The Influence of First-year Students' Place of Residence before Entering the University on the Process of Adaptation at the Higher Education Institution

Abstract

The paper considers structural and functional characteristics of higher education institution adaptation of first-year students. In particular, the influence of such social and demographic characteristic of first-year students as the place of residence before entering the university on the process of students' adaptation to the higher education institution is described. The specific character of progress of social, didactic and professional adaptation in the groups of students who lived in Yaroslavl region and in other regions before entering the university is identified. The influence of the first-year students' place of residence before matriculation on structural and functional features of higher education institution adaptation of students has been empirically grounded: the analysis of differences of adaptation structures and basic qualities using the express ?2 method was performed. As a result of work, the distinctions at the statistically significant level between the groups described have been found. In particular, students coming from other regions have lower indices in social and professional components of adaptation as compared to the first-year students coming from the region. The personality structures of the subdivided groups were also analyzed and described. Within the personality structure of students coming from other regions, the parameter "Expectation of internal control" is in a positive correlation and it determines all three components of higher education institution adaptation. Therefore, by influencing this parameter, we can at the same time promote the enhancement of all constituents of students' adaptation as a total.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s5p313