Trajectories of university adjustment in the United Kingdom: Emotion management and emotional self-efficacy protect against initial poor adjustment

Nightingale, S.M., Roberts, S, Tariq, Vicki, Appleby, Yvon, Barnes, Lynne orcid iconORCID: 0000-0003-4504-7139, Harris, Rebecca orcid iconORCID: 0000-0003-4326-2425, Dacre-pool, Lorraine orcid iconORCID: 0000-0003-2049-8670 and Qualter, Pamela (2013) Trajectories of university adjustment in the United Kingdom: Emotion management and emotional self-efficacy protect against initial poor adjustment. Learning and Individual Differences, 27 . pp. 174-181. ISSN 1041-6080

[thumbnail of 8988_Dacrepool HEA_LEID_R3_FULL_DOCUMENT 2013.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Accepted Version
235kB

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.08.004

Abstract

Little is known about individual differences in the pattern of university adjustment. This study explored longitudinal associations between emotional self-efficacy, emotion management, university adjustment, and academic achievement in a sample of first year undergraduates in the United Kingdom (N=331). Students completed measures of adjustment to university at three points during their first year at university. Latent Growth Mixture Modeling identified four trajectories of adjustment: (1) low, stable adjustment, (2) medium, stable adjustment, (3) high, stable adjustment, and (4) low, increasing adjustment. Membership of the low, stable adjustment group was predicted by low emotional self-efficacy and low emotion management scores, measured at entry into university. This group also had increased odds of poor academic achievement, even when grade at entry to university was controlled. Students who increased in adjustment had high levels of emotion management and emotional self-efficacy, which helped adaptation. These findings have implications for intervention.


Repository Staff Only: item control page