Adjustment to College and the Student Mentoring Programme / Prilagodba studiju i programu studentskog mentorstva

Abstract

Abstract
According to recent studies, the transition and adjustment to a higher level of education during the first year of college are influenced by various individual and environmental factors. The aim of this study was to observe the characteristics of first year students who decided to participate in the Student Mentoring Programme, designed to improve adjustment to college, and compare them to students who decided not to participate in the programme. A total of 230 first year students with an average age of 19.02 years participated in the study in which we observed differences regarding their initial adjustment (during the first month of college), personality and motivation. The majority of participants have stated that they enrolled into a college of their choice, expecting a better chance for employment after graduation. The predictors that proved significant in the initial adjustment of freshmen were: perceived competence, motivation for accomplishment, extraversion and agreeableness. This study also revealed that the majority of students who decided to participate in the Student Mentoring Programme are non-resident students, and that students seeking mentoring support had shown a more prominent fear of failure. Other observed variables showed no significant difference regarding the decision to participate in the mentoring programme.
The results of this study reveal some protective factors regarding the process of initial adjustment to college, offering guidelines for further development of mentoring programmes and research.

Key words: fear of failure; motivation; perceived competence; personality.

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Sažetak
Istraživanja potvrđuju kako je uspješan prijelaz u sustav visokog školstva tijekom prve godine studija pod utjecajem različitih individualnih i okolinskih faktora.
Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je usporediti studente prve godine koji su se odlučili za program studentskog mentorstva kao oblika pomoći u prilagodbi sa studentima koji se nisu željeli uključiti u taj program.
Ispitano je 230 studenata prve godine studija prosječne dobi od 19,02 godine. Analizirana je razlika u početnoj prilagodbi na studij, u osobnosti i motivaciji.
Većina ispitanih studenata navodi da su upisali studij koji ih zanima, uz očekivanje da će se nakon završetka izabranog studija moći zaposliti. Kao značajne prediktore prilagodbe na početku studija izdvojili su percepciju kompetentnosti, motivaciju za postignuće te ekstraverziju i ugodnost. Značajno više studenata koji su se odlučili sudjelovati u Programu mentorstva studira izvan mjesta prebivališta. Studenti koji žele podršku studenata mentora imaju značajno izraženiji strah od neuspjeha. Na ostalim ispitanim varijablama nije uočena statistički značajna razlika s obzirom na odluku za sudjelovanje u Programu mentorstva.
Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju na zaštitne faktore u prilagodbi studenata na početku prve godine studija i daju smjernice za razvoj mentorskih programa i daljnja istraživanja.
Ključne riječi: ličnost; motivacija; percipirana kompetentnost; strah od neuspjeha