Abstract
The transition into higher education presents multidimensional challenges that frequently compromise undergraduate persistence, psychological well-being, and academic performance. While institutional interventions often address cognitive or social competencies in isolation, Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) offer a collaborative instructional framework capable of simultaneously nurturing intellectual self-efficacy and relational connectedness. This longitudinal investigation examined the influence of a year-long, structured PALS intervention on academic resilience and social integration among first-year university students (N = 1,240) enrolled across diverse academic disciplines at a large public research university. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design with parallel control cohorts and three discrete measurement waves (matriculation, mid-academic year, and end-of-year), structural equation modeling and latent growth curve analysis were deployed to evaluate developmental trajectories. Findings revealed that participants engaging in PALS exhibited statistically significant, accelerated gains in adaptive cognitive coping, perseverance through academic adversity, and institutional sense of belonging relative to comparison peers receiving conventional academic advising. Furthermore, social integration acted as an operative mediator, partially accounting for the positive relationship between collaborative peer engagement and longitudinal academic resilience. These outcomes demonstrate that embedding formalized peer support systems into foundational curricula strengthens students' psychosocial scaffolding, underscoring the critical imperative for higher education institutions to integrate collaborative learning structures into holistic transition programming.
