The Freshmen's Integration Test: A Validation Study

• In Event: Transitional Experiences Into and Through College

Abstract

To date there has been little agreement on what important facets should be incorporated in quantitative measures of the academic and social first-year experience. Moreover, such scales are typically developed in academic higher education (HE) contexts (providing more theoretical and scientific education), and are disconnected from the experiences of students in professional HE contexts (aimed at practicing a profession). The Freshmen’s Integration Test (FIT) is a newly developed instrument that aims to map out students’ perceptions of how they are dealing with their academic and social transition at a certain point in the first semester, and was based on thorough previous qualitative research in professional HE. The present study provides evidence of the high psychometric value of the FIT questionnaire.

Authors

• Jonas Willems, Antwerp University

• Veerle vanoverberghe

• Liesje Coertjens, Université Catholique de Louvain

• Vincent Donche, University of Antwerp