DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.84.12.5
Volume 13 - Issue 84: 61-76 / December, 2024
How to Cite:
Pavelkiv, R., Anushkevych, V., Vovkochyn, L., Tytovych, A., Bykova, O. (2024). The role of psychological adaptation in the process of students' self-realization. Amazonia Investiga, 13(84), 77-96. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2024.84.12.5
The role of psychological adaptation in the process of students' self-realization
Роль психологічної адаптації у процесі самореалізації студентів
Received: November 16, 2024 Accepted: December 27, 2024
Written by:
Roman Pavelkiv
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6564-4507
Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Professor, Head at the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Rivne State University for the Humanities, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: AAM-2663-2020 - Email: roman.pavelkiv@rshu.edu.ua
Volodymyr Anushkevych
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3535-2062
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Assistant of the Department of Psychology, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: KWT-9017-2024 - Email: avi0635981234@gmail.com
Lyudmyla Vovkochyn
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8058-7926
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Physical Education and Health Care Department, Cherkasy State Technological University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: GRQ-6998-2022 - Email: milav0805@gmail.com
Andrii Tytovych
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4283-4105
Ph.D. Associate Professor of the Department of Sports Disciplines and Physical Education, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: JXM-8386-2024 - Email: tit050979@ukr.net
Oleksandra Bykova
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1427-9853
Postgraduate Student, Flight Academy of the National Aviation University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: LNQ-8072-2024 - Email: oleksandra.kulik84@gmail.com
Abstract
The article reveals the content clarifies the essence of the concept of adaptation, and identifies the directions of adaptation, levels, types, and types of psychological adaptation. The article aims to show the important role of psychological adaptation in the process of self-realization of students of higher educational institutions. The methodological principles of the study are: leading provisions of the theory of scientific knowledge; general scientific principles of historicism, systematics, and scientificity; conceptual provisions of pedagogical, psychological, and sociological sciences; ideas of experience based on the synchronous study of pedagogical, socio-cultural and economic phenomena; philosophical and pedagogical ideas of the development of modern education. An experimental study conducted among first-year students to determine anxiety and levels of their adaptation at the ascertaining stage showed the need to implement a developmental program for reducing anxiety during the adaptation period, developed for first-year students of higher educational institutions. As a result of the experiment, the study of the control stage makes it possible to say that thanks to the introduction of developmental activities in the EG, which took place in the form of training sessions, which are provided for by the developmental program to reduce anxiety, the general emotional state of EG students can be considered satisfactory, and the students' anxiety has decreased.
Keywords: psychological adaptation, self-realization of students, self-development of personality, affirmation in the profession, adaptive orientation.
Анотація
У статті розкрито зміст та з’ясовано сутність поняття адаптації, виокремлено напрями адаптації, рівні, типи та види психологічної адаптації. Метою статті є показати важливу роль психологічної адаптації в процесі самореалізації студентів вищих навчальних закладів. Методологічними засадами дослідження є: провідні положення теорії наукового пізнання; загальнонаукові принципи історизму, системності, науковості; концептуальні положення педагогічних, психологічних, соціологічних наук; ідеї досвіду на основі синхронного вивчення педагогічних, соціально-культурних і економічних явищ; філософсько-педагогічні ідеї розвитку сучасної освіти. Проведене експериментальне дослідження серед студентів першого курсу з метою визначення тривожності та рівнів їхньої адаптації на констатувальному етапі показало необхідність впровадженя розробленої для студентів першого курсу закладів вищої освіти розвивальної програми зниження тривожності у період адаптації. В результаті експерименту дослідження контрольного етапу дає можливість говорити, що завдяки упровадженню в ЕГ розвивальним заходам, що відбувалися у формі тренінгових занять, які передбачено розвивальною програмою зі зниження тривожності, загальний емоційний стан студентів ЕГ можна вважати задовільним, тривожність студентів знизилась.
Ключові слова: психологічна адаптація, самореалізація студентів, саморозвиток особистості, ствердження в професії, адаптаційна зорієнтованість.
Introduction
Currently, the problem of adaptation is one of the key problems of psychology. The increasing interest in the problem of social and psychological adaptation and the increasingly active study of this topic in the mainstream of social psychology is due to the intensive changes taking place in modern society. Instability and, often, unpredictability of social processes impose increased demands on the individual, who must, on the one hand, meet social requirements, and, on the other, maintain internal stability and balance.
In modern conditions, a person is forced to update his vision of the world, views, and ideas about reality at increasingly shorter intervals. At the same time, the tendency to recognize the value of human individuality and, accordingly, the possibility of self-realization of a person in conditions of productive interaction with the social environment is becoming increasingly clear (Muzaliov & Shydelko, 2012).
For effective behavior in modern society, a person must meet the following requirements: 1) understand the nature of society and the organizations that form it; 2) understand his role and the role of other people in these organizations; 3) be able to analyze the results of his activities and the activities of the organizations to which he belongs. Being one of the important components of the process of forming the personality of a future specialist, higher education implies not only the acquisition of knowledge but also the development of a harmoniously developed personality. In the process of education, a person's life position is formed, and self-realization, self-respect, and self-affirmation are carried out. In the context of the problem under consideration, the university plays a dual role. On the one hand, higher education is a special socio-psychological environment, where an applicant is forced to part with his usual realities and get used to new conditions. At the same time, the success of a student's adaptation depends on two main factors - the characteristics of the individual and the characteristics of the educational environment. In addition to providing a new social space for an applicant, the university forms in its students the ability to adapt to new conditions, preparing its future graduates for effective work in the relevant professional field. The task of the university is to make its students feel their own strength and ability to achieve their goals (Doroshenko, 2017).
Despite the significant attention recently paid to the issues of human adaptation to social conditions, many aspects of the problem remain insufficiently developed. Thus, there is still no systematic development of the concept of socio-psychological adaptation of students at a university that would take into account the complexity and inconsistency of this phenomenon, there is uncertainty regarding the methods of studying this phenomenon in the context of the functioning of student self-government (SSG), the most pressing problem of adaptive resources of the individual still does not find an adequate methodological solution.
The question of the role played by a student group as a socio-psychological environment in the process of student adaptation at a university remains open. The success of the impact of student self-government on the process of student adaptation at a university has been little studied from the point of view of psychology.
The multifaceted, complex nature of the problem of socio-psychological adaptation of students at a university and a significant amount of unsystematized material related to this problem confront researchers with the need to consider some methodological principles and approaches to its study to create a holistic unified concept.
It is worth noting that 33.3% of students have a high rate of aggressiveness, which indicates obvious problems in the process of their adaptation. At the same time, a high rate of 36.2% was found in the state of rigidity, which indicates difficulty in changing the subject's planned program of activity in conditions that objectively require its restructuring, which undoubtedly indicates the fact of a problem in the process of adaptation. Confirming this, we note that a smaller number of students have low-level indicators. Since a high level of all these states indicates problems in the process of socio-psychological adaptation, we can say that a low level will indicate an adequate course of the process of adaptation of first-year students to the conditions of study in higher education. As noted above, while going through the adaptation process, a student experiences certain difficulties and associated unpleasant mental states, such as: anxiety, frustration, aggressiveness, and rigidity. This does not always indicate maladaptation and is a signal of the need to work with such students (Pinska, 2022).
In this regard, the problem of psychological adaptation of students becomes relevant, because it is on the level of adaptability that the ability of a young person to move to a higher level of individual development, increase their self-esteem, confidence, and awareness of their life position depends. In this regard, the topic of the article was chosen.
The development of psychological adaptation in the process of self-realization of students in the quality training of future specialists is currently a relevant issue of the theory and methodology of teaching in the educational process. Based on this, we considered the following questions in the article:
Literature Review
The systematization of psychological aspects of self-realization of the individual, its theoretical analysis, disclosure of the essence of self-realization of the individual, interdependence, and interrelationship of the analysis of the problem of psychological aspects of human self-realization are the subjects of research by modern scientists. Thus, O. Pinska (2022) focused on the characteristics of personal key aspects of human adaptation, considered the essence of self-realization of the individual and showed variable approaches to defining this concept as a psychological phenomenon, outlined the basic aspects of self-realization of the individual and substantiated the system of psychological relationships; made a meaningful description of the value aspect of self-realization of the individual and the target; described the internal psychological determinants of self-realization.
The essence and content of the concept of "adaptation", the features of the professional and psychological adaptation of a future teacher of music art are revealed by T. Doroshenko (2017), and the definition of the term "professional adaptation of a future teacher of music art" in the author's interpretation is presented; the main principles of adaptation are presented, which are effective in forming the readiness for professional self-realization of a future teacher of music art; the author's conditions for implementing the principle of adaptation are developed. It is proved that adaptation is an important factor in forming the readiness for professional self-realization of a future teacher of music art. Adaptation is presented as the final stage of self-realization and professional self-determination of the individual, which makes professional activity innovative and possible.
The research on the processes and factors of the formation of a young person's personality, the processes of his identification, and adaptation was carried out in the works of O. Muzaliov & A. Shydelko (2012). It is proved that the self-realization of the individual is possible provided that the individual determines the diagnosis of the conscious goal of the "I-ideal", realistic and supported by ideas about his own "I-real", awareness of the ways to achieve it and accepting it for implementation.
At the same time, theoretical issues of the influence of student adaptation on the process of professional development of his personality remain poorly studied. The practical focus of the work, related to the study of the dynamics of the development of professionally significant personality traits of a student in the process of adaptation, is also relevant. The theoretical basis of the study was the conceptual foundations of the theory of social and psychological adaptation of a person. V. Zlyvkov, S. Lukomska & O. Fedan (2016) devoted their research to the analysis of modern psychological foreign studies of crises, the possibility of implementing productive self-realization through mechanisms of goal-setting compliance with the potential real capabilities of the individual, the adequacy of the means and methods of goal realization used. Different directions of possibilities for post-stress recovery, coping strategies, and research on crises were determined. The expediency of the development of self-realization of the individual was substantiated; attention was paid to the typology of human stress disorders through its mediation by certain psychological aspects.
At the beginning of the 21st century, scientific interest in the temporal aspects of personal identity has increased significantly. In recent years, socio-psychological research has studied retrospective, current, and prospective identity. The foundations of social adaptation are revealed; trends in the study of childhood in the modern global society are analyzed; the structure and essence of the concept of adaptation are considered; the peculiarities of the process of adaptation of a gifted individual are investigated at different age periods of study; to ensure the maximum realization of the individual's potential, a model of organizing socio-psychological adaptation in the conditions of the information and educational environment of educational institutions is developed (Androsovych et al., 2021).
In turn, scientists from foreign countries consider the problem of psychological adaptation in the process of students' self-realization and draw attention to its importance. The works of scientists from foreign countries are of great importance in the formation of psychological adaptation. The analysis of foreign scientific works provides grounds for better orientation in scientific approaches to the essence of psychological adaptation and its place in the modern educational space. We would like to emphasize that the authors Wu, X. I., Occhipinti, S., & Watson, B. (2023) draw attention to psychological adaptation using a linguistic and socio-psychological approach using the theory of communication adaptation and the desire to communicate in a second language. Scientists Kelleci, M., Tel, H., Gündogdu, N. A., & Mert, Z. T. (2021) in their work consider the assessment of bullying by peers, Internet addiction, and the possibilities of psychological adaptation of students. Schotte, K., Rjosk, C., Edele, A., Hachfeld, A., & Stanat, P. (2022) based on two large-scale studies in Germany, investigated how different types of teachers' cultural beliefs are related to the adaptation of immigrant students to school.
Despite all the research on the role of psychological adaptation in the process of students' self-realization. These problems are caused by the following contradictions:
However, no single line has been developed regarding the essence of the concept of "adaptation". Some scientists see it as the adaptation of the individual to the environment, other scientists describe it as the interaction of people or a person with the environment, as the process of forming the main indicators of his personal and social properties by the conditions of the educational environment of a higher education institution. That is why this topic is still timely, it is relevant and requires further study, especially through the prism of higher education institutions with specific learning conditions.
Purpose of the research: to show the important role of psychological adaptation in the process of self-realization of students of higher education institutions.
Methodology
The methodological principles of the study are: leading provisions of the theory of scientific knowledge; general scientific principles of historicism, systematics, and scientificity; conceptual provisions of pedagogical, psychological, and sociological sciences; ideas of experience based on the synchronous study of pedagogical, socio-cultural and economic phenomena; philosophical and pedagogical ideas of the development of modern education.
Research methods:
Qualitative research methods are characterized by the fact that experimental data are collected from a relatively small group of respondents and are not analyzed using statistics, so we used quantitative methods in the study to study a large group of people and subsequently analyzed the data obtained using statistical methods.
When determining the sample of subjects, the general specificity of the subject of the study was taken into account. The total sample size is 42 subjects (67.5% (28 respondents) female; 32.5% (14 respondents) male). When forming the sample, the criteria of content, representativeness, and equivalence were taken into account. The sample was formed by random selection using the technical procedure for calculating the selection step.
The reliability and validity of the results obtained, and the objectivity of their assessment were ensured by the methodological soundness of the initial positions and the qualimetric mechanism for assessing the quality under study, the use of a complex of complementary research methods, and the involvement of a group of respondents from a higher educational institution in the analysis of its results.
The study largely depends on the accuracy and reliability of the data. In research work, the quality of data collection and analysis not only adds weight to the research but also contributes to the formation of well-founded conclusions, which is key to academic success. To assess the homogeneity of experimental and control data collection, statistical processing was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science).
The experiment was conducted at Rivne State University for the Humanities, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University, Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A.S. Makarenko. The conduct of the experiment is permitted by the scientific councils of the universities in order not to violate ethical considerations in institutions of higher education.
Rigor also requires researchers to adhere to ethical principles in conducting research, including ensuring the confidentiality of research participants' data and ensuring their safety during experiments. In addition, rigor involves the use of responsible methods and standards in conducting research, as well as compliance with the rules of scientific ethics in the process of publishing research results.
The results of the experimental study confirmed the applicability, optimality, and effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical conditions of psychological adaptation in the process of students' self-realization.
An experimental study was conducted among first-year students to determine anxiety and their levels of adaptation. The age of male and female students was 17-18 full years. Forty-two respondents made up the sample.
In September, students were tested (the ascertaining stage of the experiment) to measure the level of adaptation when first-year students were in a state of adaptation.
Quantitative indicators of the data obtained at the ascertaining stage of the study indicate that more than half of the students have a high and medium level of situational anxiety, characterized by nervousness, worry, anxiety, and tension – subjectively experienced emotions. The high level of personal anxiety found in students gives reason to assume that they may have a state of anxiety not only in adapting to learning but also in various situations. This may concern the assessment of his prestige and competence, etc.
As a result of conversations with first-year students, it was found that almost half of the first-year respondents feel frustration at a high level of the need to achieve success, at a high level, a third of the first-year respondents feel frustration, and at a normal level – a little less than a third feel frustration.
About a third of students at a high level have a fear of self-expression, at a high level of such students – a little more than a tenth, and at a low level, half of the students feel fear of self-expression.
A tenth of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at a normal level, more than half of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at an elevated level, and a third of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at a high level.
The fear of not meeting the expectations of others is at an elevated level for slightly more than half of the respondents. It turned out that first-year students have fears in relationships with their teachers.
We conducted a study of the level of adaptation of students in a higher education institution (confirmatory stage). The results obtained give grounds to state that a fifth of the respondents have a high level of adaptation to the study group. A third of the respondents have a low level of adaptation to the study group. The results obtained give grounds to state that a little more than a tenth of the respondents have a high level of adaptation to educational activities. A low level of adaptation to educational activities is observed in slightly more than a third of the respondents.
At the formative stage of the experiment, we implemented a developmental program for reducing anxiety during the adaptation period, designed for first-year students of higher education institutions, which is designed for ten classes (45 minutes each). Classes were held 2 times a week.
As a result of the study, we see that the number of EG students with a high level of situational and personal anxiety has significantly decreased after completing the developmental program. As a result of conversations with students, we realized that EG students note that they feel more joyful and calm in the team, look at the problem soberly, feel freedom and peace of mind, and do not despair. The results of the study showed that the level of adaptation to the study activity is as follows: 19% of respondents have a high level of adaptation to the study activity; 51% of respondents have an average level of adaptation to educational activities; 30% of respondents have a low level of adaptation to educational activities.
In the CG, respondents showed no significant changes in the results for situational anxiety, and the results for personal anxiety remained unchanged.
Using the Student's t-test for dependent samples, mathematical processing was performed to verify the reliability of the experimental data.
Thus, the experimental study makes it possible to say that thanks to the introduction of developmental activities in the EG, which took place in the form of training sessions, which is provided by the developmental program for reducing anxiety, the general emotional state of EG students can be considered satisfactory, the anxiety of students has decreased.
Results and Discussion
The content and essence of the concept of adaptation, areas of adaptation, levels, types, and types of psychological adaptation.
The problem of adaptation of young specialists is one of the most important psychological, pedagogical, and social problems of modern society. An important component of personality development is adaptation, the essence of which lies in the approximation of educational guidelines of professional training to the specific practical needs of innovative modern education in directing the educational process to develop in future specialists the skills of adaptation to the needs of practical activity, their own capabilities (Doroshenko, 2017).
Translated from late Latin, the term "adaptation" (adaptatio) means "adjustment" and is one of the main scientific and important concepts because it is a continuous chain of constant adaptations of living organisms to the dynamic natural conditions of life and various changes in their internal state. And the most essential distinguishing feature of life is the ability to adapt (Mytnyk et al., 2023).
Adaptation, depending on the changing conditions of the interaction of the organism with the environment, consists in the restructuring of the physiological processes of higher education students and is a dynamic process that creates conditions for maintaining the constancy of the internal environment in the organism in a changing external environment with a wide range of physiological changes in the organism of the higher education student (Puhach et al., 2021).
The following areas of adaptation are distinguished, considering general issues of adaptation:
In the process of adaptation of a student, the following levels are distinguished:
Let's highlight some types of psychological adaptation.
Psychological analysis at the level of a higher education applicant corresponds to the area of the conceptual field that treats adaptation as a process and, as a result – at the level of the individual. When considering the dynamics and structure of adaptive activity the course of adaptive processes, one should bear in mind the non-adaptability, adaptability, and maladaptability of a higher education applicant as a subject of his life activity, and when there is a formalization of mental processes in the form of complexes and states (neuroticism, fear, depression), it will be correct to use the terms adaptation: "non-adaptability", "adaptability" or "personality maladaptation" (Mytnyk et al., 2024). There is a certain convention in this distinction of concepts, but in theoretical terms, since it allows for a more differentiated representation of the palette of real interaction with a person's environment, it has a significant advantage. It is clear that the levels of psychological adaptation, like the levels of psychological cognition, are intertwined, complementing each other, and are closely related to each other (Muzaliov & Shydelko, 2012).
The connection of the function of self-realization with the ability and desire of the personality of a modern specialist for self-development and full affirmation in the profession.
The function of self-realization is connected with the ability and desire of the personality of a modern specialist for self-development and full affirmation in the profession. At the same time, there is a restructuring of the student's abilities and the system of skills necessary in this activity for realizing oneself as a modern specialist. In this process, it is not special skills that become dominant, but creative ones, which are in unity with changes and contribute to the direction of the educational process itself and allow adaptation to the profession (Overchuk et al., 2023).
The issue of the controllability of these processes is essential for understanding adaptation processes. Adaptation is adjusted in the process of psychological and pedagogical management of it. Adaptation processes become significant as an important factor for the prospective development of the student and the formation of his personality as a professional. The presence of integrity of adequate ideas about the professional training of the future specialist, the conditions of his activity at the enterprise or in the educational institution, and professional requirements and tasks for acquiring professional knowledge is conditioned by the motivation for adaptation processes (Sbicigo & Dell'Aglio, 2012).
Thus, psychological and pedagogical adaptation orients the student to the formation of a professionally active attitude to professional activity and to mastering specific skills of the professional direction.
Solving the issue of psychological adaptation of future specialists concerns the problem of their professional practical training – correlation with motivational guidelines, the ability of student youth to self-control, and self-analysis, which becomes a stimulus for professional adaptation to the needs of the specialty.
When training specialists in higher education institutions, it is worth making a transition from tasks of a reproductive nature to performing tasks of a creative and creative-research nature.
With the complication of such creative, research professional tasks, the awareness of students' need for adaptation increases. Students' adaptive capabilities increase by overcoming difficulties. The need for students to achieve research peaks of training, the creative direction of their activities, and actualize students' search approaches to adaptation. The level of such adaptation depends largely on personal qualities: independence, initiative, creative orientation, and self-realization.
Psychological aspects and psychological components of personality self-realization.
Self-realization is considered a conscious process of growth and development of the essential forces of a person, his skills, needs, creative abilities, life values, motives, as a person's realization of himself in everyday activities, in life through cooperation with other people, co-creation, his own efforts, as the affirmation and search in this world of his special path, his values and the meaning of life at each given moment of his existence.
Considering self-realization from a psychological point of view, focusing on the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon, speaking of self-realization as a universal ability of an individual to self-realization, a system of concepts is distinguished in the structure of self-realization: creativity, value, goal, need, meaning, process, result, etc., which are psychological components of self-realization (Pinska, 2022).
The self-realization of each student includes the choice, awareness, realization of all aspects of individuality, realization of potentials that contribute to self-expression, formation of one's own system of self-concept, motives, values, meanings, transformation of oneself, setting goals and determining ways to achieve them (Maksymenko & Osiodlo, 2010).
To form the tasks and goals of self-realization, values serve as the basis.
Value is a concept used to denote phenomena, their properties, objects, and abstract ideas that act as a standard of what is proper and, therefore, embody social ideals.
Let us describe three forms of the existence of value:
So, self-realization, the main characteristics of which are the awareness of the individual of his/her Self, is a complex psychological phenomenon with the characteristics of a unique, inimitable world, which is the highest need of a person, the satisfaction of which can ensure his/her full development.
The highest final result of the self-development of the individual is the realization and choice of values and goals as key psychological aspects of self-realization, the implementation of which is precisely what student youth want to devote their professional lives to (Pinska, 2022).
Types of students' educational activities that should be covered by adaptation orientation.
Let us distinguish the types of students' educational activities that should be covered by adaptation orientation:
The cognitive component of students' educational activities concerns the development of their ability to use existing knowledge of professional orientation in the process of acquiring knowledge.
By solving creative tasks, students come to understand the crucial importance of practical mastery of adaptation, awareness of its need, and not only the methods of psychological adaptation. The student, adapting to the real circumstances of the professional orientation of the educational field, relies on the actualization of his own creative capabilities, on independence in seeing the problem, and on the proactive solution to the situation. Thus, in solving the problem of self-realization of the individual, the formation of a creative specialist is associated with the implementation of adaptive processes in an innovative society when forming the readiness of future specialists for professional self-realization (Sluta et al., 2023).
Orientation to the prospect of the future profession – content, forms, methods, teaching in higher education, as a condition for implementing the principle of adaptation, involves the development of innovative tasks, the development of methods for implementing the student's professional orientation, the disclosure of his professional potential, the correction of the content of educational courses, which create the basis for the disclosure of the psychological and pedagogical potential of the student's personality and the development of forms of work necessary for professional growth throughout life (Demchenko et al., 2022).
Activation of independent work as a condition for implementing adaptation to expand the scope of non-regulation of students' educational actions.
For the implementation of adaptation to expand the scope of unregulated educational actions of students, it is necessary to maximize the activation of independent work in higher education, providing students with the means of individual strategy, freedom of choice, and delegation of responsibility for independently made decisions.
Based on providing pedagogical support, achieving interaction with teachers, and mutual respect between teachers and students, the scope of unregulated educational actions of students should be expanded (Vlasenko et al., 2023).
Psychological comfort between teachers and students allows a student to perceive himself as a capable person to find optimal ways to improve his professional orientation in the future, his own learning throughout life, and as a successful creative personality (Perera et al., 2020).
To eliminate the shortcomings of creative and search work, it is possible to conduct a benevolent criticism of the analytical order. Based on the expansion of the unregulated nature of students' activities, remarks that level the independence of students' approaches to educational or professional activity have no right to exist in the system of actualization of students' initiative (Zaveryko et al., 2022).
So, this approach shows that psychological adaptation, which is closely related to pedagogical adaptation in the educational process of higher education, makes professional activity possible and is the final stage of professional self-realization of the individual. Psychological adaptation, which is closely related to pedagogical adaptation, increases the level of professional adaptation of a specialist and leads to an increase in his professional skills as a person. Therefore, adaptation is important in forming the readiness of a future specialist for professional self-realization (Doroshenko, 2017).
Stages of success of psychological adaptation processes of students.
The success of the adaptation processes of students depends on the following:
The process of successful adaptation of students is complex and occurs in three stages:
Acceleration and facilitation of the adaptation process of students occur provided that optimal interaction of the “teacher-student”, and “student–student” systems is achieved.
Let us consider the difficulties of adaptation of each student, which may be due to:
With this classification, all types of adaptive processes are different. They differ in duration, intensity, and result of influence; they difactualize and activate each student's socio-psychological experience in different ways. Difficulties depend on the system of values, the student's self-image, the ability to cognitively evaluate, the personal significance of negative events, flexible rethinking of difficult situations, and the level of the student's spiritual and moral development.
Thus, the main reasons for the disorganization of the student's adaptive behavior are the experience of threats and the lack of effective ways to overcome student difficulties. Therefore, there is a need to create optimal educational conditions for the inclusion of the student (as an active subject) in the process of socialization and activation of the student's potential personal and psychological capabilities, his internal reserves (Androsovych et al., 2021).
Experimental research.
We conducted an experimental study among first-year students to determine anxiety and their levels of adaptation. The age of male and female students was 17-18 years. 42 respondents made up the sample:
In September, students were tested (the ascertaining stage of the experiment) to measure the level of adaptation when first-year students were in a state of adaptation.
The results of the test indicated the main difficulties for young specialists in socio-psychological adaptation.
Despite the practically formed behavior regulation in modern youth, first-year students are characterized by high personal anxiety; this is shown by the results of the ascertaining experiment conducted according to the method of Ch. Spielberger in the modification of Yu. Khanin.
It was found that:
Figure 1. Levels of Situational Anxiety Among Respondents.
Regarding personal anxiety, we obtained the following results of the ascertainment experiment (Fig. 2):
Figure 2. Levels of Personal Anxiety Among Respondents.
The quantitative indicators of the data obtained at the ascertainment stage of the study indicate that more than half of the students have a high and average level of situational anxiety, which is characterized by nervousness, worry, anxiety, and tension – subjectively experienced emotions. As an emotional reaction to a stressful situation, this state occurs in students and can vary in dynamics in time and intensity.
A third of respondents have a high level of personal anxiety. This indicates a tendency for first-year students to perceive a threat to their life activities, self-realization, and self-esteem in a wide range of situations and to react with a state of anxiety (very pronounced).
The high indicator of personal anxiety found in students gives reason to assume that a state of anxiety may be not only in adaptation to learning but also in various situations. This may concern the assessment of one's prestige and competence, etc.
A low level of anxiety requires an increased sense of responsibility and increased attention to the motives of activity.
As a result of conversations with first-year students, it was revealed that almost half of the first-year respondents feel frustration at a high level of the need to achieve success, at a high level, a third of the first-year respondents feel frustration, and at a normal level – a little less than a third feel frustration.
About a third of students at a high level have a fear of self-expression, at a high level of such students – a little more than a tenth, and at a low level, half of the students feel fear of self-expression.
A tenth of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at a normal level, more than half of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at an elevated level, and a third of the first-year students feel fear of a knowledge test situation at a high level.
A little more than half of the respondents at an elevated level have a fear of not meeting the expectations of others. To a large extent, students are inclined (in assessing results) to focus on the opinions of others, on actions and thoughts. Anxiety about the assessments of others arises in significant situations when the student is unsure of the correctness of his actions or the situation is not entirely clear to him. A freshman hesitates about the correctness of the answer, is unsure of himself, is sensitive to the assessment of others, and constantly expects their unsatisfactory assessment of him.
More than a third of respondents at a normal level have this indicator. When assessing their own actions, results, and opinions, their orientation to the opinions of others is adequate; their behavior is well controlled. The student is ambitious and active, tries to communicate on an equal footing with everyone, and takes an active position of confrontation in case of disagreement with the opinion of another. Since the student is emotionally stable and highly tolerant of stress, we assume the success of the adaptation of such a student.
A third of respondents have this indicator at a high level. In their emotional reactions and behavior, the student depends on the opinions of others and is inclined to be guided by the opinions of others in assessing the results of their actions, their activities, and their thoughts. Feels anxious about any assessments of others, constantly expecting (even in a favorable situation for themselves) negative reactions from others. The emotional state is characterized by constant worry, uncertainty in the world around them, and loss of orientation in life. Such a first-year student is characterized by low self-esteem and a tendency to form ideas of insufficient value in their own personality.
It turned out that first-year students have fears in relationships with their teachers. Most first-year students have problems at a low level. Here, we observe such students' success in learning; students are in a position of friendly, mutual understanding with the teacher, which causes positive emotions in students, we observe the students' self-confidence, cooperation in joint activities, and desire to learn something new.
At an elevated level, they do not have problems and fears in their relationships with the teacher – less than a third of such respondents. With the teacher, the general emotional background of the relationship is determined by instability. The student is anxious, tense in communication with individual teachers, and shows insecurity and increased anxiety, which can generally negatively affect the success of learning.
In relationships with the teacher, no respondents with a high level of problems and fears were identified.
We conducted a study of the level of adaptation of students in a higher education institution (confirmatory stage).
The results of the study showed that the level of adaptation to the study group is as follows (Fig. 3):
Figure 3. Levels of Adaptation to Study Group.
Therefore, the results obtained give grounds to assert that a fifth of the respondents have a high level of adaptation to the study group – the student easily finds a common language with everyone, feels comfortable in the group, is guided by the rules adopted in the group, can take the initiative in the group, and show activity. Also, fellow students support and accept his interests and views.
A third of the respondents have a low level of adaptation to the study group – the student shows restraint in relationships, keeps to the side, experiences difficulties in communicating with fellow students, does not accept the rules adopted in the group, does not meet with fellow students acceptance of their views, understanding.
The results of the study showed that the level of adaptation to the study activity is as follows (Fig. 4):
Figure 4. Levels of Adaptation to Study Activity.
Therefore, the results obtained give grounds to assert that a high level of adaptation to educational activities is possessed by slightly more than a tenth of respondents, which indicates that the student completes educational tasks on time and successfully, masters educational subjects easily can show his individuality, freely expresses his thoughts, and shows abilities in classes.
A low level of adaptation to educational activities is observed in slightly more than a third of respondents, which indicates that the student poorly performs educational tasks and masters educational subjects; it is difficult for him to express his thoughts, speak in classes, cannot show his individuality, cannot ask questions to the teacher, needs additional consultations, and does not show abilities in classes.
At the formative stage of the experiment, we implemented a developmental program for reducing anxiety during the adaptation period, designed for first-year students of higher education institutions, which was designed for ten classes (each 45 minutes). Classes were held 2 times a week.
To prove the effectiveness of the developmental program we implemented to reduce anxiety, a control section of the level of anxiety and adaptation of first-year students was conducted. First-year EG students studied according to this program.
We re-conducted a study using the method of Ch. Spielberger modified by Yu. Khanin.
The following results were obtained in the EG regarding the level of personal anxiety in first-year students (Fig. 5):
Figure 5. Levels of Personal Anxiety in First-Year Students.
The following results were obtained in the EG regarding the level of situational anxiety in first-year students (Fig. 6):
Figure 6. Levels of Situational Anxiety in First-Year Students.
So, the number of EG students after completing the development program with a high level of situational and personal anxiety has significantly decreased.
As a result of conversations with students, it was understood that EG students note that they feel more joyful and calm in the team, look at the problem soberly, feel freedom and peace of mind, and do not despair.
In the CG, respondents showed no significant changes in the results for situational anxiety, and the results for personal anxiety remained unchanged.
Using the Student t-test for dependent samples, mathematical processing was performed to verify the reliability of the experimental data.
Thus, the experimental study allows us to say that due to the introduction of developmental activities in the EG, which took place in the form of training sessions, as provided for by the developmental program for reducing anxiety, the general emotional state of EG students can be considered satisfactory, and students' anxiety decreased.
The decrease in the level of anxiety of EG students contributed to their manifestation of initiative in completing tasks, activation in the educational process, and the formation of self-confidence, and led to improved adaptability to educational activities and the study group.
According to the results of the statistical processing of experimental data of the ascertaining and control stages of the experiment, we note the significance of the positive changes detected (p≤0.01), which confirms the reliability of the change in the level of adaptation and anxiety of first-year students of a higher education institution. This allows us to speak about the effectiveness of the implementation of the developmental program we have developed.
Changes in the level of anxiety and adaptation are related precisely to the process of self-realization of students, which is a key component of the set goal. Adaptation as a necessary condition for the existence of all living things includes as a mandatory prerequisite the interaction of the individual with the educational environment. A high level of adaptation to the study group allows the student to easily find a common language with everyone, feel comfortable in the group, be guided by the rules adopted in the group, the ability to take the initiative in the group, be active, act as an active subject in the process of socialization, self-realization and activation of potential personal and psychological opportunities, his internal reserves. Changes in the level of anxiety and adaptation indicate that the student completes educational tasks on time and successfully, masters educational subjects easily can show his individuality, freely expresses his thoughts, and shows self-realization during training. A high level of adaptability leads to the student's self-realization and provides the opportunity to feel more joyful and calm in the team, soberly look at the problem, feel freedom and peace of mind, and not despair.
So, changes in the level of anxiety and adaptation are associated precisely with the process of self-realization of students, which is a key component of the set goal, which contributed to the manifestation of initiative by students in completing tasks, activation in the educational process, and the formation of self-confidence.
As a result of the theoretical work, it was established that the adaptation of students to the conditions of the university is a complex, comprehensive process, which must be considered through adaptation to future professional activity and adaptation to the conditions of a specific university. At the same time, the analysis of adaptation must be done not only statically, but also dynamically, which makes it much more valuable. Data on the features of the adaptation process and the professional development of the student's personality must be more actively used in the educational process of the university.
The practical significance of the work: the Student's T-criterion was used for independent samples, and mathematical processing was carried out to verify the reliability of the experimental data. Due to the implementation of the developmental activity in the Unified State University, which took place in the form of training sessions, as was provided by the developmental program of anxiety reduction, the general emotional state of the Unified State University students can be kept satisfied, and the anxiety of students has decreased.
The conducted research does not claim to be an exhaustive completeness of the problem development. The issues of increasing the level of professional preparedness of the graduate remain relevant: the creation of a system of disciplines that help the student to adapt to the conditions of study at the university; the development and implementation of a system for monitoring the adaptation process, allowing to track individual changes in development, as well as prompt correction of professional development.
Conclusions
The content and essence of the concept of adaptation are revealed, and the directions of adaptation, levels, types, and types of psychological adaptation are identified. The connection of the function of self-realization with the ability and aspiration of the personality of a modern specialist for self-development and full-fledged affirmation in the profession is shown. The psychological aspects and psychological components of the self-realization of the personality are described. The types of educational activities of students that should be covered by adaptation orientation are identified and described. It is proved that the activation of independent work is a condition for the implementation of adaptation to expand the scope of non-regulation of students' educational actions. The stages of the success of the processes of psychological adaptation of students are described.
An experimental study was conducted among first-year students to determine anxiety and their levels of adaptation.
Quantitative indicators of the data obtained at the ascertaining stage of the study indicate that more than half of the students have a high and medium level of situational anxiety, characterized by nervousness, preoccupation, anxiety, and tension – subjectively experienced emotions. The high indicator of personal anxiety found in students gives reason to assume that the state of anxiety may be not only in adaptation to learning but also in various situations. This may relate to the assessment of its prestige and competence, etc.
A study of the level of adaptation of students in a higher education institution was conducted (the ascertaining stage). The results obtained give reason to assert that a fifth of the respondents have a high level of adaptation to the educational group. A third of the respondents have a low level of adaptation to the educational group. The results obtained give reason to assert that a little more than a tenth of the respondents have a high level of adaptation to educational activities. A low level of adaptation to academic activities is observed in slightly more than a third of respondents.
At the formative stage of the experiment, we implemented a developmental program for reducing anxiety during the adaptation period, designed for first-year students of higher education institutions, which is designed for ten classes (45 minutes each). Classes were held 2 times a week.
To prove the effectiveness of the developmental program we implemented to reduce anxiety, a control section of the level of anxiety and adaptation of first-year students was conducted. First-year EG students studied according to this program.
Using the Student's t-test for dependent samples, mathematical processing was performed to verify the reliability of the experimental data.
Thus, the experimental study makes it possible to say that thanks to the introduction of developmental activities in the EG, which took place in the form of training sessions, which is provided by the developmental program to reduce anxiety, the general emotional state of EG students can be considered satisfactory, and student anxiety has decreased.
Prospects for further research also include studying the gender characteristics of the manifestation of students' anxiety in the process of adaptation, developing programs to optimize adaptation, and psychological recommendations designed for each level of anxiety.
At the level of further theoretical understanding of the problem, it seems appropriate to focus on clarifying the essence and content of psychological adaptation as an object of joint research by sociologists and psychologists. It should be noted the breadth of problems that are still waiting for their solution in the field of studying the psychological adaptation of students in higher education.
The most promising direction, in our opinion, may be the study and a detailed, step-by-step description of the adaptation process itself. In the course of such a study, the tasks that are solved by the individual at each stage of the adaptation process should be considered, and the dynamics of changes not only in the traditional emotional, but also in the cognitive and behavioral components should be analyzed, and typical violations of the process characteristic of individual stages should be identified. A detailed description of the psychological adaptation process will allow the implementation of a new methodological approach to the study of the adaptive potential of a student. This approach is built on the assumption that the composition of personal qualities that can be interpreted as adaptive is clearly determined by the tasks that the individual has to solve at different stages of the adaptation process. It is the description of such tasks that will allow us to identify the adaptive qualities responsible for their successful solution and, through this, determine the structure of overall adaptability.
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