Abstract:

Students from different provinces and cities enroll in universities far from home and often
live in hostel. The aim of the interviews is to know that how do students from all over
Pakistan adjust themselves in government college university, Faisalabad. Students from every
province are enrolled in this institute and are completing their educational programs.
Faisalabad is in central Punjab and has a rich Punjabi culture. It upholds the culture of
Punjab. Hence, students from provinces as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan, Sindh and
from the federally administered tribal areas as well as federally administered Gilgit Baltistan
find Faisalabad much different from their own experiences. To record their experiences of
how they adjusted themselves here, we conducted an open-ended interview with them. The
participants include three male students from and one female student from Sakardu,
Waziristan, Quetta and Gilgit city respectively.
Introduction:
The term adjustment refers to “a continuous process in which a person changes his behavior
to create a more harmonious relationship between the environment and him” ( ). In other
words, adjustment can also be defined as” it is a process through which living beings
maintain a balance between needs and circumstances”. In words of Kul Shrestha (1971),
“adjustment process is a way in which an individual tries to deal with stress, tensions,
conflicts etc. and meet his or her needs. In this process, the individual makes efforts to
maintain a harmonious relationship with his surroundings.” In words of LF Shaffer (1961),
“adjustment is a process by which a living organism maintains a balance between its needs
and the circumstances that influence the satisfaction of these needs.
Literature review:
Globally, research is conducted to know how students adjust themselves in a culture different
then their own, how it impacts them, and which factors it impacts the most. Research
conducted by Andrew J Martin and his team (2018) focused on how university student’s
adjustment in university predicts their midcourse academic achievement and satisfaction. The
results showed that student’s adaptability in that specific environment predicted their course
of satisfaction. Students with higher emotional stability and behavior regulation showed
much better performance in their academic performance. Hence based on research, student’s
adjustment in a different environment plays a significant role on their overall achievement.
Another research conducted specifically on east Asian student studying in UK universities
and the challenges of university adjustments. Students faced challenges like language
proficiency, academic expectations, and social participation. The scenario was such that it
would be right to say that they experienced cultural bumps rather than cultural shocks.
Adjustment for students in a completely different culture and environment is quite
challenging. It becomes hectic and burdensome for them to cope with all the stress as well as
opportunities that a new place has to offer. In conflict of all this, students sometimes miss out
a lot of opportunities that could have improved their educational career and academic
achievement.