Self-Concept and Social Adjustment of First-Year Students

Objective - Students who study in higher education institutions should have a good socialization process since it later influences their happiness and sadness during their first year of university life. They may face some difficulties and problems that may inhibit their academic success if they cannot adjust well. One of the successful social adjustment criteria is self-concept, in which is derived from interactions with others, for example, the environment. For that reason, it is important to investigate the self-concept and social adjustment of Psychology students, at UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, during the first semester. This paper therefore aims to a) determine the degree of student social adjustment, b) determine the quality of self-concept, and c) identify the relationship between self-concept and social adjustment among first year students of Psychology, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang. Methodology/Technique - The subjects of this study include 134 first year students at the Faculty of Psychology, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, East Java. The data was collected in accordance with the scale of self-concept and social adjustment. Finding and Novelty - The results show that 1) the degree of first students' self-concept is in average scale, 69.4%, 2) the social adjustment of first year students belongs to a moderate category, 71,6%, and 3) self-concept has positive correlation to social adjustment (r = 0,703, p = 0,000). These findings confirm that the higher the self-concept the students poses, the better the social adjustment they perform. This study suggests the need for intervention to escalate self-concept and social adjustment of students by collaborating with some stakeholders, particularly students' parents, universities, government, societies, and religious figures.