First-Year Students’ Challenges and Coping Strategies in Public and Private Universities in Osun State, Nigeria

The current study examined the challenges faced by first-year students in public and private universities in Osun State. It also examined the coping strategies of first-year students in public and private universities in the state. It further determined if any differences exist in challenges between public and private university students in the study area; it also determined differences in coping strategies between public and private university students in Osun State. These were to provide information on first-year students’ challenges and strategies for overcoming them. The research design for the study was descriptive survey research design. The study population entailed all first-year students in the public university of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, and a private university, Oduduwa University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were employed to select 200 respondents from the public university and 150 respondents from the private university among first-year students. A self-developed questionnaire titled First-Year Student Challenges and Coping Strategies Questionnaire (FYSCCSQ), which was comprised of four sections, was used to obtain data from the sample. The instrument was validated using face and content validity, and an Alpha Coefficient reliability of .85 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, simple percentages, and inferential statistics such as independent t-tests. The results showed no significant differences in challenges between public and private first-year students with (t = .51) and no significant differences in coping strategies between public and private first-year students with (t = .268). The study concluded that first-year students in public and private universities encountered myriads of challenges (Academic, Social, Cultural, and economic), with academic challenges being the prevalent challenge, followed by social, cultural, and minor economic challenges in both public and private universities.