The Effectiveness of the Project-Based Liberal Arts Class for the Adaptation of Freshmen to College Life

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the project-based liberal arts class for the adaptation of freshmen to college life. It was carried out at a university located in Chungcheong province during the first semester of 2023. The class contents consisted of four main categories: adapting to campus life, exploring majors, planning and implementing self-management, and building peer relationships, and it included both individual and group projects. To analyze the effectiveness of the class in terms of the adaptation of freshmen to college life, self-efficacy, and sense of community in class, a pre-survey was carried out in the first week of March, and a post-survey was conducted in the second week of June. The pre-and post-survey data collected from 202 participants were analyzed using a paired t-test to compare mean differences over time. According to the analytical results, the participants’ adaptation to college life (t=-7.303, p=.000), self-efficacy (t=-2.766, p=.006), and sense of community in class (t=-6.592, p=.000) showed a significant improvement. These research findings provide pedagogical implications for supporting college freshmen in their transition to college life.