Adaptación a la universidad en estudiantes colombianos de primer año: estructura interna del Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ)

Marbel Lucia Gravini Donado,Sergio Domínguez-Lara,Mabel Mercado-Peñaloza

doi:10.7821/naer.2021.7.657

Abstract

The aim of this research is to assess the internal structure and reliability of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) in a sample comprising 739 students (64% of them women), attending second-half classes at a private university in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The SACQ is a 67-item self-report that evaluates four aspects related to university adjustment namely, the academic, institutional, social, and personal-emotional areas. To fulfill its goals, different measurement models were assessed through various confirmatory factor analyses, and the results indicate that the Peruvian model (four dimensions, 27 items) has the best statistical adjustment, presenting evidence in support of its internal structure. Similarly, high reliability indicators were obtained, both with regard to the construct and scoring. In conclusion, the SACQ’s psychometric properties are satisfactory as regards its internal structure (tetra-factorial model) and reliability, enabling its use to evaluate adjustment to college life.

Highlights

Remaining in the higher education system has become a challenge for young people due to multiple factors related to institutional, academic, social, and emotional components that they must face (Araque, Roldán, & Salguero, 2009; Ethington, 1990; Tinto, 1975)
The Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker & Siryk, 1989) is a selfreport that consists of 67 items with 9 options in Likert format, which evaluate four dimensions: academic adaptation, institutional adaptation, social adaptation, and personal−emotional adaptation
The fit indices derived from the M1, M2, and M3 models did not reach an adequate magnitude, which provides unfavorable evidence regarding the dimensionality of the SACQ in Colombian students (Table 2), in the same way as each model’s one-dimensional variant

Summary

Introduction

Remaining in the higher education system has become a challenge for young people due to multiple factors related to institutional, academic, social, and emotional components that they must face (Araque, Roldán, & Salguero, 2009; Ethington, 1990; Tinto, 1975). Dropouts by period refer to the percentage of students who stopped enrolling for two academic periods, that is, they did not report enrollment in the last two semesters. This is important to identify in order to follow-up in the short term. Dropouts by group correspond to following up with students who enrolled in a specific group or class year and accounts for all dropouts that correspond to said group compared to those enrolled.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion