Self Efficacy, Self Esteem, and Gender as Factors Predicting Homesickness of Freshmen

Abstract

The transition from high school to college/university often involves separation from home as well as adapting to a new academic environment. For most new students, adjusting to an unfamiliar academic setting can induce homesickness. While most studies have investigated homesickness as a negative outcome of relocation, the present study extended the literature by examining the influence of self esteem, self efficacy, and gender on homesickness among freshmen in a public higher institution of learning in southwest Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional ex post facto research, in which 306 respondents were selected using purposive sampling method. The sample comprised 193 females and 113 males, and their age ranged between 15 and 29 years with a mean of 20.13. The instrument for data collection was a well-designed self-report questionnaire that measured self efficacy, self esteem and homesickness. Three hypotheses generated from the literature reviewed were tested. Results indicated significant influence of both self efficacy {t (303) = 4.54, p <.01}, and self esteem {t (303) = 5.50, p<.01} on homesickness. However, gender had no significant influence on homesickness. The findings were discussed alongside implications and conclusions.

Key words: self efficacy, self esteem, homesickness, fresh students