Psychological mechanisms of adaptation in students with special educational needs: personal, emotional, and motivational predictors of resilience to educational difficulties

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify psychological factors that determine the successful adaptation of students with special educational needs at different levels of higher education. The study focused on analyzing personal, emotional, and motivational-semantic characteristics that influence students' resilience to academic and social difficulties in the university educational environment.

The empirical basis of the study was made up of students from Kazakhstani higher education institutions. The total sample consisted of 153 respondents aged 17 to 49, representing various levels of higher education and a wide range of academic specialties. To achieve the research objectives, a set of standardized psychodiagnostic techniques was used: the Social and Psychological Adaptation Test (C. Rogers, R. Dymond; adapted by A. K. Osnitsky); the Sense of Life Orientation (SLO) test (J. Crumbaugh, L. Maholik; adapted by D.A. Leontiev); the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire EmIn – short version (D.V. Lyusin, A. A. Pankratova, D. S. Kornienko).

Statistical data processing included descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and exploratory factor analysis aimed at identifying latent psychological structures underlying the adaptive potential of students with SEN. The results showed that emotional intelligence, life meaning orientation, and personal acceptance indicators play a significant role in psychological adaptation to the university environment. Students with higher levels of emotional awareness, self-regulation, and life meaning demonstrate greater resilience to academic stress and social challenges. At the same time, maladaptive tendencies such as emotional discomfort, self-denial, and orientation toward external control negatively affect adaptation processes. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of an integrative psychological model of adaptation for students with special educational needs, which can serve as a basis for the development of psychological and pedagogical support programs and the improvement of an inclusive educational environment.