Session 152-CR
Adjusting to the First Year of College:
A Reflection on the Importance of Parental, Peer, and Institutional Support
Ani Yazedjian Ph.D.1, Michelle Toews Ph.D., Katie Purswell, and Tessara Sevin
Texas State University-San Marcos
Introduction
High attrition rates at universities across the country are a cause for concern. Research has found personal factors, such as a
lack of adjustment to college, are more predictive of attrition than academic factors (Kalsner & Pistole, 2003; Kerr et al.,
2004). Furthermore, college adjustment, or the lack thereof, is related to non-cognitive factors (Martin et al., 1999). These
findings point to the importance of understanding the role of social and institutional support during the first year of college.
Yet, there is limited research that examines, from the students’ perspectives, how these factors support their transition to
college. Moreover, the majority of research has been quantitative in nature. Such methods may not have allowed us to fully
understand the influence of these factors on students’ adjustment. Therefore, we will be giving voice to students’
experiences as we explore how parents, peers, and university personnel serve as sources of support as they adjust to their
new environment.
Literature Review
Research on the relationship between parental support and college adjustment is limited (Mounts et al., 2006), and the
research that has been done has been inconsistent. Specifically, some researchers found that parental support was not a
significant predictor of adjustment (Dennis et al., 2005; Grant-Vallone et al., 2003-2004), while others found that support
was positively related to college adjustment (Martin et al., 1999; Napoli & Wortman, 1998). Regardless of the emotional
support provided by parents, if they lack college experience, it is possible that they may be unable to provide instrumental
support while their children adjust to a new context. In support of this assumption, Nuñez and Cuccaro-Alamin (1998)
found that college students whose parents had some college experience reported higher levels of adjustment than students
whose parents had none.
Peers can also serve as a source of support for students in college. Grant-Vallone and colleagues (2003-2004) found that
peer support appeared to be more critical to college adjustment than parental support. Peer support is particularly salient for
first-generation college students. Specifically, Dennis and colleagues (2005) hypothesized that when first-generation
college students realized their families were unable to provide the instrumental support necessary, they were more likely to
turn to peers when dealing with academic issues.
Although few studies have examined the relationship between institutional support and college adjustment, numerous
studies have found that institutional factors predict retention (Johnson, 1997; McGrath & Braunstein, 1997; Pascarella &
Terenzini, 1991). Specifically, compared to students who dropped out, students who remained at the university reported
more frequent and positive interactions with faculty and other university personnel (Johnson, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini,
1991). Similarly, Martin and colleagues (1999) found that students’ perceptions of the university and faculty support
predicted overall college adjustment.
In sum, few studies have qualitatively examined how factors such as parental, peer, and institutional support jointly
influence students’ adjustment during the first year of college. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the
subjective meanings and unique perspectives of college students as they successfully adjusted to life at the university. We
were primarily interested in how students navigated their new environment and what factors facilitated their adjustment to
college. Specifically, we were interested in how parents, peers, and university personnel served as sources of support as
students adjusted to their new environment.
Methodology
This study was part of a larger study examining first-year students at a 4-year public university in central Texas.
Participants initially completed an online survey during the second-semester of their first year (see Toews & Yazedjian, in
press). In order to examine the experiences of students who were academically successful, we selected students who had a
GPA of 2.0 or higher (the university’s standard of academic success) for our qualitative sample. A total of 22 students in
their second year of college participated in six focus groups. The sample was comprised of 72.7% females and 27.3%
males, ranging in age from 19 to 20. The sample was 40.9% Hispanic, 36.4% White, and 22.7% Black. Overall, the
students were academically successful, with a mean GPA of 3.17 (SD=.60). To address the principle of homogeneity
(Morgan, 1997), the focus groups were split according to ethnic group membership and parents’ education. We used a semistructured interview protocol that examined how parents, peers, and university personnel supported students as they
adjusted to college. Given the exploratory nature of the study, we used grounded theory approach to analyze how these
factors affected adjustment (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).
1
Please address correspondence to Ani Yazedjian Ph.D., Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas State
University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666; [email protected]; 512-245-2412.
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Session 152-CR
Findings
Consistent with previous research, our findings suggested that support from parents, peers, and the university all facilitated
students’ adjustment to their new environment (Grant-Vallone et al., 2003-2004; Martin et al., 1999; Mounts et al., 2006).
Furthermore, we found that while supportive relationships helped students as they adjusted to college, these relationships
sometimes hindered this process as well.
Parental Support
Throughout the focus groups, the students described the different ways parents showed their support. First, students
discussed the financial support they received from their parents. Students also described the emotional support they
received from their parents. Another way parents expressed their support was through letters, packages, and phone calls.
Students appeared to appreciate the time family members put into preparing the packages because they demonstrated how
much they cared. Another reason the letters and packages were more valued was because students often perceived parents’
phone calls as a source of stress.
In addition, all but one of the first-generation college students described how they felt their parents did not understand the
complexity of college life. While first-generation students felt supported by their parents in their decision to go to college,
they did not feel they could seek advice from them. This idea is supported by Hertel (2002) who found that students whose
parents had a college education were at an advantage because their parents were more knowledgeable about college. As a
result of their parents’ inexperience with college, these students tended to seek advice from peers.
Peer Support
Similar to previous research (Grant-Vallone et al., 2003-2004; Hertel, 2002; Martin et al., 1999), the students in the focus
groups expressed the importance of peer support in their adjustment to college. Specifically, they described peers as
providing both social and academic support. In fact, students often cited their friends as their favorite aspect of the
university. Furthermore, students described the value of having friends who shared a similar academic mindset. A shared
mindset encouraged students to engage in activities that might increase the likelihood of academic adjustment.
Although students often discussed relationships with peers as a source of academic support, they also described how peers
could distract them from behaviors that supported academic adjustment. While social relationships with peers distracted
from academics at times, peers were still providing the social support that students noted as being important to their
connections to the university. Therefore, it appears that students must be able to find a balance between the academic and
social aspects of their peer relationships.
Institutional Support
Another factor cited by the students was the importance of institutional support. This included supportive relationships with
university personnel as well as the atmosphere of the campus. There was a perception among the students that the faculty
and staff at this university were friendlier and more student-centered than those at other schools. In addition, students
reported one major draw of the school was that it had the benefits of a large university such as resources and sports, but it
was still small enough that they felt valued as individuals and not just a number. Almost every respondent reported that the
location of the school, in between two larger cities, allowed them to enjoy the benefits of “city attractions” while also
enjoying the benefits of a small town atmosphere. While this is specific to this institution and may not be generalizable to
other schools, the frequency with which this theme was mentioned points to the importance of unique campus
characteristics in facilitating college adjustment.
Campus Connections
Students also discussed how orientation programs, classes, dorms, campus events, and student organizations promoted their
connections to the campus and facilitated their adjustment. Students identified the orientation session and the seminar for
first-year students as resources the university provided to support them as they adjusted to college. Yet, they described the
initial orientation as overwhelming because they received too much information and noted that the content in the first-year
seminar was often not perceived as relevant to their lives.
Students also cited other campus institutions that they knew were available to them, yet were underutilized. Often, students
stated a vague familiarity with the available resources, but also reported that they did not take the initiative to follow-up.
For example, the Hispanic and African American students were asked if they were aware of the Office of Multicultural
Student Affairs. They reported that they were aware of the Office, but few used their services.
In contrast, all students discussed their knowledge of the Career Services Center. By hearing about the Center in multiple
contexts and on multiple occasions, students demonstrated an awareness of the services offered by the Center and indicated
a greater likelihood to utilize their resources. While students were aware of the potential resources around them, they were
less likely to use them unless they were exposed to them in multiple contexts. Students also mentioned that meeting others
in the dorms, in classes, and through campus organizations made the university context seem less overwhelming, less
anonymous, and gave them a greater sense of affiliation with the institution.
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Adjustment Challenges
Even though the students in our sample experienced a moderate degree of academic success, many still discussed how the
transition to college was difficult. For example, some students reported a general sense of homesickness following their
arrival on campus. However, all the respondents eventually developed strategies to cope with their feelings, which may in
part explain their successful adjustment to college.
Another factor that made the college transition more difficult was a lack of connections once in the new environment. Many
of the students who reported a lack of social connections were those who did not come to campus with others from their
high schools. However, while the presence of high school peers facilitated the transition for some students, for others, their
presence was a constraining factor, one that prevented them from meeting new people. For example, one student who came
to campus with a boyfriend reported that she spent much of her time with him and was unable to spend time meeting new
people.
A compelling sentiment that was underscored by some of the students was the idea that a large part of successfully
transitioning to college is the responsibility of the student. Some students felt that although the university provided a
number of resources, it was often up to the student to pursue those resources. For example, orientation provided
information regarding campus organizations, but students reported very little follow-up regarding those resources. It is
possible that placing such responsibility on students may disadvantage those who did not have the inclination to follow-up
or the knowledge they needed to take the initiative to do so.
Strengths and Limitations
This study makes a distinctive contribution to the literature because it utilized qualitative methods to illustrate, from the
students’ point-of-view, how different factors facilitate the successful transition to college. This study also provided more
detailed information about how the institution can facilitate adjustment. Despite these strengths, the results must be
interpreted with some caution because of several methodological limitations. First, although qualitative studies are not
necessarily concerned with large sample sizes, one limitation of our study was the small number of participants. Yet, since
we heard many of the same themes throughout the focus groups, we believe this commonality in themes supports the
credibility of our findings. Another limitation was the small sample of first-generation students. However, our findings
suggest that there are some differences in how support is experienced for first-generation and continuing-generation college
students. Future work should more fully examine those potential differences because previous research utilizing
standardized measures may not have detected these subtle differences between groups. One final limitation is that our study
only captures the views of students who are considered academically successful. It is beyond the scope of this study to
determine if parents, peers, and the institution differentially influence the adjustment process of students who are on
academic probation. Therefore, future research should look at what factors specifically relate to students’ inability to adjust
without assuming that it is the absence of the factors involved in successful adjustment.
Implications for Practice
Throughout the focus groups we found that students noted the importance of parental support in adjusting to college.
Therefore, parents can be encouraged to maintain this relationship with their children by providing instrumental support,
such as accompanying them to university orientations, and emotional support, such as emailing, calling, and sending care
packages (Mounts et al., 2004). In addition, universities can offer programs and publications that provide strategies for
parents to support the developing independence of their children. These services should address how parents can deal with
their own emotions regarding the changing relationship with their children and also facilitate their children’s transition to
adulthood.
Our findings also indicated that while peers served as a source of support when adjusting to college, they could distract
students from their academics as well. Thus, universities may want to develop opportunities for students to establish peer
networks, while at the same time encouraging academics. For example, students could be admitted into cohorts that take
their core courses together. This would allow them to meet new people, as well as engage in activities that may increase
their academic adjustment. Specifically, the students in our study indicated that taking classes together allowed them to
form study groups, share class notes, and encouraged them to study. Professors could also facilitate peer interactions by
requiring group work, assigning paired exams, allowing class time for group activities, and/or encouraging students to form
study groups.
Similar to previous research, we also found that students who interacted with university personnel felt more connected to
the institution, a factor that may have assisted in the adjustment process (Johnson, 1997; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991).
Therefore, universities could provide opportunities for students to become involved in mentoring programs where they are
paired with faculty and other university personnel. Such opportunities may direct students to more efficiently and
purposefully employ the resources already at their disposal. Furthermore, these mentoring relationships may be particularly
useful to first-generation college students who reported that they could not seek advice from their parents.
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While many universities have orientation programs and first-year seminar courses, the students in our study reported they
were relatively ineffective. Based on these findings, universities may want to consider establishing a standard curriculum
for seminars for first-year students that incorporates on-going orientation. For example, students could research resources
on campus and report their findings to the class, guest speakers could be brought in from various organizations across
campus to discuss the services they provide, and professors could require students to complete library search assignments
or papers on plagiarism. Universities could also ask students what they think would be important to learn and incorporate
that information into the curriculum.
Previous research has found that students who have difficulties adjusting to college are more likely to withdraw (Kalsner &
Pistole, 2003). Thus, it is important to examine, from the students’ perspective, what factors facilitate adjustment. Based on
students’ narratives, we concluded that support from parents, peers, and the institution facilitated adjustment to the first year
of college. However, we also found that these support systems, at times, hindered their adjustment. Understanding how the
same factors can both help and hinder students as they adjust to college is useful to university personnel in developing,
implementing, and evaluating activities and services aimed at facilitating students’ transition to their new environment.
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