The Role of Adaptive Readiness and Subjective Assessment of the Situation in the Academic Adaptation of University Students

The purpose of the study is to identify the role of adaptive readiness and subjective assessment of the situation in the academic adaptation of students. The results were obtained from a sample of 385 respondents studying at higher educational institutions in Moscow, Volgograd, as well as Saratov and the region. The following tools were used: the "Scale of diagnostics of adaptive readiness of personality" (M.V. Grigorieva), the methodology of diagnosis of academic adaptation (R.M. Shamionov et al.), the author's scales of significance and stress of situations in the educational environment. It is shown that the predictors of academic adaptation of students are interactions with the administration and classmates, the importance of lectures. It is revealed that the psychological component of adaptive readiness is a predictor of academic adaptation. The travel analysis confirmed the hypothesis of the leading role of relations with the administration and classmates, lecture classes in their academic adaptation. The psychological and socio-psychological components of adaptive readiness also play an important role in the academic adaptation of students. It has been established that the components of adaptive readiness are direct predictors of academic adaptation. In addition, they are mediators of a direct link between the attitude to the educational environment and academic adaptation. It is concluded that mediation of adaptive readiness in the presented model can be recommended for the development of academic adaptation programs.

Introduction

Modern conditions of social activity of young people are characterized by new challenges, dynamism and variability. The educational and developmental activity of the younger generation is no exception. The transition of the educational space to a mixed version during the pandemic period and back to the post-pandemic period, the clarification of strategic directions for the development of education determine the relevance of considering issues of academic adaptation to the educational environment, adaptive readiness.

The adaptive readiness of M.V. Grigoryeva is understood as the predisposition of a person not only to perceive, but also to accept a changing environment, the implementation of possible actions in the aspect of a new situation that establish parity between the requirements and capabilities of the environment [Grigoryeva, 2017]. Contributing to the effectiveness of activities in a new situation, adaptive readiness includes the symbiosis of past experience, the orientation of the individual to interact with new, dynamic conditions of the educational environment. As for the structure of adaptive readiness, a number of studies empirically identify its components: psychological, psychophysiological, socio-psychological [Konovalova, 2021; Sharov, 2021].

A subjective assessment allows you to analyze the situation, including in the educational environment, from the perspective of your own experience, learned norms and rules [Akimova, 2018]. In other words, the subject's perception of the situation, attitude towards it, its interpretation and significance determine the choice of a particular behavioral strategy [Baeva, 2023; Bityuczkaya, 2023]. A subjective assessment of the situation in the educational environment can lead to the manifestation of stress. Thus, according to empirical studies by Russian authors, the vast majority of students (more than 80%) have a pronounced stress-related lifestyle in general [Zhilina, 2006], the situation of intermediate certification is stressful [Sorokovikova, 2013]. Significant factors with subjective stress for students of a pedagogical university are given: oral and written surveys, the amount of tasks in the context of independent work, as well as the duration of training sessions [Torikova, 2021].

Russian and foreign researchers agree that academic adaptation is the acceptance, awareness, and mastery of the norms, principles, and rules of the educational system. In other words, it is the ability to successfully interact in an educational environment [Grigoryeva, 2018; Hassan, 2023]. The components of academic adaptation are: motivation to learn, clarity of educational goals, involvement in academic interaction, and overall satisfaction with the academic environment [Choi, 2023]. Foreign researchers focus on the problem of chemical addiction of students, which arises as a result of anxiety and problems of interpersonal interaction, as a negative factor affecting academic adaptation [Mishra, 2020; Páramo, 2020; Rumrill, 2024]. Among the domestic studies, we note the work of R.M. Shamionov and co-authors, which presents a methodology for diagnosing students' academic adaptation to higher education. It consists of 6 scales that evaluate particular components of academic adaptation (personal, emotional-evaluative, cognitive, motivational, communicative and psychophysiological), and also includes an integral scale [Shamionov, 2022].The work of M.V. Grigorieva and co-authors presents the structural components of academic adaptation at school age: consistency of self-esteem, orientation towards independence in learning and communication with peers, psychophysiological distress, avoidance of trouble in the school educational environment based on self-regulation and action planning, the desire to improve normative behavior, social success, as well as general emotional well-being [Grigorieva, 2021]. As for the correlation between the stress situation and the adaptation components, in a recent study by E.A. Makhrina, A.V. Timofeev showed that students' adaptation and stress tolerance are directly and significantly interrelated [Mahrina, 2022].

Modern works define academic stress as a psychological phenomenon that manifests itself in a variety of response options and stress resolution opportunities for students in situations of uncertainty and risk [Matyushkina, 2016; Semina, 2023]. Interestingly, foreign research highlights the trajectories of perceived academic stress, as well as protective factors in the context under consideration [Willison, 2017]. As a result of the analysis of empirical data obtained, Korean researchers conclude that resilience reduces the impact of academic stress on academic adaptation [Zhao, 2023]. Thus, there is a growing scientific interest in various aspects of the problems of students' adaptive readiness to the educational environment of the university, the stress of the situation of entry into it, highlighting the features of students' academic adaptation and determining its structural components.

Sampling and design of the study

The study sample included 385 respondents studying at higher educational institutions in Moscow, Volgograd, as well as Saratov and the region. The average age is 22.4 years. 60% are female. 61% are residents of the regional center, 15% are from the suburbs and villages, and 24% live in a megalopolis. Students in bachelor's degree programs – 76%, master's degree – 23%, specialty – 1%. First-year students – 43%, students in the 2nd and subsequent courses - 57%.

The diagnostic battery included: scales for the diagnosis of adaptive readiness of a person [Baeva, 2023], methods for the diagnosis of academic adaptation [Semina, 2023], author's scales of significance and stress of situations in the educational environment of the university, which demonstrated an acceptable level of reliability (Cronbach's alpha integral coefficient on 8 scales – 0.832).

Applied statistical procedures: calculation of descriptive statistics, one-factor analysis of variance with repetitions, Pearson correlation analysis, direct stepwise regression analysis, path analysis. Statistical package: IBM SPSS Statistics 26.

The database with the results of the study is presented in the MSPPU RusPsyData repository [Shamionov, 2024].

The results of the study

Descriptive statistics and comparison results for the obtained indicators are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. The severity of the components of adaptive readiness and academic adaptation

Note: F is the empirical value of the analysis of variance, p is the significance level.

From the table of one-factor variance analysis with repetitions, it can be seen that the more pronounced components of academic adaptation are communicative and motivational, the differences between which are absent (the authors have calculations with which they are ready to share if necessary). At the same time, the indicators of the personal, cognitive, and emotional-evaluative components also do not significantly differ. The most pronounced component of adaptive readiness is socio-psychological. In assessing the situations of the educational environment, the most significant is interaction with classmates and with teachers with whom there are good relations. According to the results of the correlation analysis, the interrelations between the indicators of academic adaptation of students and all components of adaptive readiness (in the range of 0.189–0.455 at p<0.001) were established. It was also revealed that all indicators of the importance of educational environment situations are interrelated with academic adaptation (in the range of 0.142–0.358 at p<0.001).

As part of the search for predictors of academic adaptation among the components of adaptive readiness and attitude to the educational environment, we conducted a regression analysis procedure. The results are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Attitude to the educational environment and components of adaptive readiness as predictors of academic adaptation (N=385)

As can be seen from Table 2, the psychological component of adaptive readiness serves as the most important predictive factor of academic adaptation; predictors of academic adaptation of students are also indicators of the importance of various characteristics of the educational environment – interaction with the administration, with classmates with whom there is a good relationship, with classmates with whom there is a bad relationship, the importance of lectures.

At the next stage of the study, we conducted a path analysis (see Figure) to test the hypothesis about the role of adaptive readiness (AH) and attitudes to various areas of the educational environment in the academic adaptation of students. The presented indicators support the consistency of the model. This model explains 35% of the variance in students' academic adaptation by direct correlation of the importance of relationships with the administration, with classmates with whom there are good and bad relationships, as well as the importance of lectures with academic adaptation. At the same time, indicators of adaptive readiness are direct predictors of academic adaptation, and also play an intermediary role in connecting relationships and adaptation.

Fig. The path analysis

Discussion of the results

A comparative analysis of the components of academic adaptation has revealed that the motivational and communicative components are the most pronounced, followed by the personal, emotional, evaluative and cognitive components, while the psychophysiological component of adaptation is the least pronounced. These data are consistent with the previously obtained results, according to which the psychophysiological component was less pronounced compared to the others, and the level of motivational and communicative was more significant [Shamionov, 2022]. In this regard, the higher level of socio-psychological adaptability of students is not surprising, which obviously serves as a basis for reinforcing the motivational and communicative aspects of academic adaptation. The same can be said about assessments of "relational" situations in an educational environment where the importance of interaction with classmates and teachers with whom good relations have developed dominates. However, subsequent analysis has shown that not everything is so clear.

As a result of the correlation analysis of the indicators, we have established the relationship between the academic adaptation of students and all components of adaptive readiness (psychological, socio-psychological and psychophysiological), which indicates in favor of their stable conjugation. This result is consistent with the previously obtained data on the relationship between adaptive readiness and adaptability of students [Grigoryeva, 2018]. At the same time, all indicators of the importance of the educational environment situation are also interrelated with academic adaptation. Consequently, the importance of training sessions, the importance of interactions with teachers, administrators, and classmates (regardless of existing relationships, positive or bad) is associated with academic adaptation. It can be assumed that the significance of situations is the student's personal interest in establishing balanced relationships within the system, which in the learning process creates a certain comfort zone in terms of coping with various situations due to the presence of adaptive readiness, which presupposes the ability to adapt to the situation [Snegireva, 2021].

As a result of step-by-step regression analysis, it was found that the psychological component of adaptive readiness explains about 17% of the variance in students' academic adaptation. The regression model did not include the psychophysiological component of readiness, which may be due to the relative stability of the individual's psychophysiological resources, and the socio-psychological component, possibly due to the greater importance of the relationship itself in the academic environment. At the same time, the importance of educational environment situations explains a more significant proportion of the variance (18%) of students' academic adaptation, which may be due to its assessment for adaptation. Moreover, we are not talking about their tension, but, therefore, as can be assumed, about the sufficiency of interest in the situation to achieve adaptation in general in the academic environment.

It should be noted that as a result of regression analysis, it was found that the predictors of academic adaptation are the importance of interaction with both the university administration and fellow students (with whom positive and negative relationships have developed), but there is no significance of interactions with teachers. At the same time, the importance of lectures is a positive predictor. Obviously, the assessment of classes here explains a certain part of the variance of academic adaptation. These results are correlated with previously obtained data from another group of researchers. Thus, it was found that the emotional components of the attitude towards the educational environment are predictors of the academic adaptation of college students [Baeva, 2023; Novikova, 2022].

The path analysis undertaken by us confirmed the hypothesis about the leading role of the importance of relations with the administration and classmates, as well as lecture forms of classes at the university and the psychological and socio-psychological components of students' adaptive readiness for their academic adaptation. In the obtained model, it is established that the components of adaptive readiness are both direct predictors of academic adaptation and mediators of a direct relationship between the attitude to the educational environment (the significance of its components) and academic adaptation. The mediation of adaptive readiness in this model enhances the explained variance of academic adaptation and, therefore, can be taken into account for the development of academic adaptation programs. The lack of connection with the importance of interaction with teachers with whom subjectively assessed positive or bad relationships have developed with academic adaptation does not indicate the absence of their role in it, but may indicate a declining role of direct contact with the teacher in the current assessment situation in higher education institutions due to the significant introduction of the test system. At the same time, adaptation significantly affects academic performance [Zolotareva, 2021]. Therefore, the experience of entering the educational environment of the university, reflected in adaptive readiness, and the importance of interaction in the educational environment can be considered as the basis for the academic success of students.

Conclusion

Students' adaptive readiness is a systematic personal education that characterizes the experience of entering the educational environment at various levels (psychophysiological, psychological, socio-psychological), thanks to which mechanisms are "triggered" to ensure its successful development in new university learning situations. In this study, an attempt is made to establish the role of adaptive readiness and attitude to the educational environment in the academic adaptation of students.

Summarizing the results obtained, a number of conclusions can be drawn.

The strongest predictors of academic adaptation are the importance of interactions with the administration and classmates with whom positive and negative relationships have developed, and the importance of lectures. A direct predictor of adaptive readiness is its psychological component. Students' adaptive readiness explains the general academic adaptation somewhat less. However, it mediates the connection between the significance of situations and adaptation.

In our opinion, as a relatively stable education, adaptive readiness can act as a shock absorber in the system of relations in the educational environment. Therefore, the results obtained can be used for socio-psychological support of students' academic adaptation at different levels.

The novelty of the research results lies in obtaining previously unknown data on the factors of academic adaptation. A direct directional relationship has been established between adaptive readiness, formed on the basis of students' experience of adaptation, and academic adaptation and its mediating role in relation to the educational environment and academic adaptation. As part of the study of the problem of academic adaptation, the most important thing for researchers is that among the various factors of adaptation (including those that are absolute in the education system), some really contribute to this process, while others turn out to be insignificant and even undermine it.

The main limitations of the study are: the analysis of a sample of students regardless of the course of study and the disproportion of the sample by gender (there are more women). There are also limitations related to the assessment of everyday stressors affecting students' academic adaptation and attitudes towards digital educational technologies, including testing technologies. In subsequent works, the role of the socio-psychological service of the university in the interaction of students' attitudes to the educational environment of the university and their academic adaptation can be analyzed. Research is also required to identify the causes of stress in certain forms of work at the university and ways to eliminate them.

Shamionov R.M., Sharov A.A. (2024). Materials of an Empirical Study of the Role of Adaptive Readiness and Subjective Assessment of the Situation in the Educational Environment of a University in the Academic Adaptation of Students: Data set. RusPsyData: Repository of psychological research and instruments. Moscow. DOI: 10.48612/MSUPE/mh9n-t1et-8v7t

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