Students' Perceptions of Support and Freshman-year College Adjustment

Students' Perceptions of Support and Freshman-year College Adjustment PDF Author: Lysbet J. Murray
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College freshmen
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Supportive Communication

Supportive Communication PDF Author: Claire Frances Sullivan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College freshmen
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Does Being Rural Matter?

Does Being Rural Matter? PDF Author: Allison L. Bitz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781267236814
Category : College freshmen
Languages : en
Pages :

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Abstract: One out of every three first-year college students will not return for a second year of college (Postsecondary Education Opportunity, 2010). Due to a variety of factors, minority students are at an even higher risk of dropping out of college. Rural youth, comprising approximately 22% of the nation's total youth, form a significant minority population; yet the rural student experience in college has not yet been widely considered in research. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore college adjustment and its predictors among first-year students, with an emphasis on the role of rurality in college adjustment. Social self-efficacy, social support, social investment at college, psychological help-seeking attitudes, and well-being were explored as potential predictors of adjustment. Participants were 240 first-year students at a large Midwestern university, who completed a questionnaire. Results indicated that rural and urban students did not report significant differences in the extent of their adjustment to college; yet, the predictors of adjustment were slightly different between groups (i.e., rural and urban students may have different paths to adjustment at college). Social support was an indirect and direct predictor of adjustment for rural students, but only operated as an indirect predictor of adjustment for urban students. Thus it may be that the social support perceived by rural students is somehow qualitatively different than support perceived by urban students, which may provide evidence for the idea of divergent rural/urban cultures. Bolstering this claim is the finding that rural students reported less positive help-seeking attitudes and higher senses of well-being than did urban students. Also of note is that well-being was found to mediate the relationship between social self-efficacy and adjustment, and between social support and adjustment, across groups. Based on the results of this study, various theoretical and practical applications, including potential interventions for first-year college students, are considered and discussed.

The Adaptive Self

The Adaptive Self PDF Author: Werner Greve
Publisher: Hogrefe & Huber Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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The mostly German psychologists contributing here contend that people secure personal continuity throughout their life span by a combination of active attempts at regulating their development on the one hand, and flexible adjustment of the self to unalterable changes both in their social and physical environment and in such personal attributes as p.

First Year Experience Seminars: How Contrasting Models Impact the College Transition and Retention

First Year Experience Seminars: How Contrasting Models Impact the College Transition and Retention PDF Author: Matthew R. Holliday
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Most institutions of higher education utilize First Year Experience (FYE) coursework to facilitate college adjustment and student retention. FYE courses are designed to support the college transition by introducing freshman to campus resources that can help them achieve their educational and career goals; however, there is much variation in instructional design across college campuses depending on students' needs and institutional goals. This dissertation examined the differences in student outcomes based on enrollment in either academic content-specific or broad introductory FYE coursework. The first study used a qualitative method to examine resilient Honors students' perceptions of how their introductory FYE course impacted their college transition at the end of their first semester. The second study utilized several quantitative models to longitudinally assess the difference between FYE course enrollment and students' cumulative GPAs, retention, and perceptions during their junior year of college. Thematic analysis of questionnaire responses revealed that the resilient Honors students believed their broad introductory FYE course supported their social and academic transition to college by relieving stress that is commonly associated with the beginning of higher education. The quantitative study found that students who were enrolled in academic content-specific FYE courses had higher grades, retention, and scored higher on college success strategies and first-year satisfaction factor scores, compared to students who were enrolled in the broad introductory FYE courses. These findings were discussed in relation to the current literature on college adjustment, followed by a discussion of the implications for academic units, limitations of the study, and future directions for research in this area.

The Effect of Perceived Faculty Support in Freshman Year on First-generation College Students’ Belonging and Persistence in Science

The Effect of Perceived Faculty Support in Freshman Year on First-generation College Students’ Belonging and Persistence in Science PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Past research suggested that pre-college experiences contribute to first-generation (FG) students' belonging concerns during their transition to college. Results from an archival longitudinal survey study of freshman science majors ( N = 546) revealed that variability in on-campus experiences during the first semester, in particular, perceived science faculty support, predicted changes in the sense of belonging in the first semester. This relationship was especially stronger for FG students. Additionally, the sense of belonging measured at the first semester further significantly predicted student persistence in science at the end of sophomore year, controlling for students' expected faculty support and belonging to science measured at the beginning of their college. The findings suggest that creating an environment where incoming students can easily perceive their science faculty's intention to care and support students might be beneficial to reduce FG students' belonging concerns and support their pursuits in science.

Personality and Social Network Variables as Predictors of Adjustment

Personality and Social Network Variables as Predictors of Adjustment PDF Author: Madeline Becker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : College freshmen
Languages : en
Pages : 101

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Abstract: The transition to college freshman year is probably the most difficult phase of adjustment during college life. Many freshmen experience feelings of loneliness and isolation and interpersonal conflicts while facing new social and academic challenges. Twenty percent of students begin having difficulty within the first six weeks of school and drop out early in their first year (Mallinckrodt & Sedlacek, 1987). Most students leave school due to stress associated with social and personal issues (Bradburn, 2003). As the number of students attending college has increased, the types of support needed have changed. Consequently, current students require different kinds of social and personal support than was previously thought. This longitudinal study expands on previous research by considering social support and personality variables as predictors of two types of college adjustment (student-reported adjustment and adjustment as measured by first semester GPA), and is the first to look at three time periods during the first semester freshman year. Questionnaires regarding social support, personality and adjustment were completed by 211 first-semester freshman. Repeated-measures ANOVA found that students tended to be lonelier during the first two weeks of the semester, but there were no differences in the size of, or satisfaction with, social networks; or in mean levels of personality across time. No gender differences or interactions of gender and time were identified. Multiple regression analyses found that depression, self-worth and satisfaction with students' social network predicted student-reported adjustment to college. Students with lower levels of depression, higher self-worth and high satisfaction with social networks reported better overall adjustment to college. In contrast, only extraversion predicted GPA. Students with high extraversion received lower GPA first semester freshman year. This study extends existing research by identifying that the variables predicting student-reported adjustment are not identical to those predicting first semester GPA. Additionally, data support the novel finding that students' satisfaction with their social network late in the semester was associated with student-reported adjustment to college. This information will direct educators towards developing time-specific intervention programs that target students' individual needs, and ultimately generate better outcomes such as greater satisfaction with university life and higher retention rates.

Trends in the First Year Experience

Trends in the First Year Experience PDF Author: Craig McInnis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780642448644
Category : College students
Languages : en
Pages : 67

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Book Description
The conjunction of the pressures arising from the expansion in student numbers, innovations in teaching and learning, and intense market competition between universities, have changed the landscape of higher education. The context for undergraduate students commencing university has been changed with increased choice and flexibility in course design and modes of delivery, and the introduction of a range of institutional strategies to improve transition from school to university. The results reported in this study provide the basis for reflecting on developments and initiatives over the last five years aimed at improving the first year experience in Australian higher education. The data now provide an exceptionally strong basis for monitoring major changes in the student experience in the future. For the first time there is baseline data on the impact of new approaches to teaching and learning on the student experience, and on the changing nature of the relationship between students and universities.

College Adjustment During the Freshman Year

College Adjustment During the Freshman Year PDF Author: Kostas Andrea Fanti
Publisher: VDM Publishing
ISBN: 9783836436151
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
Only half of entering college students manage to finish their degree in a 5 year period, and of the remaining half, 37% drop out altogether, suggesting that college students are at risk for failure to graduate on time or graduate at all. Additionally, the freshman year has been found to be critical in reducing attrition rates in subsequent years, and successful adjustment to college during the freshman year can significantly influence the entire undergraduate experience. The current work investigates how the parent-adolescent relationship and other supportive relationships are related to the academic, social, and personal-emotional expectations of adjustment and actual adjustment to college during the freshman year. The findings suggested that supportive relationships with parents may boost college students' adjustment, and this was true even for students who moved away from home. Furthermore, the findings had implications for the students living arrangements, suggesting differences between students who live in the dorms and students who commute to school. The findings of the current work are important for entering college students, their parents and other supportive figures in the students' environment. Moreover, the book provides important information to educators and university officials to ensure students' successful adjustment to college.

Perceived Social Support from Family and from Friends and Student Adjustment to College

Perceived Social Support from Family and from Friends and Student Adjustment to College PDF Author: Katharyn Rae Whitlatch Schwartz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Interpersonal relations
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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