The Impact of College Students' Self-Efficacy on Adaptation to School Life: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Interpersonal Competence

Objectives The purpose of this study is to identify the correlations and causal relationships among self-efficacy, interpersonal competence, and school life adaptation in university students, and to examine the mediating effect of interpersonal competence on the relationship between self-efficacy and school life adaptation among university students. Methods A survey was conducted from February 20 to February 29, 2024, targeting 300 university students nationwide through a public opinion survey firm. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and mediation effect analysis were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro v.4.2. The mediation effect was tested using bootstrapping. Results First, the correlation between self-efficacy, interpersonal competence, and school life adjustment, which is research problem 1, was found to be all positively significant. Second, looking at research problem 2, which is whether self-efficacy and interpersonal competence affect school life adjustment, it was observed that as self-efficacy and interpersonal competence improved, so did school life adjustment. Third, in examining the mediating effect of interpersonal competence in the relationship between self-efficacy and school life adjustment, which is research problem 3, it was found that interpersonal competence has a partial mediating effect in the relationship between self-efficacy and school life adjustment. Conclusions This research is significant in that it emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy and interpersonal competence in university students' adaptation to school life and proposes ways to enhance these qualities.