Abstract
The phenomenon of malaise is on the rise at universities, reflecting a deteriorating psychological state that is a combination of anxiety and stress factors. This psychological and emotional upheaval within students is indicative of a fundamental existential issue. In fact, hidden behind the choice of an educational program is the significance given by the student to their life goals. It is this dimension of attributing meaning to one’s education and, more broadly, to one’s life (the existential dimension) that we have sought to explore. We hypothesized that a stable investment in one’s life goals and a sense of psychological wellbeing during one’s studies could be fostered by reflective work done alongside the educational process. Our research took the form of a mixed methodological approach to the attribution of meaning to education, including an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), and the experimentation of support for the meaning of education. Four dimensions of meaning were found to be observable in varying degrees in all students, each playing a specific role. Moreover, this research has confirmed that the meaning of studies is not to be understood solely in terms of education, but is part of a singular life story. Reflective work, developing meaning, facilitated by others (advisor, teacher, etc.) can help preserve/restore the feeling of wellbeing. It should be noted that, as the work presented in this article predates the pandemic, we will not address the amplifying effects of this health crisis on existential issues, which some recent studies are beginning to highlight.
Highlights
Evolving in a context of multiple crises and uncertainties (Coutinho et al, 2008; Arnault, 2021), and called upon to adapt quickly to the university environment (Boujut et al, 2009) regardless of their degree of autonomy, self-esteem, and emotional stability, students react mainly in two ways: by fully engaging in the acquisition of knowledge and skills deemed useful for their career life, at the cost of excelling in their work, or by developing negative affects — boredom, stress, fear of failure, questioning of their own choices, etc., - which can lead to disengagement or even dropping out (Falissard, 2019)
We will focus here on the elements emerging from the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) analysis that are most likely to show the links between the meaning of education and psychological wellbeing
Four main aspects of the meaning of education emerged from the participants’ accounts of their life experiences: (1) An “intrinsic sense of education” dimension, where the learner connects to their needs related to the sensory and perceptual aspects; (2) An “existential meaning of education” dimension, where the learner’s life path and the university’s timeframe are discussed through the prism of the experience of being; (3) An “extrinsic meaning of education” dimension, where the learner develops their relationship with the world and connects them to others; (4) a “technical meaning of education” dimension, where the learner safely adapts to the environments in which they evolve (Table 2)
Summary
Evolving in a context of multiple crises and uncertainties (Coutinho et al, 2008; Arnault, 2021), and called upon to adapt quickly to the university environment (Boujut et al, 2009) regardless of their degree of autonomy, self-esteem, and emotional stability, students react mainly (and sometimes sequentially) in two ways: by fully engaging in the acquisition of knowledge and skills deemed useful for their career life, at the cost of excelling in their work (intensive investment), or by developing negative affects — boredom, stress, fear of failure, questioning of their own choices, etc., - which can lead to disengagement or even dropping out (Falissard, 2019). Meaning of Education and Wellbeing that future plans - which have become non-linear - are linked to existential questions and the meaning of work (Yalom, 2008; Bernaud, 2016, 2021), it seems essential to us to help the student adopt a reflective stance toward their experiences. Thinking and thinking about oneself in a learning situation would contribute to a better understanding of one’s existence, to the development of new behaviors, less focused on the goal of obtaining a degree to the detriment of one’s psychological wellbeing, and closer to oneself, one’s needs, and one’s priorities in life (Henderson-King and Mitchell, 2011). University studies will often appear to be a continuum or a renewed thread in relation to their schooling. They will mark a break, requiring a reworking of the meaning attributed to learning
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