Revista Brasileira de Educação do Campo

The Brazilian Scientific Journal of Rural Education

ARTIGO/ARTICLE/ARTÍCULO

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

Este conteúdo utiliza a Licença Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural

youth to the university life in a city: experience of Bohdan

Khmelnytsky National University

Yulia Shalivska

, Kateryna Tkachenko

, Serhiy Danylyuk

Rivne State University of the Humanities. Department of Theory and Methods of Education. Stepana Bandery Str., 12, Rivne,

Ukraine.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University at Cherkasy, Ukraine.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University at

Cherkasy, Ukraine.

Author for correspondence: ukr_scientist@ukr.net

ABSTRACT. The current research aims to summarize the

features of school education in rural areas in Ukraine and to

establish their potential influence on students' academic and

socio-psychological adaptation to a new learning and living

environment. Small number of students in class, poor material

and technical condition, limited opportunities for self-

realization, low motivation to study etc. are distinguished as the

basic peculiarities of Ukrainian rural schools. The authors’ mini-

questionnaire revealed that 62% of the first-year students of

rural origin from a local Bohdan Khmelnytsky National

University at Cherkasy experience hardships during adaptation.

Challenges faced by 270 first-year students are described:

personal, educational, living conditions, psychological,

communicative, relationships in the group. The outcomes of the

study convince that students of rural origin encounter additional

challenges adjusting to changed living conditions while studying

in universities in contrast to students from urban and suburban

areas. Recommendations are provided to assist rural school

counselors in preparing students for their further adaptation at

large colleges and universities. Directions of work of

psychological service, counsellors and educators in higher

education institutions are displayed: individual counseling for

the student, development and implementation of special training

programs, integration of individual classes into training

programs.

Keywords: Adaptation, First-Year Student, Higher Education

Institution, Rural School, Student of Rural Origin, Ukraine.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

Impacto de las escuelas rurales en una mayor adaptación

de los jóvenes rurales a la vida universitaria en la ciudad:

la experiencia de la Universidad Nacional Bohdan

Khmelnytsky

RESUMEN. La investigación actual tiene por objeto resumir las

características de la educación escolar en las zonas rurales de

Ucrania y establecer su posible influencia en la adaptación

académica y sociopsicológica de los estudiantes a un nuevo

entorno de aprendizaje y de vida. Se distinguen como

peculiaridades básicas de las escuelas rurales ucranianas el

reducido número de alumnos en las clases, las malas

condiciones materiales y técnicas, las limitadas oportunidades

de realización personal, la escasa motivación para estudiar, etc.

El minicuestionario de los autores reveló que el 62% de los

estudiantes de primer año de origen rural de la Universidad

Nacional Bohdan Khmelnytsky de Cherkasy experimentan

dificultades durante la adaptación. Se describen los desafíos a

los que se enfrentan 270 estudiantes de primer año: personales,

educativos, condiciones de vida, psicológicos, comunicativos,

relaciones en el grupo. Los resultados del estudio convencen de

que los estudiantes de origen rural se enfrentan a dificultades

adicionales para adaptarse a las nuevas condiciones de vida

mientras estudian en las universidades, en contraste con los

estudiantes de las zonas urbanas y suburbanas. Se formulan

recomendaciones para ayudar a los consejeros de las escuelas

rurales a preparar a los estudiantes para su ulterior adaptación en

los grandes colegios y universidades. Se muestran las

direcciones de trabajo del servicio psicológico, los consejeros y

los educadores en las instituciones de enseñanza superior:

asesoramiento individual para el estudiante, desarrollo e

implementación de programas de formación especiales,

integración de clases individuales en los programas de

formación.

Palabras clave: Adaptación, Estudiante de Primer Año,

Institución de Educación Superior, Escuela Rural, Estudiante de

origen rural, Ucrania.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

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10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

Impacto das escolas rurais na adaptação da juventude

rural à vida universitária em uma cidade: experiência da

Universidade Nacional Bohdan Khmelnytsky

RESUMO. A pesquisa atual visa resumir as características da

educação escolar nas áreas rurais da Ucrânia e estabelecer sua

influência potencial na adaptação acadêmica e sócio-psicológica

dos estudantes a um novo ambiente de aprendizagem e vida. Um

pequeno número de estudantes em sala de aula, más condições

materiais e técnicas, oportunidades limitadas de auto-realização,

baixa motivação para estudar, etc., distinguem-se como as

peculiaridades básicas das escolas rurais ucranianas. O mini-

questionário dos autores revelou que 62% dos estudantes de

primeiro ano de origem rural de uma Universidade Nacional

Bohdan Khmelnytsky local em Cherkasy experimentam

dificuldades durante a adaptação. Os desafios enfrentados por

270 alunos do primeiro ano são descritos: pessoais,

educacionais, condições de vida, psicológicas, comunicativas,

relacionamentos no grupo. Os resultados do estudo convencem

que os estudantes de origem rural enfrentam desafios adicionais

de adaptação às condições de vida alteradas enquanto estudam

nas universidades, ao contrário dos estudantes de áreas urbanas

e suburbanas. São fornecidas recomendações para ajudar os

conselheiros das escolas rurais a preparar os estudantes para sua

posterior adaptação nas grandes faculdades e universidades. São

apresentadas instruções de trabalho de serviço psicológico,

conselheiros e educadores em instituições de ensino superior:

aconselhamento individual para o estudante, desenvolvimento e

implementação de programas especiais de treinamento,

integração de aulas individuais em programas de treinamento.

Palavras-chave: Adaptação, Estudante de Primeiro Ano,

Instituição de Ensino Superior, Escola Rural, Estudante de

Origem Rural, Ucrânia.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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Tocantinópolis/Brasil

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2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

Introduction

Over 3.4 billion people live in rural

or remote areas worldwide (Cole, 2019).

1.2 million Ukrainian children receive

secondary education in rural areas, since

19294 schools are in rural areas (Samohin,

2014).

The overall educational attainment of

people living in rural areas has increased

markedly over time in most countries of

the world (Rural Education, 2019). In the

United States, in 2015, 29% of 18-24-year

olds from rural areas enrolled in a

postsecondary education program and

completed higher education (Rural

Students in Higher Education, 2020).

This group of young people needs

special social and psychological support in

the process of their academic, social and

emotional adaptation to the urban

community, on the grounds that the mere

fact of changing one's place of residence

and study actualizes mental complexes and

can lead to identity crisis or cause a sense

of personal incapacity.

Young people who come to get

education in a big city, not only adapt to

the conditions of the urban environment,

but try to integrate into the city

community, become a member of this

community and bearer of its norms and

values. The success of a student's

adaptation to the new environment will

depend on how adequately or

problematically he or she will survive the

new social status, rights and obligations,

and on how new expectations are provided.

The process of adapting a student to

the conditions of a higher education

institution is an important stage, since the

student is getting acquainted with new

forms of activity, communication, leisure,

correlates his/her own expectations with

reality, his/her attitude to educational

activity is formed. The process is

accompanied by an adaptation to new

living conditions, new social status and

environment, another rhythm of learning,

acquisition of new skills and experience,

special social behavior and psychology

(Zdanevych, 2011).

Admission to a higher education

institution requires not only hard work

aimed at mastering the means of

professional activity, but also the

restructuring of self-awareness and

consciousness in general caused by the

new environment of teenagers and

grownups, the need for earnings, possible

move to another city, accommodation in a

hostel and more. Solution of these

problems requires internal self-

organization, ability to allocate time and

strength in the educational regime,

awareness and change of life values and

prospective plans.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

Studies by Ackermann & Morrow

(2007-2008), Chang et al. (2007) illustrate

that there are many students who are not

able to finish their studies. According to

Elias, Mahyuddin & Uli (2009), 57% of

those who leave their studies before

graduation, are not satisfied with their lives

since entering university.

As freshmen arrive at university with

different personal, social, cultural and

linguistic backgrounds, characteristics and

factors that affect the adjustment process

necessarily vary from one student to

another (p. 64, Al-Mahrooqi, Denman, &

Ateeq, 2015).

The review of the adjustment

literature exposes that the students’

adaptation process to new learning

environment may be complicated by the

mismatch of their subjective expectations

and the existing reality or by the fact that

quite often the choice of profession is

determined not by students’ own

preferences, but by the parents'

instructions, which in turn increases the

feeling of dissatisfaction.

The adaptation process can be

difficult by cause of students' internal

rejection of the need to study, unrealistic

expectations about university life, low self-

esteem. The previous place of residence

may also impact on the student’s

adaptation.

In addition, there may be a

contradiction between the intellectual,

creative, personal capabilities of the

student, on the one hand, and the

possibilities of its realization provided by

the educational institution, on the other.

These opportunities are sometimes limited,

and may be associated with significant

organizational, financial or psychological

complications.

From the previously outlined facts, it

seems obvious that all freshmen are

adapting to the new learning conditions in

higher education institution, but the time

limits of adaptation, the complexity of this

process are not similar.

Research Question

Does rural origin of students

influence their further academic, social and

emotional adaptation to the changed

learning and living environment?

The relevance of this problem can

be explained by certain aspects: first, the

need to ensure equal and high quality

education in higher education institutions

for all students, regardless of their origin;

secondly, the need to find solutions for

optimization and mitigation of the

adaptation processes of rural youth in the

student community.

The purpose of the article is to

summarize the features of school education

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

in rural areas in Ukraine and to determine

their potential impact on students'

academic and socio-psychological

adaptation to a new learning and living

environment.

Literature review

Analysis of scientific literature

indicates that many scholars pay attention

to the issue of students’ adaptation to the

changed conditions during their study in

higher education institutions. Difficulties

of the initial stage of study and factors

influencing the process of adaptation of

students are revealed in their scientific

works by Al-Mahrooqi, & Denman, &

Ateeq (2015), Elias, Mahyuddin, & Uli

(2009), Zdanevych (2011) etc.

The problem of adapting rural youth

to the urban community requires a

comprehensive and diverse analysis. It has

been in the focus of attention of such

scholars as Aurel Ion Clinciu (2013),

Aylesworth, & Bloom (1976), Maples

(2000), Peters (1990) etc.

Nonetheless, despite the relevance of

the issue, there has still been a lack of

psychological and pedagogical studies that

investigate adaptation of students from

rural area to new living conditions, values

and social norms of the new community.

Adaptation is a component of the

mechanism of socialization, which occurs

as a set of adjustments of a person to

different life situations, during which

social experience is accumulated and social

norms and values are absorbed.

Zdanevych (2011) defines the

process of students' adaptation as

formation of a new attitude to profession;

assimilation of new educational forms,

assessments, methods and techniques of

independent work, adjustment to a new

type of educational team, its customs,

traditions, new types of scientific activity,

new living conditions, student culture and

new forms use of leisure.

In addition, researchers Chyhryn

(2006), Kaleeva (2002), Peters (1990)

claim that the students of rural origin

studying in cities often feel constrained

and that they are not “fully accepted” in

their new environments and are likely to

experience some forms of social and

emotional pressure.

To explore the factors that may

influence adjustment of Ukrainian first-

year students of rural origin, this study

provides analysis of the features of rural

school education (on the example of

Ukrainian rural schools).

A small number of students per class

A significant factor that determines

the specificity of the educational process in

a rural school is a small number of school

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

children in classes, which has both positive

and negative consequences. The average

class fill rate in rural schools in Ukraine is

16.6. The highest figure is in the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea - 21.2

and the lowest is in Chernihiv region - 12.8

(Education in Ukraine: basic indicators.

Information and statistical bulletin, 2018).

In classes with small number of

students, there are sometimes no leaders

and no students with high level of learning

ability and a desire for learning. Due to

this, the learning process is impoverished,

lack of high emotional mood has a

negative impact on students' performance.

Some well-established forms of education

and training in urban schools are becoming

ineffective in rural schools and do not

allow good results.

Teachers working in rural schools

face difficulties in choosing the optimum

pace of study, the volume and logic of

considering the course material, forms and

methods of work. All this can negatively

affect the cognitive interests of students,

and as a consequence - the effectiveness of

the entire educational process.

The small number of children in the

class impairs communication, the students'

interest in conversation disappears, and

boredom arises. Communicative skills of

each child depend largely on the social

environment, which in many cases is

impoverished in rural areas. The small

number of students in the classroom who

are constantly interacting impairs their

speech, slows the broadening of their

horizons, narrows the scope of everyday

interests, and life experience is slower to

accumulate. This is most evident in the

delay in developing the ability to clearly

express thoughts, and impairs the

memorization of the content of the material

(Kaleeva, 2002).

Educational activity of students is

constantly under the control of a teacher.

Along with the benefits of such learning,

school children are often in a stress

throughout the schooldays. This factor can

negatively affect the depth of knowledge

and desire to further learning.

Poor material and technical condition

Undoubtedly, the brake factor for

rural education is the lack of adequate

funding, weakness of the material base,

demographic features, insufficient staffing

of small schools, remoteness of most

villages from administrative centers

(Prokopiv, 2014). Rural schools often lack

textbooks, visual aids, sports equipment

and modern educational tools.

According to the Ministry of

Education and Science of Ukraine, 11089

rural schools have central heating or their

own boiler room, water supply – 10791

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

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(including hot water – 5358); dining room

or hot buffet – 11612 (723170 seats), gym

– 8578, educational site – 6139. There is

still the lack of qualified teachers and

technical equipment: in 2012, only 57.39%

of rural schools were connected to the

Internet (Educational reform: results and

prospects. Information-analytical

collection, 2019), although internet access

at schools reduces the impact of the

geographical distance factor and digital

inequality by overcoming the learning gap

of rural and urban school students

(National Human Development Report

“Ukraine: Towards Social Inclusion”,

2011).

Limited opportunities for students'

creative self-realization and insufficient

team work experience

Adaptation is a prerequisite for social

activity of a student and an indicator of the

level of its development. An important

factor influencing the adaptation process is

living environment. The low availability of

cultural objects in rural areas and the

problems of transport links with district

center reduce opportunities for creative

self-realization of school children. During

1990-2011, the number of libraries

decreased by 4,000. Their base is

deteriorating, they need repair, almost all

of them are not heated. Books and

periodicals are not renewed. At the same

time, the rural library (even in its present

state) remains the only free information

and cultural center of the modern village.

According to the sociological study

“Attitudes of Ukrainian youth towards

healthy lifestyles” (2010), 33% of rural

youth lack cultural institutions in their

locality, 16% of villagers say that such

institutions are too far away (A

sociological study “Attitudes of Ukrainian

youth towards healthy lifestyles”, 2010).

This means the inability to meet cultural

needs and active leisure activities, which

leads to an increase in the level of socially

negative phenomena (adolescence

drunkenness, usage of psychoactive

substances, asocial behavior, etc.) (p. 953,

Young people under conditions of

Independence of Ukraine (1991-2011

years), 2011).

In rural schools, the opportunities for

creative development of children are worse

because of the lack of school theaters,

creative associations and the like, which

makes it impossible to carry out quality

work with gifted students of rural schools.

The child learns not only from the teacher,

school environment is also the important

teacher, since it teaches the children to

communicate, enables them to learn

different behavior patterns and different

social roles.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

The older the child is, the more

important is the team. The child who joins

larger number of teams has more advanced

communication skills, developed ability to

analyze one’s own actions and actions of

other people, can easily adapt to the

changing environment, find a common

language with peers etc. Unfortunately,

students enrolled in rural school, often lack

this experience.

Low motivation of students to study

In the countryside, the specificity of

the labor market has changed. If, in the

recent past, agricultural production

required low-skilled workers who

performed a considerable amount of heavy

manual labor, the current socio-economic

and political transformations in the rural

society led to changes in the requirements

for the qualification of workers. Modern

agricultural machinery, automation of

production processes require highly skilled

workers, which places education among

the top priorities of life and development

of rural society. Therefore, a prospective

rural school should prepare its graduates

for further education at higher education

institutions, providing highly qualified

personnel for the development of both

agricultural production and the socio-

cultural sphere of a village (Shyyan, 2013).

However, there are numerous cases

of rudeness of school children and their

parents towards village teachers. The

reluctance to learn leads to a hostile

attitude towards teachers and school as a

whole, the authority of a teacher is

diminished, and the education itself loses

its importance. Rural children generally do

not see the prospect of admission to higher

education. They see their parents' unskilled

work; most children work physically and

supplement their family budget. The lack

of a positive learning motive is the reason

for the poor performance of rural students.

Methodology

Research sample

To understand whether students from

rural areas face additional challenges

adjusting to changed living conditions and

learning environment while studying in

universities compared to students from

urban and suburban areas, the two-stage

diagnostic study of 270 first-year students

of the Bohdan Khmelnytsky National

University at Cherkasy, Ukraine, has been

conducted. As this study aimed to

investigate issues related to the process of

adaptation, a sample was drawn from first-

year students in academic year 2018/2019.

Instrument

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

e9537

10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

The authors’ “Questionnaire for

monitoring adaptation of the first-year

students” (Annex) for factual data was

employed. Areas examined as potentially

effecting first-year students’ adaptation

include living conditions, expectations

before and after entering university, self-

esteem, the academic, social and emotional

demands of their new roles as university

students, stress, and the desire to leave

university before obtaining a degree. The

obtained data were subjected to statistical

analysis, followed by qualitative

interpretation and meaningful

generalization.

Demographic profile of the participants

Among the respondents: students

from rural areas (together with people from

urban settlements) make up 72.2%. The

rest (27.8%) are locals or came from small

cities (with a population of up to 100,000).

150 respondents are students living

in a hostel; 45 people rent an apartment or

room; 75 people live at home with their

parents. That is, 72.2% of the students had

to change their place of residence for

study.

However, for 75.7% of them the

relocation was limited to the borders of the

area where they had previously resided

(probably the relocation to the regional

center). 18% went to study in another area,

but nearby, in the same region. A rather

small number of students (6.3%) risked

going to study in other regions of the

country.

Data analysis

General expectations

By means of conversation and

content analysis of the received verbal

production, typical expectations and

attitudes of freshmen on university

education were revealed. Generalized and

most common expectations are as follows:

 the university is a “temple of

science” in which a lot of time is required

for study;

 tight control over discipline and

learning, in particular, students expected:

systematic supervision and tutelage from

teachers and supervisors; detailed

explanations of behavior at lectures and

seminars;

 expectations of peers, classmates:

familiarity will be organized from the

outside; fast achievement of the desired

status in the group;

 expectations for structuring

extracurricular time: freshmen considered

that teachers would organize

extracurricular preparation for classes and

even leisure.

A questionnaire method was used to

diagnose freshman adaptation problems.

The questionnaire consisted of blocks of

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

v. 5

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10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

questions aimed at identifying: the

experience of adaptive stress; features of

learning motivation; strategies of

educational activity; orientation in the

situation of study at university; attitudes,

ideas, expectations about studying at the

university.

Self-assessment of the degree of

adaptation

The self-report indicators of the

degree of adaptation of freshmen by the

end of the second semester are as follows.

38.6% of the dormitory respondents said

that the process of adaptation was easy for

them, but 62% of respondents still have

difficulty adjusting.

About 72% of students who have not

changed their living conditions (living with

their parents' families) have adapted to the

new conditions quickly, and for 48% this

process is not easy enough.

For those renting an apartment (alone

or with friends), only 34.5% of

respondents were easily accustomed to the

new conditions, and 65.5% experienced

some difficulties.

Thus, the process of adaptation was

easy for 39% of students, while 61% of

respondents emphasize the complexity of

the process of getting used to the new

conditions, and some of them have not yet

fully adapted. A considerable number of

freshmen – 58% – feel stressed, some

isolation and are quickly tired. This

probably indicates that they have to make a

lot of learning efforts. However, these

efforts are not always effective, because

many first-year students do not have

enough time to prepare for seminars, and

the lecture material is not always

understood. At the same time, their

expectations (regarding the teachers, their

group mates) are false. It is difficult for

most first-year students to absorb the full

amount of educational information within

the set deadlines.

Among the problems that cause

adaptation difficulties, the students

indicated the following:

 personal: false, inadequate

expectations and illusions about the chosen

higher education institution and/or

specialty; uncertainty of one's life plans

and goals; uncertainty of one’s own

learning strategy – 51.4%;

 educational: change of the

daily routine; sudden changes in the

schedule; unexpected tests and exams; new

methods and forms of educational and

scientific work; high requirements for

students during tests and exams; frequency

of control of students' knowledge;

necessity of writing large abstracts in a

short period; credit-module system of

training – 56.3%;

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

RBEC

Tocantinópolis/Brasil

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2020

ISSN: 2525-4863

 living conditions: absence

of hot water; sudden termination of water

supply for several days; inability of

distribution of funds and/or responsibilities

among roommates; inconvenience of living

conditions; unfavorable conditions for

learning; accommodation of six to seven

people in a room; inability to use gas

stoves; settling in a room with undergrads;

dirty audiences; poor lighting; cold

rooms – 45.2%;

 psychological: missing

home and family; attitude of teachers and

peers; fear of exam failure and/or

deprivation of scholarship; unusual

independence; novelty of the big city and

peculiarities of life in new, completely

changed conditions – 75,3%;

 communicative: changes in

the surrounding people; unknown norms of

behavior in the student collective; mode of

activity; style of interpersonal relations in

the group, at the faculty; communication

problems with classmates and/or teachers –

66.7%;

 related to the relationships

in the group: selfishness, individualism of

classmates; disputes, unfriendly relations

with teachers; arrogance, superiority in the

attitude of classmates; inability to find a

common language with classmates; the

need to respond publicly; the unfairness of

teachers in assessing students' knowledge;

self-confidence of individual classmates –

67,1%.

The revealed problems put a great

strain on the nervous system and change

the character of adaptation process of the

freshmen. The psychological

unpreparedness of youth for the

educational process in higher education

institution can contribute to the gradual

accumulation of intellectual, mental

fatigue, diminish attention, memory,

thought, will, etc.

At a later stage of the study, we

conducted a Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale

questionnaire (1953) for this sample to

measure anxiety levels, consisting of 50

statements. To continue the study of

emotional states, a depression test scale

was applied, designed for differential

diagnosis of depression and states close to

depression. The results of this test indicate

that the vast majority of students

experience mild depression of situational

or neurotic genesis (figure 1).

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

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Figure 1 – Levels of anxiety of the first-year students (in %).

Source: author’s calculations based on the conducted survey.

The conducted research of the

students’ adaptation process reveals that

the latter is affected by certain difficulties,

which are a set of conditions or

circumstances, which determine the level,

pace, stability and outcome of student’s

adaptation. Knowledge and analysis of

these difficulties is a prerequisite for

managing adaptation processes.

Along with the academic adaptation

experienced by all first-year students, it is

important to emphasize the social and

psychological aspect of it, related to the

acquisition of new social norms by

students of rural origin, the establishment

and maintenance of a certain social status

in the urban environment and the new

community.

Practical applications

Following the presented findings, the

researcher Chikina (2009) sees the

optimization of the rural students’

adaptation in the development and

implementation of special courses or

electives on the formation of the

freshmen's readiness to study at a higher

educational institution, as well as the

introduction of additional disciplines.

To this end, psychologists,

counselors and higher education executives

should understand the students’ adaptation

problems; study the real needs of students;

conduct confidential conversations with

students that would allow them to express

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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2020

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their experiences and subsequently to cope

with them.

It is advisable to:

 conduct surveys of students’ mood,

reasons their dissatisfaction;

 conduct one-on-one interviews with

parents for a deep family study;

 organize educational activities

aimed at behavioral correction sessions,

consolidation of the student's self-

confidence, ability to naturally behave

among others, train manifestations of

student's will in different life situations,

promote students’ self-esteem and develop

the qualities necessary for fast adaptation

to the new learning and living

environment;

 carry out testing in order to study

the personal characteristics of students.

Obviously, not all first-year students

of rural origin need psychological help.

With sufficient social mobility and the

ability to use one's own internal resource,

one can constructively resolve conflicts

and successfully adapt to the new learning

environment. However, there is a large

group of young people who need, if not

psychological help, at least support in the

difficult life situation that may result from

migration. In line with all aforementioned,

development of recommendations for the

organization of pedagogical process to

reduce the intensity of adaptation processes

of rural youth is necessary.

We assume, there are several

directions of social and psychological

support for students of rural origin:

 educational and psychological work

with rural school children, directed at

awareness of own resources and plans,

optimization of life tasks and possibilities

of their realization, awareness of positive

and negative features of both rural and

urban life; conscious weighing and

reasonable choice of one's life path;

 psychological support to rural

youth who have come to the city to receive

education, regardless of whether they

intend to stay in the city forever or plan to

return to the village.

Work with rural high school students

Often, the choice of rural high school

seniors to migrate to the city is not based

on their own thinking, but on the model or

guidance of significant adults and peers.

There is a deep conviction among the rural

population that the city has comfortable

living conditions, a lot of opportunities and

can significantly change the way and

quality of life. According to such

convictions, the fact of living in the city

itself already provides with comfortable

conditions, good work, inexhaustible

opportunities, and the migration of

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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villagers to the city is seen as a kind of

success and achievement. At the same

time, it is absolutely irrelevant how true

the situation is to their ideas about life in

the city. This attitude of the rural

population, firstly, determines the active

relocation of the younger generation to the

city, and secondly, it reduces, and often

makes it impossible for the migrant to

return to the village, since such a fact will

be seen with misunderstanding, and

sometimes with condemnation.

The results of our study demonstrate

that rural high school students have a

hypertrophied view of the benefits of the

city as a desired place of residence and job

search. They often obviously overestimate

the opportunities that the urban

environment and urban lifestyle can

provide them. Given that the city does not

always live up to the expectations of rural

migrant youth, not everyone is able to

realize their full potential, such a situation

can only exacerbate a sense of

dissatisfaction and inner discomfort.

In this context, there is a need to

form an adequate image of urban and rural

lifestyles, their advantages and

disadvantages, and development of social-

psychological training helping rural high

school students find their own place in

society, and form a mature social identity.

Work with students of rural origin

It is important to emphasize that the

most active migration of rural population

to the city is at the age of 15-24 years

(Chyhryn, 2006). Consequently, an

important and largest group of rural youth

migrating to the city is rural youth seeking

education.

Assuredly, admission to higher

education is itself a crisis period and

causes numerous adaptation challenges for

students. For rural students, this situation is

further complicated by the need to adapt to

the new urban environment, to learn the

rules and norms of life in the urban society,

to master the urban lifestyle. Therefore, the

process of adaptation of rural youth who

have come to study in the city cannot be

considered separately from the general

processes of adaptation of students to new

living conditions.

A special role in this process is

played by the psychological service of the

university, whose activity is aimed at

providing conditions for full and

harmonious individual development of

students, developing their ability for self-

development and self-education,

promotion of their health, enhancing

students' adaptive capacity and becoming a

socially active personality.

The following directions of work of

psychological service, counselors and

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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educators in higher education institutions

can be distinguished. The first one is to

provide individual counseling for the

student, including on problems of

adaptation to the urban environment. It is

important for the psychologist to have

basic information on the course of

adaptation processes, about possible

difficulties, including those of the socio-

psychological nature that a young person

may encounter.

The second direction is the

development and implementation of

special training programs aimed at

updating the social mobility of rural youth;

activating their self-perception in the new

environment, increasing their level of

reflection and ability to set life goals in the

light of the real social situation and to

reach them; motivation for the

development of spirituality, social,

professional competence and self-

actualization in general; adequacy of self-

esteem; development of inner freedom,

ability to defend one's own beliefs and to

manage one's emotional state; develop a

constructive attitude towards criticism etc.

The third important direction of

work, in our opinion, is integration of

individual classes into training programs,

which would enhance friendly relations

between rural and urban youth, help them

to understand each other better, build

constructive relationships, develop

conflict-free behaviors; performing

correction in communication disorders,

adverse forms of emotional response and

behavior, conflict relationships etc.

Conclusions

The conducted research shows that

the students’ adaptation to the changed

living and learning environment is a

complex, multi-faceted and dynamic

process, which requires a synergistic

approach. The authors’ mini-questionnaire

revealed that 62% of the first-year students

of rural origin from a local National

University named after Bohdan

Khmelnytsky University at Cherkasy have

difficulties in adaptation. Six major

categories of obstacles generating weak

adaptation for students: personal,

educational, living conditions,

psychological, communicative,

relationships in the group. Each of them,

alone or in combination, can create serious

adjustment problems which could lead to

students’ failure to complete their studies.

Features of Ukrainian rural schools that

may impact on the adaptation process are

distinguished: small number of students in

class; heterogeneity of classes in

composition, level of cognitive interests;

poor material and technical condition;

limited opportunities for self-realization

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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and insufficient team work experience; low

motivation to study etc. Directions of work

of psychological service, counselors and

educators in higher education institutions

are displayed: individual counseling for the

student, development and implementation

of special training programs, integration of

individual classes into training programs.

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Article Information

Received on June 03rd, 2020

Accepted on July 13th, 2020

Published on July, 29th, 2020

Author Contributions: Yulia Shalivska took the lead in writing the

manuscript and performed the calculations. Kateryna Tkachenko

contributed to the interpretation of the results. Serhiy Danylyuk

designed the study and was in charge of overall direction and

planning. All authors took part in shaping the research, analysis

and manuscript writing, discussed the results and contributed to the

final manuscript.

Conflict of Interest: None reported.

Orcid

Yulia Shalivska

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5435-569X

Kateryna Tkachenko

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6811-0332

Serhiy Danylyuk

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0656-2413

How to cite this article

APA

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of

rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the university

life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National

University. Rev. Bras. Educ. Camp., 5, e9537.

http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

ABNT

SHALIVSKA, Y.; TKACHENKO, K.; DANYLYUK, S. Impact of rural

schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the university life in a

city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University. Rev.

Bras. Educ. Camp., Tocantinópolis, v. 5, e9537, 2020.

http://dx.doi.org/10.20873/uft.rbec.e9537

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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Tocantinópolis/Brasil

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Annex

“Questionnaire for monitoring adaptation of the first-year students”

Dear students! It is very important for us to know how you feel inside Bohdan Khmelnytsky

National University at Cherkasy. Please spend a few minutes to honestly answer the

questions.

WE GUARANTEE ANONYMITY!

1. Do you like studying at university?

a. yes

b. no

c. not yet decided

d. your answer

2. What made you decide to get higher education?

a. desire to become a highly educated specialist, a professional in the chosen field

b. desire to become a cultured person,

c. intention to develop abilities and skills

d. desire to live an interesting student life

e. awareness of the fact that it is difficult to achieve anything in life without diploma

f. other reason

3. Why did you choose our university?

a. interest in the future profession

b. wanted to study in a big city

c. desire of parents

d. advice from friends

e. other variant (please, specify)

4. Are you satisfied with your learning outcomes?

a. yes

b. no

c. 50/50

5. What prevents you from achieving better results and academic success?

a. laziness

b. lack of literature

c. low internet speed/lack of internet

d. unwillingness to learn

e. relationships in the group

f. other (please, specify)

6. What was the most difficult for you at the beginning of your study at the university?

a. to adapt to the requirements of teachers

b. to adjust to a new class

c. to master a new educational system

d. other (please, specify)

7. What unusual (new) things did you face when you became a student? (several answer

options are allowed)

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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a. organization of the learning process, daily number of classes

b. large amount of independent work

c. features of dormitory life

d. new norms of student communication

e. features of independent living apart from family

f. other (please, specify)

8. What do you value most in teachers?

a. ability to teach the material well

b. sense of humor and good mood

c. knowledge

d. fairness of assessment

e. other (please, specify)

9. What are the relationships in your academisc group?

a. friendly

b. unfriendly

c. hostile

d. other (please, specify)

10. Did you manage to establish friendly relations with all your groupmates?

a. yes

b. mostly

c. no

d. other (please, specify)

11. If you have learning difficulties, what are they related to? (multiple choice is allowed)

a. difficult content of academic disciplines

b. lack of school preparation, insufficient previously acquired knowledge

c. conflicts (misunderstandings) with teachers

d. conflicts (misunderstandings) with groupmates

e. no problems with learning

f. other (please, specify)

12. Where do you live?

a. at home

b. rent an apartment

c. in dormitory

d. other (please, specify)

13. Are you satisfied with the living conditions? If not - indicate the reason

a. yes

b. no

14. What difficulties have you encountered in the dormitory? (multiple choice is allowed)

a. I do not live in a dormitory

b. I do not know how to save money, plan expenses

c. the need to live in a room with other students

d. it is difficult to perform tasks and prepare for classes independently

e. I spend a lot of time cooking, cleaning etc.

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

university life in a city: experience of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University…

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f. I miss my family very much

g. unfriendly roommates

h. other (please, specify)

15. Did you experience any form of bullying in the university from

a. groupmates

b. senior students

c. roommates

d. faculty members

e. there were no cases of violence

f. other (please, specify)

16. What, in your opinion, hinderы the process of adaptation to the conditions of

university education?

a. personal disorganization and laziness

b. tension, fatigue from classes

c. insufficient interest in the chosen specialty

d. lack of time management skills

e. weak previous educational base

f. misunderstanding on the part of teachers and excessive demands

g. other (please, specify)

17. Do you experience any of the following emotional states while studying in the

university?

a. inner tension

b. self-doubt

c. concentrating difficulty

d. increase anxiety

e. sleep disorders

f. comparing yourself to others

g. other (please, specify)

18. What ways of solving educational problems do you choose?

a. independently look for rational ways to solve problem situations;

b. I'm waiting for everything to settle down, I'm not doing anything

c. discuss problems with groupmates

d. discuss problems with friends

e. ask for help from faculty members

f. ask for help from a tutor

g. ask for help from parents

19. Do relationships in the group you study in affect the outcome of your learning

activities?

a. yes

b. no

c. did not pay attention

d. other (please, specify)

20. How much time a day do you spend preparing for classes?

Shalivska, Y., Tkachenko, K., & Danylyuk, S. (2020). Impact of rural schools on further adaptation of rural youth to the

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a. 2-3 hours

b. 4 hours and more

c. Less than 2 hours

d. I don’t prepare for classes

21. What problems worry you the most?

a. related to learning

b. related to living conditions

c. relationships with family

d. relationships with groupmates

e. relationships with faculty members

f. other (please, specify)

22. Continue the sentence “University is …..”

23. Continue the sentence “What I like most in university is…”

24. Continue the sentence “What I don’t like in university is…”