Antecedents and Consequences of Social Adjustment of Undergraduate Students in Thailand: A Meta-Analysis Study

Abstract

Social adjustment of undergraduate students is an issue that every educational institution worldwide regards as essential; this also includes educational institutions in Thailand. The systematic study, collection, and synthesis of antecedent factors affecting student’s social adjustment are, therefore, necessary as the data obtained from the abundance of research available can lead to new findings which can be used to design, strategize and promote students’ social adjustment, effectively addressing the social adjustment issues of students which have long been problematic. Therefore, this research’s objective is to synthesize available knowledge in the dimension of antecedent factors and consequences regarding to undergraduate students’ social adjustment in Thailand through the examination of various research publications available in the past 10 years (from year A.D. 2009-2019) through meta-analysis. Research that was used to synthesize 50 studies. Research results found that the individual’s internal factors affected student social adjustment the most. The variable of self-control has the largest average effect size. The variables of self-reliance and abstraction have negative consequences and large average effect sizes. Among the factors in the category of individuals’ external factors, the variable of participation in student activities had the largest average effect size, followed by interpersonal relationships, and participation in religious activities, respectively. In addition, under demographic factors, the variable of student age had the largest average effect size, followed by academic achievement, gender, source of funding received, and religion, respectively. These findings can be helpful in furthering strategic planning to ameliorate the social adjustment of students in higher education.