How students make sense of their reality during the Covid-19 pandemic

Interpretive phenomenological analysis of UPEI student's experience during Covid-19

Kelly, Lauren

Honours

2021

MacQuarrie, Colleen

Bachelor of Science

Faculty of Science. Honours in Psychology.

Psychology

Psychology

University of Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown, PE

Students attending post-secondary education during the Covid-19 pandemic experienced countless changes to their university lifestyle to ensure their community continued to stay in good health, free of Covid-19. These experiences shaped how they made sense of their reality during the pandemic. Existing research discussed the implications of past pandemics and the consequences for individuals' well-being. Plenty of studies suggested recommendations for government policies in the case of a future Show moreStudents attending post-secondary education during the Covid-19 pandemic experienced countless changes to their university lifestyle to ensure their community continued to stay in good health, free of Covid-19. These experiences shaped how they made sense of their reality during the pandemic. Existing research discussed the implications of past pandemics and the consequences for individuals' well-being. Plenty of studies suggested recommendations for government policies in the case of a future pandemic to ensure past struggles were limited in the case of future ones. This study aims to explore the experiences of UPEI students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Four UPEI students were asked about their experiences during Covid-19 regarding their academic, physical, and mental well-being. Participants were asked general questions to explore their personal experiences without paying specific attention to assumptions made by others about their experience. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted from the four research discussions. The main finding was that students all see themselves as resilient people while undergoing the pandemic's stresses. Resilience in this study is defined as the ability to overcome an adverse event. They demonstrated the qualities of a resilient person by practicing healthy coping strategies during the quarantine and choosing to look for positives during a challenging time in their lives. The results explore the overarching theme of "I am a resilient person" through the following subthemes: Healthier habits gained from Covid-19, Effective coping strategies, Uncertainties of the Future, Assumptions and expectations, Experiential changes, Work-life experience, and Educational experience. This study has several similarities with the findings of previous studies on the topic of post-secondary students during Covid-19. However, this thesis provides perspective from a set of individuals living in a relatively safe zone during the coronavirus because of its global context and the island's culture. Show less

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