Original scientific paper

Age and gender differences in academic, social and emotional college adjustment

Ivanka Živčić-Bećirević orcid.org/0000-0002-8295-0223 ; Odsjek za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Sanja Smojver-Ažić ; Odsjek za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Miljana Kukić ; Odsjek za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Sanja Jasprica ; Odsjek za psihologiju, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci

Abstract

Current trends in higher education, greater interest in attending college plus an extremely high percentage of unsuccessful students, suggest the importance of investigating the quality of student adjustment. The aim of this research is to explore student adaptation in college with regard student gender, academic year and staying or leaving home. 845 students from the University of Rijeka were assessed by the Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire (SACQ, Baker and Siryk, 1999). Three out of originally four factors have been confirmed. Academic adjustment measures a student's success in coping with various educational demands, emotional adjustment indicates whether the student experiences general psychological distress or shows somatic symptoms of distress. Social adjustment measure how well the students deal with interpersonal experiences at the university. Girls were better academically and more socially adapted but have poorer emotional adjustment compared with boys. Students who stayed at home are emotionally better adjusted at the beginning of college than students who left home. The situation is completely different before graduation; final year students who left home are emotionally better adjusted than their peers who stayed at home, regardless of their sex.. The results also suggest a possible positive effect of leaving home on social adjustment of girls, which is noticed at higher year of college. Social adjustment of students who stayed with their family is similar, regardless of gender or academic year. There are no gender differences among students who left home at the beginning of college, but girls at the fourth year are better adjusted socially than boys of the same academic year. A possible positive effect of leaving home on emotional and social adjustment of students should be further explored through a longitudinal follow up.

Keywords

college adjustment; students; gender differences; emotional; social and academic adaptation; SACQ

Hrčak ID:

20537

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20537

Publication date:

1.12.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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