Associations of Social and Emotional Adjustment with Educational Adjustment among Koraga Adolescents in Kasaragod, Kerala: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

This cross-sectional study examined associations of social and emotional adjustment with educational adjustment among 103 adolescents from the Koraga community in Kasaragod District, Kerala, India. Participants were selected by convenience sampling and completed a self-developed, self-report questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics and three adjustment domains. The sample included 42 males (40.8%) and 61 females (59.2%); 85 participants (82.5%) lived in nuclear families. Emotional adjustment and educational adjustment were positively correlated (r = .196), as were social adjustment and educational adjustment (r = .250). Assuming two-sided Pearson tests and 103 complete pairs, approximate nominal p values were .047 and .011, respectively. Both correlations were small and were not adjusted for confounding or multiple comparisons. The findings concern questionnaire-based educational adjustment rather than objectively measured academic achievement. Convenience sampling, self-report measurement, incomplete documentation of questionnaire properties and the cross-sectional design constrain interpretation. The findings indicate associations within the surveyed adolescents and support further culturally contextualised research rather than causal conclusions.