Sport Students Experiences of their First Year at a Post-92 English University: An Exploration through the U-Curve Theory of Adjustment

Extending the work of Hibbs et al. (2024), this study qualitatively captured the academic and social experiences of 13 first-year undergraduate sports students through the U-Curve Theory of Adjustment (Risquez et al., 2008). There was evidence supporting each phase of the theory but some differences from the original framework also surfaced. Although participants had made new friendships within programme cohorts and wider university populations and built the necessary confidence and independence to engage with the academic demands of their studies, experiences were unique and did not always fit with the proposed timelines. Implications, limitations and future research avenues are discussed.