Development of University Adjustment Scale: Validity and Reliability Studies

Yıl 2020, Cilt: 49, 67 - 87, 01.05.2020

Seda Sevinç Tuhanioğlu Cem Ali Gizir

https://doi.org/10.9779/pauefd.547409

Öz

The main purpose of the present study is to develop and test the psychometric properties of the University Adjustment Scale (UAS). There were two participant-groups in the study compromising of 712 (430 female, 282 male) and 418 (261 female, 157 male) first-year undergraduate students enrolled in various faculties of a public university in Turkey. The construct validity of the scale was tested by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The result of the analyses showed that the UAS constituted from four factors including, “academic adjustment”, “social adjustment”, “personal-emotional adjustment”, and “institutional adjustment”. Criterion validity study yielded a high correlation between UAS and University Life Scale. The Cronbach alpha coefficients of the four factors were .92 for academic adjustment, .88 for social adjustment, .91 for emotional adjustment, .89 for institutional adjustment, and .94 for the full scale. The test-retests (three weeks interval) reliability coefficients of the factors were also changed between .76 (emotional adjustment) and .88 (institutional adjustment). Consequently, the study findings indicated that the UAS has a very good psychometric property for using to assess the university adjustment levels of first-year university students.

Anahtar Kelimeler

university adjustment, university students, validity, reliability

Üniversite Uyum Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışmaları

Öz

B

Bu çalışmada, üniversite
öğrencilerinin üniversiteye uyum düzeylerini dört temel boyut (akademik,
sosyal, kişisel-duygusal ve kurumsal) odağında belirlemeye yönelik geliştirilen
Üniversiteye Uyum Ölçeğinin (ÜUÖ) psikometrik özelliklerinin incelenerek
geçerlik ve güvenirliğinin sınanması amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırmanın iki farklı
çalışma grubunu, bir devlet üniversitesinin çeşitli fakültelerinde öğrenim
görmekte olan 712 (430 kadın, 282 erkek) ve 418 (261 kadın, 157 erkek) birinci
sınıf üniversite öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, geliştirilen ölçme
aracının yapı geçerliğini incelemek amacıyla açıklayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör
analizi yöntemlerinden yararlanılmıştır. Analiz sonuçları, ölçeğin, 45 maddeyi
içeren dört faktörlü bir yapı sergilediğini ortaya koymuştur. Benzer ölçekler
geçerliği kapsamında yapılan analiz sonucunda da ÜUÖ ile Üniversite Yaşamı
Ölçeği arasında yüksek düzeyde bir ilişki bulunmuştur. Ölçeğin Cronbach alfa ile
belirlenen iç tutarlık katsayıları akademik uyum için .92, sosyal uyum için .88,
kişisel-duygusal uyum için .91, kurumsal uyum için .89 ve toplam ölçek puanı
için .94 olarak hesaplanmıştır. ÜUÖ’nün test tekrarı güvenirlik katsayılarının
ise .76 (kişisel uyum) ile .88 (kurumsal uyum) arasında değiştiği belirlenmiştir.
Sonuç olarak, üniversite öğrencileri kapsamında geliştirilen dört faktörlü
ÜUO’nün hem kuramsal hem de istatistiksel olarak geçerlik ve güvenilirlik
ölçütlerini oldukça iyi düzeyde karşıladığı belirlenmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

üniversiteye uyum, üniversite öğrencileri, geçerlik, güvenirlik

Kaynakça

• Akbalık, F. G. (1997). Bilgilendirme ve grupla psikolojik danışmanın üniversite birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin üniversiteye uyumları üzerine etkisi (Yayınlanmamış doktora tezi). Ankara Üniversitesi, Ankara.
• Aladağ, M., Kağnıcı, D. Y., Tuna, M. E. ve Tezer, E. (2003). Üniversite yaşamı ölçeği: Ölçek geliştirme ve yapı geçerliği üzerine bir çalışma. Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 2(20), 41-47.
• Ames, M. E., Pratt, M. W., Pancer, S. M., Wintre, M. G., Polivy, J., Birnie-Lefcovitch, & S., Adams, (2011). The moderating effects of attachment style on students' experience of a transition to university group facilitation program. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 43(1), 1-12.
• Arola, N. (2012). Organized activity involvement across the transition to college: Multiple dimensions predicting adjustment. (Unpublished master’s thesis), Loyola University, Chicago.
• Aslan, S. (2015). Üniversite Yaşamına Uyum Ölçeği’nin geliştirilmesi, Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 30(4), 132-145.
• Astin, A. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Ayhan, F. (2005). Ege Üniversitesi öğrencilerinin üniversiteye uyum düzeylerinin çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelenmesi. (Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi), Ege Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İzmir.
• Awang, M. M., Kutty, F. M., & Ahmad, A. R. (2014). Perceived social support and well-being: First-year student experience in university. International Education Studies, 7(13), 261-270.
• Backhaus, A. L. (2009). The college experience: Exploring the relationships among student socioeconomic background, experiences of classism, and adjustment to college. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), University of Nebraska, Nebraska.
• Baker, R., & Siryk, B. (1984). Measuring adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 33, 31-38.
• Baker, R. W., & Siryk B. (1986). Exploratory intervention with a scale measuring adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 33(1), 31-38.
• Baker, R., McNeil, O., & Siryk, B. (1985). Expectation and reality in freshman adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 94-103.
• Basow, S. A. (2000). Best and worst professors: Gender patterns in students’ choice. Sex Roles, 43, 407-417.
• Bean, J. P. (1980). Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a casual model of student attrition. Journal of Research in Higher Education, 12, 155-187.
• Bohnert, A. M., Aikins,J. W., & Edidin, J. (2007). The role of organized activities in facilitating social adaptation across the transition to college. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(2), 189-208.
• Boulter, L. T. (2002). Self-concept as a predictor of college freshman academic adjustment. College Student Journal, 36(2), 234-246.
• Buote, V. M., Pancer, S. M., Pratt, M. W., Adams, G., Birnie-Lefcovith, S., & Polivy, J. (2007). The importance of friends: Friendship and adjustment among first-year university adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(6), 665-689.
• Busseri, M. A., Rose-Krasnor, L., Pancer, S. M., Pratt, M. W., Adams, G. R., Birnie-Lefcovitch, S., Polivy, J., & Wintre, M. G. (2010). A longitudinal study of breadth and ıntensity of activity ınvolvement and the transition to university. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(2), 512-518.
• Chemers, M., Hu, L., & Garcia, B. F. (2001). Academic self-efficacy and first year college student performance and adjustment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 55-64.
• Clinciu, A. L. (2013). Adaptation and stress for the first year university students. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 78, 718-722.
• Cooke, R., Bewick, B. M., Barkham, M., Bradley, M., & Audin, K. (2006). Measuring, monitoring and managing the psychological well-being of first year university students. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 34(4), 505-517.
• Cotten, S. R., & Wilson, B. (2006). Student–faculty interactions: Dynamics and determinants. Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 51(4), 487-519.
• Dyson, R., & Renk, K. (2006). Freshmen adaptation to university life: Depressive symptoms, stress, and coping. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(10), 1231-1244.
• Duru, E. (2008). The predictive analysis of adjustment difficulties from loneliness, social support, and social connectedness. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 8(3), 849-856.
• Erdoğan, S., Bekir, H. Ş. ve Şanlı, H. S. (2005). Gazi üniversitesi eğitim fakültesi öğrencilerinin ekonomik, sosyal, kültürel uyum sorunlarını etkileyen bazı etmenler. Gazi Üniversitesi Endüstriyel Sanatlar Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 16, 1-13.
• Fassig, E. I. (2003). Attachment and resilience as predictors of adjustment to college in college freshmen. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Northern Colorado, Colorado.
• Feldt, R. C., Graham, M., & Dew, D. (2011). Measurement adjustment to college: construct validity of the student adaptation to college questionnaire. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 44, 9-104.
• Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75, 203-220.
• Gall, T. R., Evans, D. R., & Bellerose, S. (2000). Transition to first-year university: Patterns of change in adjustment across life domains and time. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19(4), 544-567.
• Gizir, C. A. (2014). Üniversite öğrencilerinin psikolojik danışma gereksinimleri üzerine bir çalışma: Mersin Üniversitesi örneği. I. Avrasya Eğitim Araştırmaları Kongresi'nde Sunulan Bildiri (24-26 Nisan 2014), İstanbul Üniversitesi, İstanbul.
• Gizir, S. (2019). The sense of classroom belonging among pre-service teachers: Testing a theoretical model. European Journal of Educational Research, 8, 87-97.
• Hersh, M. A., & Hussong, A. M. (2006). High school drinker typologies predict alcohol ınvolvement and psychosocial adjustment during acclimation to college. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 5, 738–751.
• İlhan, E., Çam, Ş.S. ve Çam, Z. (2018). Yükseköğretimde öğrencilerin akademik, sosyal ve kültürel faaliyetlere etkin katılımı. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 16(2), 213-234.Jackson, L.M. , Pancer, S.M., Pratt, M.W., & Hunsberger, B. (2000). Cognitive complexity of expectations and adjustment to university in the first year. Journal of Adolescent Research, 15, 38-57.
• Julia, M., & Veni, B. (2012). An Analysis of the factors affecting students’ adjustment at a university in Zimbabwe. International Education Studies, 5(6), 244-250.
• Katz, S., & Somers, C. L. (2017). Individual and environmental predictors of college adjustment: Prevention and intervention. Current Psychology, 36(1), 56-65.
• Kim, Y. K., & Sax, L. J. (2011). Are the effects of student-faculty interaction dependent on major? An examination using multi-level modeling. Research in Higher Education, 52(6), 589–615.
• Kline, R. B. (1998). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling. New York: The Guilford Press.
• Kline, R. B. (2010). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
• Klomegah, R. Y. (2006). Social factors relating to alienation experienced by international students in the United States. College Student Journal, 40(2), 303-315.
• Krieg, D. (2013). High expectations for higher education? Perceptions of college and experiences of stress prior to and through the college career. College Student Journal, 47(4), 635-643.
• Kuh, G. D., & Hu, S. (2001). The effects of student-faculty interaction in the 1990s. The Review of Higher Education, 24(3), 309–332.
• Lau, L. (2003). Institutional factors affecting student retention. Education, 124, 66-80.
• Lidy, K. M., & Kahn, J. H. (2006). Personality as a predictor of first-semester adjustment to college: The mediational role of perceived social support. Journal of College Counseling, 9(2), 123-134.
• Mattanah, J. F., Lopez, F. G., & Govern, J. M. (2011). The contributions of parental attachment bonds to college student development and adjustment: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(4), 565–596.
• Meng, H., Huang, P., Hou, N., & Fan, J. (2015). Social self-efficacy predicts chinese college students’ first-year transition: A four-wave longitudinal investigation. Journal of Career Assessment, 23(3), 410-426.
• Monroe, P. (2009). International encyclopedia of education. (Ed.) New Delhi: Cosmo Publications.
• Mooney, S. P., Sherman, M. F., & Lo-Presto, C. T. (1991). Academic locus of control, self-esteem, and perceived distance from home as predictors of college adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69(5), 445-448.
• Murray, C., Lombardi, A., Bender, F., & Gerdes, H. (2013). Social support: Main and moderating effects on the relation between financial stress and adjustment among college students with disabilities. Social Psychology of Education, 16(2), 277–295.
• Özkan, S., ve Yılmaz, E. (2010). Üniversite öğrencilerinin üniversite yaşamına uyum durumları (Bandırma örneği). Fırat Sağlık Hizmetleri Dergisi, 5(13), 153-171.
• Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• Paul, E. L., & Brier, S. (2001). Friendsickness in the transition to college: Precollege predictors and college adjustment correlates. Journal of Counseling and Development, 79, 77-89.
• Perls, F. S. (1969). Gestalt therapy verbatim. USA: Real People Press.
• Pittman, L.D. & Richmond, A. (2008). University belonging, friendship quality, and psychological adjustment during the transition to college. The Journal of Experimental Education, 76, 343-362.
• Rahat, E. (2014). Benlik kurgusu, sosyal destek, başa çıkma stilleri ve yılmazlığın üniversite yaşamına uyumu yordama güçlerinin incelenmesi. (Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi), Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Tokat.
• Rienties, B., Beausaert, S., Grohnert, T., Niemantsverdriet, S., & Kommers, P. (2011). Understanding academic performance of international students: The role of ethnicity, academic and social integration. Higher Education Quarterly, 63, 685-700.
• Salami, S. O. (2011). Psychosocial predictors of adjustment among first year college of education students. US-China Education Review, 8(2), 239-248.Schumacher, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2010). A beginner's guide to structural equation modeling. New York: Routledge.
• Sevinç, S. (2010). Üniversite birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin üniversiteye uyumlarını olumsuz etkileyen faktörlerin incelenmesi (Yayınlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi). Mersin Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Mersin.
• Sevinç, S. ve Gizir, C. A. (2014). Üniversite birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin bakış açılarından üniversiteye uyumu olumsuz etkileyen faktörler (Mersin Üniversitesi örneği). Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 14(4), 1285- 1308.
• Sürücü, M., ve Bacanlı, F. (2010). Üniversiteye uyumun psikolojik dayanıklılık ve demografik değişkenlere göre incelenmesi. Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 2, 375 – 396.
• Steingass, S, J. & Sykes, S. (2008). Centralizing advising to improve student outcomes. Peer Review, 10(1), 18-20.
• Swenson, L. M., Nordstrom, A., & Hiester, M. (2008). The role of peer relationships in adjustment to college. Journal of College Student Development, 49(6), 551-567.
• Tao, S., Dong, Q., Pratt, M. W., Hunsberger, B., & Pancer, S. M. (2000). Social support: Relations to coping and adjustment during the transition to university in the People’s Republic of China. Journal of Adolescent Research, 15, 123-144.
• Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
• Tinto, V. (1988). Stages of student departure: Reflections on the longitudinal character of student leaving. Journal of Higher Education, 59(4), 438-455.
• Trockel, M. T., Barnes, M. D., & Egget, D. L. (2000). Health-related variables and academic performance among first-year college students: Implications for sleep and other behavior. Journal of American College Health, 49, 125-38.
• Tuna, M., E. (2003). Cross-cultural differences in coping strategies as a predictor of university adjustment of Turkish and U.S students. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
• Uslu-Gülşen, F. (2017). Yükseköğretimde okul terkinin değerlendirilmesi (Yayınlanmamış doktora tezi). Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Eskişehir.
• Yalım, D. (2007). First year college adjustment: The role of coping, ego resiliency, optimism and gender. (Unpublished master’s thesis), Middle East Technical University, Ankara.
• Yildirim, O. (2009). A study of adjustment problems of Turkish students studying in dual diploma engineering programs in the U.S.A.: The effects of English language, education differences, & academic program structure. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation), State University of New York, Buffalo.
• Wintre, M. G., & Bowers, C. D. (2007). Predictors of persistence to graduation: Extending a model and data on the transition to university model. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 39, 220-234.