Factors Negatively Affecting University Adjustment from the Views of First-Year University Students: The Case of Mersin University*

AbstractThis qualitative case study aims to investigate the most common factors that negatively affect adjustment to uni- versity and coping strategies used by first-year university students in the adaptation process from the viewpoint of first-year university students. The participants were 25 first-year university students from various faculties at Mersin University. The data were gathered through interviews, which comprised 24 interview questions devel- oped by the researchers. Collected data were content-analyzed following the process of identifying, coding, and categorizing data patterns. The results revealed significant factors that negatively affect the academic, social, personal-emotional, and institutional adjustment of first-year university students. These students' academic adjustment was negatively affected by relationships with faculty and teaching quality, whereas social adjustment was negatively affected by friendship relations, participation in recreational activities, and leisure-time manage- ment. In addition, individual factors, such as shyness, fear of failure/disapproval, loneliness, and homesickness, and institutional factors, such as sense of identity and belonging to a university, were perceived as prominent factors affecting students' adjustment. The results also indicated that these students mostly used avoidance coping to deal with challenges in the university adjustment process.KeywordsAcademic Adjustment, Coping Strategies, Organizational Adjustment, Personal-Emotional Adjustment, Qualitative Study, Social Adjustment, University Adjustment, University Students.Life transitions, including new experiences and changes, naturally involve an adjustment process in the lives of individuals. The shift from high school to university is one major life transition for young adults (Buote, 2006). This transition period is a change and adjustment process accompanied by significant challenges and stresses for emerging adults to meet the personal demands of the new academic and social environment (Berzonsky & Kuk, 2000; Chickering & Reisser, 1993; D'Augelli & Jay, 1991; Dyson & Renk, 2006; Erikson, 1968; Jackson, 2008; Lau, 2003; Tuna, 2003). In other words, university life requires that young adults learn to cope with various challenges and take actions to integrate into the university's academic and social life, meet academic demands, establish new friendship networks, become more independent, take responsibility in their personal lives, and make career choices (Alada? , 2009; Ayhan, 2005; Duchesne, Ratelle, Larose, & Guay, 2007; Gizir, 2005; Pittman & Richmond, 2008; Tuna, 2003). Actually, while most freshmen are able to deal with these transitional challenges and adjust to university life successfully, some feel overwhelmed and experience various adjustment problems (Bernier, Larose, & Whipple, 2005; Gerdes & Mallinckrodt, 1994; Kuh, 2005; Upcraft & Gardner, 1989; Upcraft, Gardner, & Barefoot, 2005) that lead them to drop out of university (Buote et al., 2007; Estrada, Dupoux, & Wolman, 2005; McGrath & Braunstein, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980; Robbins, Lese, & Herrick, 1993). Related literature considers university adjustment as a multifaceted and complex phenomenon (Baker & Siryk, 1984, 1986; Baker, McNeil, & Siryk, 1985). As such, the process of university adjustment is described mainly by identifying four types of adjustment, namely academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal/emotional adjustment, and goal commitment/institutional attachment (Baker & Siryk, 1984). Briefly, academic adjustment involves students' perceived ability to achieve school work and acceptance of the academic environment; social adjustment refers to dealing with a new social environment effectively such as by establishing positive and accepting friendships and being involved in social activities on campus; personal/ emotional adjustment includes the well-being of students; and institutional attachment refers to students' feelings of commitment to university and satisfaction with attending a particular university (Baker & Siryk, 1986). …