International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review

SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION: NORTH EAST INDIAN TRIBAL STUDENTS IN NON-NATIVE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Authors: C Arul Actovin, K Krishnakumar & C Satheesh Kumar

ABSTRACT

This paper attempts to elucidate various social adjustment problems faced by tribal students while migrating to cities away from their native state for the first time for higher education. Through this study, the researchers envisage comprehending the social adjustment problems of tribal students while being confronted by the changes due to a non-native urban environment. The adjustment problems range from adapting to non-native culture to acquiring workable knowledge in the vernacular. Indeed, it is time-consuming and can be strenuous for many. Here, an attempt is made to assess the social integration problems among tribal educational migrants qualitatively. The researchers have adopted a case study approach in this social investigation. Tribal students enrolled in Pondicherry University from states other than Puducherry were chosen for this study. Twelve cases were selected through purposive sampling. Data collection involved in-depth interviews based on an expressly designed interview guide. Thematic analysis of the transcripts yielded a catalogue of highlighted themes that helped arrive at a few conclusions. The researchers made recommendations based on the knowledge generated and recognized the scope for further investigation.

Keywords: Tribal community, Educational migrant, Non-native, Urban, Hosteller, Tribal Youth

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