Socio-Emotional Learning and Academic Adjustment of Fresh Undergraduate Students in the University of Uyo, Uyo

Abstract

This research work was designed to determine the relationship between socioemotional learning and academic adjustment of fresh undergraduate students in the University of Uyo, Nigeria. Aspects of socioemotional learning isolated for the study included self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Based on these, five specific objectives were outlined to guide the study. Five research questions were raised and answered in the study while five null hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. The study adopted the correlational research design. The study area was the University of Uyo. The population of this study comprised all 17,550 fresh undergraduate students at the University of Uyo during the 2024 academic year. From this population, a sample of 390 students were selected through the multi-stage random sampling process to participate in the study. The sample size was determined using Taro Yamane formular. The instrument for data collection was the researcher made questionnaire tagged: Socioemotional Learning and Academic Adjustment Questionnaire. The instrument was validated by three experts from the Department of Psychological Foundations of Education. The instrument had a reliability index of .83 Cronbach’s Alpha which indicated a high level of internal consistency. Findings from data analyses carried out in this study indicated that self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills had significant relationships with academic adjustment of fresh undergraduate students. It was also found that responsible decision making had no significant relationship with the academic adjustment of the students. Based on these findings, it was recommended that, among others, the university should make provisions to foster the academic adjustment of these fresh students through orientation programmes and carefully curated social activities.