Adjustment levels of first year students in public universities in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract

The study assessed the academic, social, and emotional adjustment of first year students in public universities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana and its implications for counselling. The descriptive survey design was employed for the study. The multistage sampling procedure was used to select 420 first year students for the study. The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) was adapted to collect data for the study. Data was analysed descriptively (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations) and inferentially (independent samples t-test, and one-way analysis of variance). The findings showed that some of the first-year students had high academic, social and emotional adjustment while others also had low academic, social and emotional adjustment. The study revealed a statistically significant gender difference in social adjustment of the first-year students. Statistically significant differences also existed in academic, social, and emotional adjustment of first year students based on the university campus they studied. It was observed that significant differences existed in academic, and social adjustment of first year students based on their residential status. It was concluded that gender is a key factor when it comes to social adjustment of first year students. It was recommended that counselling departments in the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) should provide periodic academic, social and emotional adjustment counselling services to first year students to improve their adjustment on the university campus.