SOARES, Ana Paula; ALMEIDA, Leandro S.; DINIZ, António M.    GUISANDE, M. Adelina. Modelo Multidimensional de Ajustamento de jovens ao contexto Universitário (MMAU): Estudo com estudantes de ciências e tecnologias versus ciências sociais e humanas . []. , 24, 1, pp.15-27. ISSN 0870-8231.

We present a model to describe how portuguese students adjust to University. The Modelo Multidimensional de Ajustamento de jovens ao contexto Universitário (MMAU) Multidimentional Model of College Adjustment (MMCA) was tested in a sample of 560 first-year college students, enrolled for the first time, in science and technology (n = 259) and social and human sciences (n = 301) course degrees. Results confirm the plausibility of the model for both groups, despite the fact that students’ involvement expectations about academic life, when they entered college, proved to be a good predictor of students’ involvement behaviors, and that the quality of learning environment proved to be a good predictor of students’ involvement, well-being and satisfaction. They also reveal that those relations weren’t strong enough to influence academic performance and psychosocial development. Academic performance was predicted by access classifications and psychosocial development by autonomy level at the entrance of University. Comparing the groups’ results, emotional and instrumental autonomy at the beginning of academic life and academic involvement had a differential impact on students’ well-being, respectively, in science and technology and in social and human sciences’ students. These results enhance the importance of students’ pre-college characteristics for college adjustment process, showing some specificities in this process when areas of courses attended are taken under consideration.

: Academic adjustment; college students; higher education; academic achievement; psychosocial development.

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