Variations in the College Experience: The Effects of Introversion and Mindsets on Social Adjustment and Classroom Participation

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2016
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Introversion, Mindsets, and College Experience
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
The aim of our two studies was to investigate the college experience in terms of academic participation (Study 1) and social transition (Study 2) by examining the interaction effect of introversion and mindsets. The overarching hypothesis predicted that students with a combination of introversion and a fixed mindset (belief that personality and intelligence cannot change) would experience the most difficulty in these two areas. In Study 1, a total of 91 student participants completed survey measures of personality, a self-designed survey of classroom participation, motivation, and coping mechanisms, and wrote a narrative response regarding participation experiences. The results indicated that a combination of high introversion and a fixed mindset predicted more difficulty regarding certain participation situations. Study 2 analyzed data from the Identity Pathways Project (IPP), an ongoing longitudinal study observing the development of identity and relationships of undergraduate students. Our analyses of personality measures, the Social Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ), and select narratives, revealed no support for our main hypothesis. Though certain results from Study 1 supported our theoretical perspective, due to the novelty approach of this study, further research is necessary to clarify the influence of the interaction of introversion and fixed mindset on the college experience.
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