Overcome the Adjustment Barriers:The Impact of China's Orientation Programs on First-year College Students'Academic and Social Adjustment
The college orientation programs serve as a crucial bridge to help first-year students adjust to the col-lege environment,develop self-cognition and social cognition,and integrate into college life.Considering the preval-ent academic and social adjustment barriers among Chinese freshmen,and based on the international comparison of the orientation programs,the study evaluates the impact of the orientation programs on first-year students'adjust-ment using a nationwide survey data.The study demonstrates that implementing long-term orientation programs,which deliver discipline-based introduction,study skills courses,and mental health services,has positive impact on both academic and social adjustment.However,due to the lack of support for disadvantaged freshmen,the compens-atory impact of orientation programs is supposed to strengthen.The findings provide scientific insights for improv-ing orientation programs to ensure the quality of talent cultivation.