The transition to university is an exciting yet challenging period for many students. While previous research has documented the association between stress and adjustment, little is known about the long-term effect of students' early stress on their subsequent university adjustment. The present study sought to examine the effectiveness of a short,…

First-year university students encounter considerable academic stress, possibly resulting in mental health problems. Although studies have illustrated the academic and health benefits of sense of belonging, few studies have focused on its role in the relationship between academic stress and mental health complaints. The current study used…

The transition to university is a stressful period for young adults; however, there has been limited research examining the predictive role of dispositional mindfulness in supporting first-year students' adjustment to university. The current study sought to examine the relative contribution of gender, self-efficacy, perceived social support from…

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…

The transition from school to the institute of higher learning is a challenging phase that requires students to adapt to new environments and cultures. This study aimed to explore the adaptation experiences of first-year students at the Institute of Teacher Education by using storytelling through drawing. This study involved 18 students pursuing…

College student adjustment, success, and retention have been a focus of college administrators and student development professionals for decades. However, national college retention and graduation statistics are typically focused on full-time residential college populations. The purpose of the current study was to examine more closely the…

The college transition constitutes a vulnerability period for at-risk students. Although several risk factors associated with depression have been identified in the young adult population, very few studies to date have focused on the aspect of resilience during this academic transition. In the present study, a subgroup of resilient students, who…

Much research in face-to-face contexts outlines the importance of early adjustment on students' higher education experiences. However, few studies have replicated this research in distance learning contexts to unpack the early multifaceted adjustments associated with studying in absence of a physical campus. This is particularly needed from a…

As individuals with disabilities attend postsecondary education in greater numbers, mentoring programs are being implemented more frequently. The research objective of our exploratory study was to examine outcomes for students with disabilities participating in a Student to Student Mentoring Program using a mixed methods approach. Mentors followed…

This study aimed to identify and rank the personal, family-related, social, and academic correlates of depressive symptoms in first-year college students. A questionnaire that included the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was administered to 389 first-year college students (mean age = 18.9; SD = 3.38; 59.4% female). Eight variables…

Purpose: Building upon attachment theory and emerging theory, the current study was aimed at examining the effect of peer attachment in predicting adjustment to life in university among freshmen in a public unirvsity in East Malaysia. Furthermore, it sought to examine the influence of gender and perceived-adult status as moderators of the…

Outdoor orientation programming as a means for orientating students to college has experienced significant growth and expanded use over the past decade. An increase in rigorous research has accompanied this growth as colleges and universities seek to understand and meet the needs of young adults in transition. In this study, two research questions…

The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) was administered to first year students during the fifth week of their first semester and then again at the end of the semester. The primary purpose was to examine item-remainder correlations to determine if the items are placed correctly into their respective domains. A secondary aim was to…

High rates of mental illness among students and discontinuation with university studies are regularly reported. The current study sought to explore relationships between motivation, university adaptation and indicators of mental health and well-being and academic performance of 184 first-year university students (73% female, mean age?=?19.3…

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine relationships between perceived social support, university adjustment and academic achievement of first semester students enrolled in various undergraduate programs in a Malaysian public university. Methodology: This study employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive correlation design to address…