Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion: A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students

Andrew Holliman, Andrew J. Martin, Rebecca Collie

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

3 Citations (Scopus)
5 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

University entry and the passage through university is a time of great change. The extent to which students are able to adjust to successfully navigate this change (adaptability) is likely to influence their academic outcomes. Prior research has identified a link between university students’ adaptability and academic achievement via behavioural engagement. The current longitudinal study extends this research by examining whether university students’ adaptability predicts degree completion via behavioural engagement. Undergraduate students (N = 186) were surveyed for their adaptability and behavioural engagement at degree commencement. Their completion status was extracted from the University Records System at the end of the degree. Findings showed that adaptability predicts both positive and negative behavioural engagement, and that negative (but not positive) behavioural engagement predicts degree completion. Adaptability was also found to influence degree completion indirectly via negative behavioural engagement. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for educators and researchers seeking to understand how students manage the transition to university and the extent to, and mechanisms by which students’ adaptability is associated with university degree completion.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)785-799
Number of pages15
JournalEducational Psychology
Volume38
Issue number6
Early online date15 Jan 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Fingerprint

Students
university
student
Research
academic achievement
Longitudinal Studies
longitudinal study
Research Personnel
educator

Bibliographical note

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Educational Psychology on 15th January 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835

Keywords

  • Adaptability
  • university/college students
  • completion
  • engagement

Cite this

Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion : A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students. / Holliman, Andrew; Martin, Andrew J.; Collie, Rebecca.

In: Educational Psychology, Vol. 38, No. 6, 2018, p. 785-799.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Holliman, A, Martin, AJ & Collie, R 2018, 'Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion: A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students' Educational Psychology, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 785-799. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835
Holliman A, Martin AJ, Collie R. Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion: A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students. Educational Psychology. 2018;38(6):785-799. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835
Holliman, Andrew ; Martin, Andrew J. ; Collie, Rebecca. / Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion : A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students. In: Educational Psychology. 2018 ; Vol. 38, No. 6. pp. 785-799.
@article{15ca4991850145ce871b898fa2dfea1b,
title = "Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion: A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students",
abstract = "University entry and the passage through university is a time of great change. The extent to which students are able to adjust to successfully navigate this change (adaptability) is likely to influence their academic outcomes. Prior research has identified a link between university students’ adaptability and academic achievement via behavioural engagement. The current longitudinal study extends this research by examining whether university students’ adaptability predicts degree completion via behavioural engagement. Undergraduate students (N = 186) were surveyed for their adaptability and behavioural engagement at degree commencement. Their completion status was extracted from the University Records System at the end of the degree. Findings showed that adaptability predicts both positive and negative behavioural engagement, and that negative (but not positive) behavioural engagement predicts degree completion. Adaptability was also found to influence degree completion indirectly via negative behavioural engagement. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for educators and researchers seeking to understand how students manage the transition to university and the extent to, and mechanisms by which students’ adaptability is associated with university degree completion.",
keywords = "Adaptability, university/college students, completion, engagement",
author = "Andrew Holliman and Martin, {Andrew J.} and Rebecca Collie",
note = "This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Educational Psychology on 15th January 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835",
year = "2018",
doi = "10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835",
language = "English",
volume = "38",
pages = "785--799",
journal = "Educational Psychology",
issn = "0144-3410",
publisher = "Taylor & Francis",
number = "6",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Adaptability, Engagement, and Degree Completion

T2 - A Longitudinal Investigation of University Students

AU - Holliman, Andrew

AU - Martin, Andrew J.

AU - Collie, Rebecca

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Educational Psychology on 15th January 2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - University entry and the passage through university is a time of great change. The extent to which students are able to adjust to successfully navigate this change (adaptability) is likely to influence their academic outcomes. Prior research has identified a link between university students’ adaptability and academic achievement via behavioural engagement. The current longitudinal study extends this research by examining whether university students’ adaptability predicts degree completion via behavioural engagement. Undergraduate students (N = 186) were surveyed for their adaptability and behavioural engagement at degree commencement. Their completion status was extracted from the University Records System at the end of the degree. Findings showed that adaptability predicts both positive and negative behavioural engagement, and that negative (but not positive) behavioural engagement predicts degree completion. Adaptability was also found to influence degree completion indirectly via negative behavioural engagement. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for educators and researchers seeking to understand how students manage the transition to university and the extent to, and mechanisms by which students’ adaptability is associated with university degree completion.

AB - University entry and the passage through university is a time of great change. The extent to which students are able to adjust to successfully navigate this change (adaptability) is likely to influence their academic outcomes. Prior research has identified a link between university students’ adaptability and academic achievement via behavioural engagement. The current longitudinal study extends this research by examining whether university students’ adaptability predicts degree completion via behavioural engagement. Undergraduate students (N = 186) were surveyed for their adaptability and behavioural engagement at degree commencement. Their completion status was extracted from the University Records System at the end of the degree. Findings showed that adaptability predicts both positive and negative behavioural engagement, and that negative (but not positive) behavioural engagement predicts degree completion. Adaptability was also found to influence degree completion indirectly via negative behavioural engagement. These findings hold important theoretical and practical implications for educators and researchers seeking to understand how students manage the transition to university and the extent to, and mechanisms by which students’ adaptability is associated with university degree completion.

KW - Adaptability

KW - university/college students

KW - completion

KW - engagement

U2 - 10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835

DO - 10.1080/01443410.2018.1426835

M3 - Article

VL - 38

SP - 785

EP - 799

JO - Educational Psychology

JF - Educational Psychology

SN - 0144-3410

IS - 6

ER -

Access to Document