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Educ Psychol Rev (2012) 24:133165
DOI 10.1007/s10648-011-9184-5
REVIEW
Marcus Cred & Sarah Niehorster
Published online: 18 November 2011# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
Abstract This paper presents a meta-analytic review (k=237, N=44,668) of the adjustment to college literature. The review, based on studies using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, is organized around three primary themes: (1) the structure of students adjustment to college, (2) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with possible antecedents and correlates, and (3) the relationship of adjustment to college constructs with college grades and college retention. Meta-analytic results indicate that adjustment to college is multidimensional, predictive of college grades, and an unusually good predictor of college retention. Adjustment to college is also shown to be moderately related to individual traits, social support, and students relationships with their parents. Weaker relationships are evident with demographic variables, prior achievement, coping approaches, and variables that reflect students psychological independence from their parents. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of students adjustment to college, academic performance, and retention are discussed.
Keywords Adjustment to college . College retention . College GPA . Meta-analysis
Entry into college presents students with numerous novel challenges that extend beyond the greater academic demands, greater autonomy, and lower level of academic structure that characterizes life at many colleges and universities. First-year students are also required to navigate a new social environment, develop an orientation toward the institution of which they are now a member, become productive members of the university community, adapt to new roles and responsibilities (e.g., managing own finances), manage the separation from friends and family, and engage in the process of making career decisions. Concern about the manner in which students navigate these myriad challenges is reflected both in the orientation programs offered by many colleges and universities as well as the substantial body of educational research that has focused on students adjustment to college. Many educational researchers have viewed
M. Cred (*) : S. Niehorster
Department of Psychology, University at AlbanyState University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USAe-mail: [email protected]
Adjustment to College as Measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: A Quantitative Review of its Structure and Relationshipswith Correlates and Consequences
134 Educ Psychol Rev (2012) 24:133165
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