Academic self-regulation, academic performance, and college adjustment: What is the first-year experience for college students

First-year students experience academic, social, and emotional adjustments as they transition to college. First-year experience courses support students in this transitional phase by helping them integrate into the campus environment and by teaching them college-appropriate learning strategies. This study explored the role that participation in a first-year experience course had on students' academic self-regulation, academic performance, and college adjustment. Academic self-regulation and college adjustment also were examined as predictors of end of the semester outcomes. Previous research suggested that participation in this type of course facilitates students' transition into college, as evidenced by academic performance and college involvement, but these studies often lacked a comparison group and did not address extraneous variables.;One hundred and thirty-three first-year students were self-selected into the following groups: (1) First-year experience course group: Students were enrolled in an optional IHU seminar linked to an introductory academic course or (2) Comparison group: Students were enrolled in the same introductory academic course. This study involved three assessments starting in the summer prior to college and ending at the conclusion of the first semester.;Results from the current study show that participation in an IHU seminar was associated with adaptive motivational beliefs and learning strategies. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that these courses created an interactive classroom community that supported gaining knowledge about university resources, developing strong beliefs of self-efficacy, and identifying resource management strategies.;Achievement goal orientations, primarily mastery goals, predicted some end of the semester outcomes, including task values, self-efficacy, test anxiety, learning strategies, and college adjustment. Task value, self-efficacy, and learning strategies predicted college adjustment and academic performance at the end of the semester. Students who either had consistent high levels or increased their motivation and/or learning strategies were better adjusted to college and earned a higher first-semester GPA and course grade than their peers. Additionally, mid-semester college adjustment was related to academic performance. These findings would be valuable in the design of institutional programs and interventions to support college students. Course objectives that involve motivational components, learning strategies, and academic adjustment resources relate to students' academic success.