The present study was to explore three main research questions ; First, whether or not there were differences in adjustment in college according to socio-demographics characteristics. Second, whether or not the students’ psychological characteristic...
The present study was to explore three main research questions ; First, whether or not there were differences in adjustment in college according to socio-demographics characteristics. Second, whether or not the students’ psychological characteristics ranked by gender and parent attachment had influences on adjustment in college. Third, students' psychological characteristics have influence on adjustment in college by the mediating effects of parent attachment.
Three variables of this study were the students’ psychological characteristics, the parent attachment and the adjustment in college. The students’psychological characteristics were included self-esteem, self-identity and interaction anxiousness. The parent attachment was consisted of sub-variables such as communication, trust, and alienation. The adjustment in college was also composed of academic adjustment, social adjustment, emotional adjustment and institutional attachment.
Participants were recruited from 1,068 college students in a medium-sized city comparable to Cheongju and Daejon. As measurement scales, self-esteem, self-identity, interaction anxiousness and parent attachment were used. Collected data were analyzed by using SPSS/PC+ 12.0 for descriptive analysis, employing frequencies, percentile, t-test and F-test with Tukey as the ad-hoc test, correlation, multiple regression analysis using SPSS 12.0 program and AMOS 5.0 program.
The results of this study were ; First, the self-esteem showed significant differences according to gender, college major and family income. The self-identity showed significant differences according to cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, grades, and family income. The interaction anxiousness showed significant differences according to cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, and family income. The adjustment in college showed significant differences according to gender, cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, living together with their parent, college major, family income and religion. The parent attachment showed significant differences according to cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, living together with their parent, nursing, grades, family income and religion. The adjustment in college was included academic adjustment, social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and institutional attachment. The academic adjustment showed significant differences according to cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, college major, grades and religion. The social adjustment showed significant differences according to gender, living together with their parent, college majorand grades. The emotional adjustment showed significant differences according to gender, cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, nursing, college major and family income. The institutional attachment showed significant differences according to cramming to repeat a college entrance exam, college major, grades and religion.
Second, as several statistically significant sub-factors were influencing which influenced male students' adjustment in college, there were academic adjustment, social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and institutional attachment. Male students were higher than female students self-esteem and self-identity in academic adjustment, social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and institutional attachment as sub-scales of adjustment in college, and lower in interaction anxiousness. Also, the results indicated higher self-esteem, self-identity and mother attachment, easier adjustment in college among male students. Among female students, there were found higher in self-esteem, self-identity, academic adjustment and father attachment.
Third, this research question was explored using path analysis. According to results, parent attachment as a mediating variable was proved significantly to effect adjustment in college. Through these results, it showed that self-esteem, self-identity, interaction anxiousness, and parent attachment were the most important variables, which influenced adjustment in college. Therefore, success or failure of adjustment in college was related to positive development in students' self-esteem, self-identity, interaction anxiousness, and parent attachment.