Measures of the adjustment of mature-age, undergraduate students to university

Abstract

Adjustment to the first year of university involves engaging with the university culture and developing a sense of belonging or attachment. Difficulty making the transition to university can result in students deferring or withdrawing from their courses. While mature-age students experience many of the challenges of all first-year students such as social dislocation, academic anxiety, and unrealistic expectations, they are more likely than school-leaver students to have family responsibilities and time constraints. The ability to manage competing demands on their time can affect their participation in campus-based activities and negatively impact their sense of belonging to the university. This paper reports on the adjustment to the first year of university of 40 mature-age students, measured through an analysis of their responses on a 55-item survey questionnaire. The findings suggest that the mature-age students adjusted well, academically; however, they had lower measures of adjustment in their social and personal adjustment. The challenge for universities is to identify and respond to the needs of mature-age students during their transition to university.

Adaptación universitaria en estudiantes peruanos de ciencias de la salud. Diferencias por sexo y grupo etario

“…Es decir, para estas carreras la edad es un factor que no favorece las relaciones sociales, especialmente en el programa de odontología en el que la diferencia es grande. Los estudiantes adultos presentan una mejor adaptación emocional que los jóvenes, a excepción de los que cursan enfermería, en donde están igualados; esto no concuerda con las investigaciones previas [9,25]. En cuanto a la adaptación académica, no parece ser relevante la edad del estudiante.…”

“…Pese a ello, se encontró que los estudiantes adultos se adaptan mejor que los jóvenes [9]. Específicamente, logran adaptarse académicamente, aunque con limitaciones en lo social y personal [25] porque dado el poco tiempo que disponen para actividades extraacadémicas les cuesta entablar amistad y coordinar actividades académicas grupales con los estudiantes jóvenes, generando insatisfacción con su vida social universitaria [24]. Además, pueden presentar problemas económicos debido a las responsabilidades mencionadas [23].…”

Blended Learning Experiences of LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent Students: A mixed-methods study

“…Adjustment is conceptualised in a variety of ways dependent on context, however the domain of social adjustment is defined as the successful adaptation to a social context, whereby the individual is integrated into a community and able to fulfil their roles within that social space. In the university context, social adaptation can be demonstrated through the forming of peer relationships with classmates, engagement with teaching staff, and participation in extracurricular activities (Dawborn-Gundlach & Margetts, 2018;Rahat & Ilhan, 2016).…”

Adult first-year students’ reports of depressive symptoms at a rural South African university

“…The decision to further their education, therefore, may bring additional strain, that the individual has not anticipated. Attempting to juggle various competing demands including personal, financial, familial, and time constraints, while maintaining emotional and mental stability throughout their study period, can be taxing (Dawborn-Gundlach & Margetts, 2018).…”

“…Older students entering a first-year class are more likely to have had a study discontinuation period between school and university, and are very likely to find themselves surrounded by much younger students. They may feel a sense of social dislocation and loneliness in the context of the majority student body which is usually in a different life stage and social position (Dawborn-Gundlach & Margetts, 2018). This situation may pose adjustment difficulties and carry the added pressure to succeed and prove their worth within classes of younger (mainly adolescent) students.…”