eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Educational Research 2327-6150 2013-08-05 1 1 230 239 10.12691/education-1-7-3 EDUCATION2013173 article Doris Y.P. Leung dorisleung@cuhk.edu.hk 1 David Kember 2 The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania, Newnham Campus, Tasmania, Australia Many students enter university with na?ve epistemological beliefs and study approaches incompatible with the goals of higher education or the display of attributes such as critical or creative thinking. This study examines whether a first year experience can promote the formation of effective learning communities, which in turn can provide a mechanism for nurturing a range of graduate attributes. The curriculum encompasses initiatives to assimilate students into the university, prompts the adaptation of appropriate university study behaviour, and contains a general education component to broaden the student experience. The impact of the first year experience was examined by collecting quantitative data which measured students¡¯ perceptions of the effectiveness of assimilation, adaptation of study behaviour, the impact of the broadening component, and the nurturing of attributes. The data were analysed with structural equation modelling. A model in which the curriculum elements impacted on the development of graduate attributes showed a good fit to the data. Effective learning communities played a key role both in assimilation into the university community and the adoption of appropriate study behaviours. http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/1/7/3/education-1-7-3.pdf first year experience learning communitie graduate attributes study behaviours general education structural equation modeling