College Adjustment and the Shy Student

The study was conducted to examine the correlation between shyness and college adjustment. To make the determination, the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) (1981) was used to identify shyness, while the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) (Baker and Siryk, 1989) was utilized in assessing college adjustment. While the shyness scale assessed shyness as a single construct, the college adaptation scale assessed college adjustment in terms of academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal-emotional adjustment, and college attachment. The data of 90 students in a general psychology class in a Mid-Western college with a total student population of approximately 6,800 was used for the study. Results indicated significant correlations between shyness and academic adjustment, as well as between shyness and personal-emotional attachment, and highly significant correlations between shyness and social attachment, as well as between shyness and attachment to college. This indicates a high probability that shyness is strongly related to the investigated areas; academic, social, personal-emotional adjustment, and attachment to college. It is hoped that the findings of this study will encourage colleges to examine and implement services that will facilitate the college adjustment process for all students, and specifically for shy students who may be at increased risk of adjustment difficulties but who may be unlikely to seek assistance