ABSTRACT FIRST YEAR COLLEGE ADJUSTMENT: THE ROLE OF COPING, EGO-RESILIENCY, OPTIMISM AND GENDER Yalim, Desen M. S. Department of Educational Sciences Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Oya Yerin G&uuml / neri June 2007, 68 pages This study investigated the relationship between ways of coping, ego-resiliency, optimism, gender and adjustment of first year students. Participants of the study were 420 Department of Basic English students (173 female, 247 male) from Middle East Technical University in Ankara. The results of multiple regression analysis for the total sample indicated that all the predictor variables (ways of coping, ego resiliency and optimism) were found to be significant predictors of college adjustment. The study found that participants who reported high resilience, optimism and fatalistic and helplessness/self blaming coping scores had better adjustment to college. In addition, the results of the multiple regression analyses conducted for female and male students showed that whereas ego resiliency, optimism, and seeking social support coping, helplessness/self-blaming coping predicted adjustment of female students / ego resiliency, problem solving coping, seeking social support coping, fatalistic coping and helplessness/self-blaming coping were significant predictors of male students&rsquo / college adjustment.

The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in the effects of different coping strategies on different dimensions of university adjustment of the first-year students in Turkey and in the United States. The data were gathered by administering three instruments, Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), Brief COPE, and Demographic Sheet (DS) to 1143 first-year university students from Turkey (n = 695) and U.S. (n = 448). In the data analysis, first, the equivalence of the instruments between Turkish and U.S. samples were determined. A series of multiple hierarchical regression analysis was then carried out to examine the cultural differences in coping strategies (Self-Distraction, Active Coping, Denial, Substance Use, Using Emotional Support, Behavioral Disengagement, Positive Reframing, Planning, Humor, and Religion) as predictors of overall and four dimensions of university adjustment, namely, Academic Adjustment, Social Adjustment, Personal/Emotional Adjustment, and Goal Commitment/Institutional Attachment. The results revealed that there were cross-cultural differences in the effects of behavioral disengagement on social adjustment, goal commitment/institutional attachment, and overall adjustment. Differences were also found for the effects of religion and positive reframing on personal/emotional and overall adjustment. Finally, the effect of active coping was found to be significantly different on academic adjustment of first-year students from Turkey and the U.S.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Julia L. Perilla, committee chair; Christopher C. Henrich, Rose A. Sevcik, Tracie L. Stewart, committee members. Electronic text (115 p. : charts, forms) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May 10, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-96).

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The first year of university studies is usually accompanied by many new experiences, often stressful, and family members fulfil a significant role in helping to reduce students' stress and facilitate their adjustment. Research has indicated that the overall first year experience sets the tone for the subsequent well-being of students both academically and personally, and if this is negative then the university dropout rates are likely to remain high. This study seeks to determine the effects of family structure and parental autonomy-support on students' adjustment during the first year of university. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational research design. Participants were selected by means of convenient sampling, and only consisted of first year university students between the ages of 18 and 25 years who were registered at the University of the Western Cape. Data was collected via an online survey consisting of three self-reported questionnaires, namely the perceived parental autonomy-support scale, the college adaptation questionnaire, and also demographic information. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Participants' right to privacy, confidentiality and anonymity was observed throughout the study. The results suggest that students from two-parent families are better adjusted than students from one-parent families. Furthermore, results of the total sample suggest a significant relationship between good adjustment and autonomy-supportive parenting, while a significant negative relationship exists between poor adjustment and autonomy-supportive parenting. When determining the separate results for two-parent families and one-parent families, it was established from the regression analysis that good adjustment was only predicted by mother autonomy-support in two-parent families, accounting for 7% of the variance. Poor adjustment in two-parent families was negatively predicted by mother and father autonomy-support, and was accounted for by 11% of variance. In one-parent families, neither good nor poor adjustment was predicted by parenting behaviours.