Features of adaptation and adaptive capabilities of first-year students with different strategies for translating meanings

Abstract

Successful adaptation of students to the University environment is a prerequisite for effective educational and professional activities and the formation of a professional personality. The article describes the study of adaptation and adaptive capabilities of students with different strategies for translating meanings, the relationship between verbal and non-verbal activity of students and their adaptation to higher education, and adaptive capabilities. The sample was made up of the first year students studying in the areas of Psychology and Linguistics. A total of 78 people participated in the study, including 56 girls, 22 boys aged 17-20 years (M=17.9; SD=0.58; 71.8% of girls). The following methods were used: survey-method "strategies of meaning transfer" by E. A. Suroedova, the method of "Adaptation of University students" by T. D. Dubovitskaya, A.V. Krylova, multi-level personality questionnaire (MLE) of "Adaptability" A. G. Maklakova and S. V. Chermiyanina; statistical methods (descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon Rank-Sum Test, Spearman rank correlation coefficient). The study established differences in the adaptation and adaptability of first-year students with different strategies of meaning transfer, and revealed the relationship with the adaptive capabilities of students and verbal activity. The results of the study can be useful for psychological services to help students adapt and develop communication skills, namely the ability to translate meanings, and researchers in the field of educational psychology.