This study compared the effect of high and low levels of virtual reality (VR) immersion during moderate and high intensity cycling-exercise in younger (18–35 years), middle-aged (36–50 years), and older (51–69 years) adults. Thirty participants (5 female and 5 males per age group) completed moderate (steady state: 15 minutes at 60–75% maximum heart rate (MHR)) and high (sprint: 10 x 30 second sprints at 75–85% MHR) intensity cycling in four conditions: VR using a head-mounted display (High HMD), room-projector (Low Room), screen-projector (Low Screen) and No VR. Exercise performance measures (cadence, distance, power output) were recorded. Following each VR condition, exercise enjoyment (PACES) and exercise engagement (Flow State Scale) were measured. Results showed that exercise intensity had a significant effect of age on; heart rate (steady state and sprint), cadence (sprint) and distance (sprint) (p’s <0.05). A significant effect of condition was observed during the sprint exercise for heart rate (p < 0.05). No other significant condition effects were observed for exercise performance. Significant effects of condition were identified for exercise engagement relating to sense of control (p < 0.01) and loss of self-consciousness (p < 0.05) with the highest values occurring in the Low Screen condition for all age groups, while transformation of time was significantly different (p < 0.05) for the middle-aged adults (highest during High VR and Low Screen). These results indicate that irrespective of age, participants found themselves in control and immersed more during the Low Screen VR condition than the other VR and No VR conditions. The findings indicate that VR immersion impacts exercise performance and exercise engagement in different age-groups and therefore should be considered when using VR to promote exercise behaviour.

This multi-institutional study examined pre-arrival confidence and perceived importance among first-year sport students across three post-92 universities and one public research university exploring programme of study, gender, and institutional differences, while also evaluating the psychometric properties of the pre-arrival survey. Of 1033 eligible students, 604 (58%) completed the survey across 25 sport-related programmes grouped into six categories: physiotherapy and rehabilitation, sport and exercise science, sports exercise and nutrition, sports coaching, sports management, and sport foundation year. Psychometric validation of the pre-arrival survey demonstrates its reliability and validity, providing the sector with a robust, standardised tool for assessing incoming students’ preparedness. Significant programme differences include physiotherapy and rehabilitation students reporting higher learning confidence, learning importance, and community confidence compared to other programmes. Female students demonstrated significantly higher learning importance and health and well-being importance than male students, though no gender differences in confidence were observed. Institutional variation was minimal, with one institution showing higher learning importance. Socioeconomic indicators did not significantly influence pre-arrival responses. The findings highlight the need for differentiated pre-arrival support targeting programme-specific confidence gaps and gender-related differences in perceived importance. The validated PAS provides a reliable tool for early identification of students requiring enhanced transitional support, potentially addressing persistent retention and progression challenges in UK sport programmes.

This study examined whether pre-arrival confidence and perceived importance across four domains (learning, community, employability, and health and well-being) predict academic achievement and retention among first-year undergraduate sports students. A quantitative study at a United Kingdom post-92 university involved 368 first-year sports students (56% male, 44% female) across six programmes. Pre-arrival surveys measuring confidence and importance perceptions were distributed, with academic performance and retention data collected after one year. Regression analysis revealed that female students demonstrated significantly higher academic performance than males while reporting higher pre-arrival confidence. Three factors significantly predicted academic achievement, explaining 10% of variance. Lower employability confidence and higher health and well-being confidence and importance were associated with better outcomes. Community importance was the only significant predictor of withdrawal risk, with higher importance associated with increased departure likelihood. Pre-arrival surveys can identify at-risk students, though relationships are complex.

Postgraduate taught (PGT) students represent a rapidly growing yet under‑researched population in higher education, often characterised as the “forgotten sector”. This study examined pre-arrival confidence and importance ratings among 1332 first-year PGT students (68% response rate) across twelve academic disciplines at a UK university, considering discipline, gender, international student status, and socioeconomic background. Using a validated Pre-Arrival Survey measuring learning, community, employability, and health/well-being domains, we employed confirmatory factor analysis, MANOVA, and ANCOVA to examine group differences. PGT students rated importance higher than confidence across all domains, though this gap was narrower than in undergraduate populations. Community confidence ranked lowest across 11 of 12 disciplines, highlighting persistent integration challenges. International students demonstrated significantly higher confidence and importance ratings across nearly all domains. Gender differences observed at undergraduate level were largely absent, with males showing higher scores only for two of the eight factors; community confidence and employability importance. Socioeconomic indicators showed no significant effects. Computer science students reported highest confidence while healthcare/nursing sciences reported lowest scores. Findings suggest PGT students arrive with more calibrated expectations than undergraduates but require differentiated transition support, particularly for community building. The validated Pre-Arrival Survey provides institutions with a tool for understanding incoming PGT cohorts and adapting provision to support this increasingly diverse student population.