The mass-approach in higher education promotes the broadening of students’ number and diversity therefore the question about the young people’s readiness to adapt to studies becomes more and more topical. Students who enrol in the natural science faculties of the University of Latvia (UL) are motivated and have high assessment in biology and chemistry as school subjects. However, the studies already during the 1st term prove that students encounter problems to get adjusted to the study process. In order to find out the key factors that determine the adaptation of the first-year students to studies, an e-questionnaire was developed and 79 students from the Faculty of Chemistry and Faculty of Biology were surveyed. Institutional and personal factors that are focused on the application of transferable skills are mainly those that affect the students’ adaptation in the first term of studies. At the same time such issues of the academic factor as students’ prior knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics and their skill to learn independently are intrinsic for students’ successful studies. Key words: adaptation to studies, first year natural science students, institutional, personal and academic factors, transferable skills.

The necessity of STEM knowledge is being more widely acknowledged as the priority in the development of education; however, students lack sufficient knowledge and interest in the acquisition of STEM subjects. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the teaching and learning methods that would correspond to the contemporary young generation and that would facilitate meaningful learning of modern students. Performing the survey of 256 students in Grades 10 – 12 of Latvia, students’ perceptions on how they understand and interpret their STEM learning and methods used by teachers have been explored. The questionnaire in the QuestionPro e-environment was designed according to the criteria describing meaningful learning considering the peculiarities of the young generation. Respondents’ answers were analyzed with the help of the SPSS program, using the methods of non-parametric statistics. Many representatives of the young generation tend to avoid difficulties which confirms a typical feature of this generation – to achieve an immediate result easily and quickly. These students also have a weaker understanding about the importance of STEM that testifies the lack of the learning motivation. The majority of students consider that it is necessary to acquire STEM only at school, failing to connect it with the everyday life. The study describes the national context, yet the presented trends could be significant also on the international level for understanding meaningful learning of STEM. Keywords: meaningful learning, STEM education, teaching/learning methods, today’s new generation

The rapidly changing economic, financial and social conditions require new knowledge and competences in order to be able to understand them, adapt to the new requirements and remain competitive and successful in the globalised social environment. Widening the access to lifelong learning is one way in which this could be achieved. A special role in this process is given to universities as promoters of lifelong learning. E-learning is a means of promoting the changes in academic studies and providing an opportunity to integrate non-formal and informal learning elements into formal education. Individualisation, learning opportunities flexible in time, as well as the e-environment can facilitate the development of students' competences. This article presents a study conducted during the implementation of an inter-university master's programme, ‘Educational Treatment of Diversity’ (in Spain, Latvia, Germany and the Czech Republic) in 2008–10. The research question was: which challenges for widening of opportunities were secured in e-learning in order to promote students' generic competences as a learning outcome?

In order to acquire science, it is necessary to perform hands-on activities, make experiments and scientific inquiry with the obtained data, to be able to evaluate critically and understand the scientific concepts, as well as to collaborate and communicate. STEM learning promotes inquiring minds, logical reasoning, and communication and collaboration skills. Studying science at the university, students need both hard – cognitive and subject specific skills and soft – interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. The aim of the study was to clarify the appropriateness/usefulness of the learning skills acquired at school for STEM studies at the university. The study consisted of two parts: a systematic review of Web of Science and SCOPUS databases and surveys of 242 first-year science students of the University of Latvia about the learning skills acquired at school performed in 2018–2020. The qualitative data processing program AQUAD was used for processing data obtained from students’ survey. Data coding was performed according to the code system developed specifically for this purpose. The qualitative data was transferred into a quantitative format, based on relations between students’ statements, and linkages among codes were created. The study allowed concluding that cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills acquired at school are intrinsic learning skills during the first study year in higher education. There are no principal differences in the evaluation of hard and soft skills in the systematic review and students’ responses that proves the appropriateness/usefulness of the 21st-century learning skills acquired at school for science studies at the university. Keywords: learning skills, STEM education, first-year university students