Level of integration into university life among Social Sciences students coming from rural areas

Abstract

The study, "Level of Integration Into University Life Among Social Sciences Students Coming From Rural Areas," utilized a descriptive quantitative method to assess integration levels among respondents from rural areas within the College of Ails and Sciences. It surveyed 131 Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and 89 Bachelor of Science in Psychology students with overall 220, focusing on those residing outside city parameters. Data were collected via Google Forms and analyzed using SPSS v23. Results revealed that the level of integration into university life is average (x=3.48) when taken as a whole according to sex, course and extra-curricular involvement. In terms of sex, the male has high level (x=3.67) while the female has average (x=3.38), in the course where Bachelor of Arts in Political Science has high (x=3.66) while Bachelor of Science in Psychology has average (x= 3.37), and in extra-curricular involvement participants has high (x=3.64) while non-participants has average (x=3.28). Using Mann-Whitney U Test, the study revealed that there was a significant difference when grouped according to sex (p <0.0001) where males were significantly higher compared to females, when grouped according to courses (p <0.0001) the Bachelor of Alts in Political Science and Public Administration was significantly higher compared to the Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and extra-curricular involvement (p <0.0001) where participants were significantly higher compared to non-participants. The study underscores the significance of extracurricular involvement for curriculum development and provides insights for institutions to facilitate the integration of rural students. It also offers guidance for further study on the dynamics of integration and what drives different student demographics.