Process of adaptation of first-year students to study at university as pedagogical phenomenon: structure and characteristics

The article is devoted to the study and analysis of the process of adaptation of first-year students to studying at a university as a pedagogical phenomenon. In the process of developing the personality of a future specialist, a significant role is played by the initial stage of studying at a university. Its complexity lies in restructuring the whole system of value-cognitive orientation of the student's personality, developing new methods of cognitive activity and forming certain types of interpersonal relationships. The main characteristic of this stage is the process of students' adaptation to university education. The aim of the paper is to develop scientific ideas about the nature, structure, and characteristics of students' adaptation to the educational process in a university. The article considers scientific works on the problem under study, reveals different approaches of researches to adaptation Based on the analysis of scientific literature and experience, the author defines the terms "adaptation", "the process of adaptation", "adaptedness". The comparative analysis of the terms "adjustment" and "adaptation", "imitation" and "adaptation", "socialization" and "adaptation" is carried out. Special attention is also given to the significant role of education for the process of adaptation and socialization. The structure of the process of students' adaptation to studying at a university including types, phases, and forms of adaptation is thoroughly investigated and described in the article. Based on the results of students' recitation the paper presents the list of the most common difficulties in the process of adaptation of first-year students in order of their significance.