COVID-19 pandemic (Kimball & Thoma, 2019).

Research Process
The study's data collection included three rounds of semi-structured interviews and ten months of solicited diary entries covering the participants’ school-to-university transition experiences in the first academic year. Diaries required weekly entries during the last week of each month, capturing participants’ transition-related experiences. The first interview was conducted in the summer before the participants' first year and explored their pathways to universities (07/2023-08/2023), including family background, life history, and college-going experiences. The second interview was at the end of the first semester (01/2024-02/2024). It used a photo-elicitation approach (Harper, 2002), discussing five self-selected photographs that represented their initial transition experiences, followed by semi-structured questions on academic adaptation, social integration, and psychological conditions. The third interview was conducted at the end of the first year (06/2024-08/2024) and focused on participants’ interpretations of their first-year transition and reflections on the university ecosystems that influenced them. Each interview was conducted in Chinese and lasted 90-150 minutes.
Analysis was conducted in Chinese using NVivo 12, with selected quotes carefully translated into English. Narrative and thematic analyses were applied, and comprehensive case files were compiled for each participant, including interviews, diaries, and photographs. Longitudinal review and inductive coding charted students’ transitions while thematic analysis identified patterns. Finally, the EST framework was integrated through an abductive approach to explain the impact of the digital ecological system on student transitions.

Preliminary Findings
The microsystem's influence on students' transitions is evident in three primary areas: First, the impact of digital resources and AI tools on their first-year coursework. Second, the widespread use of social media and its effect on establishing new social connections. Third, the utilization of online information platforms, such as official university websites and anonymous student forums (Treehole, 树洞), assists freshmen in navigating the implicit rules of university life.
The mesosystem level corresponds to three key aspects: First, the university's organizational practices in creating social media groups and official public accounts. Second is the initiatives of some university professors who openly share online courses and knowledge resources. Third, the peer culture of online social networking among students.
The exosystem encompasses institutional structures and policies that indirectly affect student development. In this study, it primarily involves the construction and maintenance of the university's digital infrastructure, such as website development, online learning management systems, and the physical infrastructure supporting these digital spaces.
The macrosystem, representing the broader societal structure and culture, is reflected in the recent development of digital platforms and the widespread adoption of apps, smartphones, and social media in the society.
The chronosystem is also evident, highlighting how the digital age and the COVID-19 era have driven significant changes across each system level. The participants in this study, born between 2004 and 2006, are part of a generation deeply immersed in digital literacy, often referred to as “digital natives.” For many of them, using digital spaces is a natural part of daily life even before university. Additionally, these students spent their high school years during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was marked by frequent school closures and online learning. This experience enhanced their digital learning abilities, making their exploration and use of online spaces in the university more seamless and intuitive.

Discussions
This study explores how digital ecological systems impact students’ first-year transition experiences at two selective universities in China. While highlighting how the digital system activates student agency during the transition process, we also uncover the complex impact of digital ecology on traditionally underrepresented students in selective universities, such as rural students and first-generation college students. We encourage future researchers to adopt critical and international comparative perspectives to investigate how the digital aspects of university ecological systems affect marginalized student populations’ higher education experiences.

Author

• Wanyi Xie, institute of education,Tsinghua University