The Future of Education

This study investigated the impact of the Cambridge Acceleration Programme based on participants’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the programme in helping students in their transition to college-level study. The programme includes the International Advanced Subsidiary Level (AS Level) and the International Advanced Level (A level) – qualifications offered by schools for 16–19 year olds.

High stakes acceleration programmes are instrumental in shaping educational goals and processes. Their impact can have important implications for teaching and learning, as well as on other stakeholders outside the classroom. It is important therefore that any impact study takes account of the perceptions of its stakeholders, because their attitudes towards the programmes may be relevant to its validity. As part of the commitment of Cambridge International Examinations to the ongoing review of the impact and quality of its work, this project investigated the impact of the programme on the educational landscape in the Unites States in the context of the case study university.

In this research project, 104 students across all year groups in one American university responded to an online questionnaire designed to elicit their attitudes, perceptions, and subjective experiences associated with the programme. The study aimed to provide an important insight into the attitudinal and subjective aspects of the transition from Higher Education (HE) to college, to enrich the previously reported quantitative findings (see Shaw & Bailey, 2011a; Shaw & Bailey, 2011b; Shaw, Warren & Gill, 2014).

The findings indicated that although the majority of students reported finding at least some aspects of the transition from high school to college difficult, in general the programme was perceived as an effective preparation for college-level study, helping the students develop academic study skills and learning attitudes which subsequently helped them adjust to the demands of Higher Education.