Silva, Osvaldo Dias Lopes daCaldeira, Suzana NunesSousa, Áurea2025-02-062025-02-062024Silva, O, Caldeira, S.N., & Sousa, Á. (2024). Factors influencing integration into higher education and satisfaction with academic life in context of Bullying and Hazing practices. ICERI2024 Proceedings, pp. 7444-7450. doi: https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.1796978-84-09-63010-3http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/7275ABSTRACT: Entering higher education (HE) represents a significant milestone for many students, shaping their choices and future aspirations. Unfortunately, bullying and hazing are common during this transition, often linked to traditional initiation practices. Understanding the impact of these negative experiences on students' integration, satisfaction with academic life, and academic performance is crucial for educational institutions to develop effective strategies for a supportive and welcoming environment. In continuation of previous research on student integration in higher education, a study was conducted with a sample of 574 students who enrolled in higher education in Portugal during the 2023-2024 academic year. The primary aim was to identify the most influential factors related to bullying during hazing and to examine their effects on students' satisfaction with academic life, academic integration, and performance. Additionally, the study sought to determine whether satisfaction with academic life mediates the relationship between bullying experiences and academic integration. ....[...]....After ensuring all requirements for the reflective model were met (internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity), the structural model was evaluated to test the hypotheses. Significant findings included: positive and negative relationships with hazing practices are the most influential factors identified by the ASBSHHE; bullying situations during hazing significantly affect both academic integration and student life satisfaction; and satisfaction with student life mediates the relationship between bullying during hazing and academic integration. These results highlight the importance of addressing bullying and hazing in higher education. Educational institutions can use these insights to develop interventions aimed at preventing abusive behaviours and promoting better integration and satisfaction among new students, ultimately enhancing their academic success and well-being.engIntegration of University StudentsPLS-SEMBullying and Hazing PracticesSatisfaction with Academic Lifejournal articlehttps://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2024.1796