Student-faculty interactions and college adjustment were analyzed as predictors of academic achievement. Participants included undergraduate freshmen enrolled in an Introduction to Psychology course (N = 86) from a large university in the southeastern United States. It was hypothesized that student-faculty interactions and college adjustment would predict academic achievement, and that student-faculty interactions would be a greater predictor than college adjustment. A hierarchical multiple regression model was analyzed and the model was not significant as a predictor of academic achievement. Further analysis determined that a significant correlation existed between college adjustment and academic achievement. Together, these findings suggest that student-faculty interactions and college adjustment combined are not predictors of academic achievement. However, college adjustment was a significant contributor to academic achievement within this study.

One fundamental aspect of engagement in higher education is faculty-student interaction. Faculty-student interaction has been associated with student success and persistence in both four- and two-year higher education institutions. Due to a lack of research concerning community college students, understanding student engagement in higher education is based on White, traditional-age students who attend four-year institutions. However, community colleges enroll almost half of US undergraduates. Community college studentsâ€"!primary involvement or interaction typically occurs inside the classroom due to their part-time status, employment responsibilities, lack of involvement in student activities, and attendance at non-residential campuses. Increasing faculty-student interaction does seem to be a possible approach to assist students in their educational endeavors while enrolled at community colleges. Only a limited number of researchers have examined faculty-student interaction in a community college setting. The purpose of this study was to explore the variables that predict faculty-student interaction of community college students. This research project was guided by two theories that examine student engagement and faculty-student interaction: Astinâ€"! (1985) student involvement theory and Paceâ€"! (1979) student development and college impress model. Descriptive and inferential statistics examined the data and answered three research questions. Of the 15 independent variables, multiple regression revealed that five (age, grants/scholarships, GPA, orientation program/course, and learning community) were significant predictors of faculty-student interaction for full-time community college students and four (first-generation status, GPA, orientation program/course, and learning community) were significant predictors of faculty-student interaction for part-time community college students. Both models had three of the same significant independent variables (GPA, orienta.

College Student Psychological Adjustment provides the reader an in-depth understanding of students’ relationship experiences in college and how those experiences shape their adjustment to college. Each chapter examines research on one key relationship in a student’s life to better understand how those relationships are re-worked during the college years and what factors help determine adaptive relational outcomes. Along the way, a number of controversial topics are considered from a scholarly perspective, including the effects of helicopter parenting on students’ development in college, the prevalence and problematic nature of the hook-up culture on college campuses today, and policies related to whether students should be randomly assigned to live with their first-year roommates or be allowed to choose their roommates, based on a matching system. Aimed at advanced students and scholars in the fields of psychology, human development, and higher education, readers of this book will gain a fresh perspective on the relationship development of college students and possible avenues for intervention to help students enhance their relationships skills and prevent development of mental health difficulties.

Previous research has compared the impacts of college adjustment, belongingness, and academic self-efficacy on first-generation and continuing-generation college students. However, the impacts of these factors on academic success (GPA) and persistence of first-semester, first-generation college students have not been investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to examine college adjustment and belongingness for first-semester, first-generation college students, with a focus on race and gender. This study also examined the impact of academic self-efficacy (i.e., course self-efficacy and social self-efficacy), college adjustment, and belongingness for academic success (GPA) and persistence of these students. The roles of race and gender in relation to the moderators of college adjustment were also explored. Eighty-two students completed measures of college adjustment, belongingness, and academic self-efficacy (i.e., course self-efficacy and social self-efficacy). Participants were recruited via in-class announcements and completed all study measures through an online questionnaire. Results of multiple regression and ANOVAs demonstrated that College Adjustment, Belongingness, and academic self-efficacy (i.e., Course Self-efficacy and Social Self-efficacy), were not statistically significant predictors of Academic Success (GPA) or Persistence in this sample. Results of independent-sample t-tests, however, did reveal a statistically significant difference in the College Adjustment subscale, Institutional Attachment, between males and females. Independent-samples t-tests also revealed a statistically significant difference in first and second semester Academic Success (GPA) for students who Persisted to third semester and those who Did Not. Additional exploratory analysis, chi-square tests, found no significant associations between the impact of Gender, having a Pell Grant, Minority Status, or belonging to an Academic Support Program on Academic Success (GPA) and Persistence. Limitations of the present study and implications for future research along with potential implications of these findings for counselor education, research, and practice were also explored.