Date of Award
5-1-2002
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
David S. Hargrove
Second Advisor
Kenneth McGraw
Third Advisor
Stan O'Dell
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Adjusting to college can be a difficult time for some students. While most freshmen do eventually make a normal adjustment, there are several who do not. There is evidence that failing to adjust to college life can lead to dropping out of college. In addition, students who have adjustment problems are at risk for having lower grades and fewer intimate personal relationships (Cooper, Healy, & Simpson, 1994).
There have been several programs offered by colleges to help their students facilitate adjustment. However, many programs either do not attract the students most in need of assistance or have an intrusive quality that may be aversive to the student (Baker & Nisenbaum, 1979; Crookston, 1975). The purpose of this study was to discover if an intervention could be systematically implemented to facilitate adjustment without being perceived as intrusive. The study used a prescriptive writing technique that has been found to facilitate coping and adjustment (Pennebaker, Colder, & Sharp, 1990). Writing was selected as a mechanism for facilitating adjustment because results have shown writing about feelings to be nearly as effective as a session with a therapist, but without the intrusion of revealing feelings to another person (Esterling, L’ Abate, Murray, & Pennebaker, 1999; Pennebaker, 1997). It was hypothesized that students using the prescriptive writing technique would 1) experience significantly better adjustment than the control group as measured by scores on the College Adjustment Test (CAT), 2) have higher grades, fewer illnesses, and fewer absences from class than the control group, and 3) would perceive their writing as more meaningful than the control group, but still view writing as less intrusive than talking about personal feelings to another person.
Ninety-Six freshmen participated in the study. Students completed writing assignments in their English 101 class and as homework. Pre and Post test measures of adjustment were completed in class. Grades and absences from class were reported by the Academic Support Center. As a follow up, attrition rates of students in the study were determined a year and a half after the commencement of the study.
Results did not support the hypotheses that using prescriptive writing facilitated adjustment. There were no significant differences between groups on the CAT at the end of the semester, and neither group showed a significant increase on adjustment scores. Furthermore, in contrast to the hypotheses, the writing group reported more negative behaviors (behaviors thought to hinder college adjustment) and more health center visits than the control group at the end of the study. There were no significant differences in grades or absences from class between the groups. However, there was a significant difference between the groups on a scale of the Essay Evaluation Survey, indicating support that those using prescriptive writing found their essays to be more meaningful. Also, the experimental group rated the writing as less intrusive than talking to a person, supporting hypothesis 3. Thirty-five of the fifty participants in the writing group responded to open-ended questions regarding their perception of the study. Responses indicated that several individuals (50%) viewed the writing paradigm as beneficial. However, writing condition was not associated with remaining in school 18 months after the study. The results were similar to those of Pennebaker et al. (1990) that had a greater degree of experimental control.
The threats to the validity of this study, including lack of experimental control and attrition, are discussed, as well as implications for future research.
Recommended Citation
Winslett, Peter Wakefield, "Coping with college life: the effect of writing on freshman adjustment to college" (2002). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3196.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/3196
Concentration/Emphasis
Clinical Psychology