Abstract
This course-based research project is conducted in a qualitative interpretive paradigm. The purpose of the inquiry is to gain insight into how students interpret their own subjective experiences and understanding of the impact that the undergraduate child and youth care program at MacEwan University has had on their mental wellness. A purposive sample of four child and youth care students was selected. Data was collected through the use of a semi-structured focus group and a reflective arts-based activity. The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s approach to thematic analysis which resulted in the identification of six themes. These include: a) safe and supportive learning environment, b) enhanced understanding, c) genuine student-professor relationship, d) seeing mental health as a strength, e) the healing power of creativity and play, and f) transformational nature of child and youth care education.
Highlights
Students who have graduated from the child and youth care (CYC) program at MacEwan University can tell you that throughout their educational experience there were times when they felt emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and fatigued due to the program’s emphasis on having students self-disclose and engage in conscious self-awareness
The six steps prescribed by Braun and Clark (2006) were selected as the optimal method of analysis because they provided a good fit for the primary research purpose, which is to gain insight into how students interpret their own subjective experiences and understanding of the impact of MacEwan University's undergraduate CYC program on their mental wellness
“they reminded us it is not selfish to address your own needs”. These findings present a description of undergraduate CYC student perspectives of the CYC program as supportive of their mental wellness
Summary
Students who have graduated from the child and youth care (CYC) program at MacEwan University can tell you that throughout their educational experience there were times when they felt emotionally drained, overwhelmed, and fatigued due to the program’s emphasis on having students self-disclose and engage in conscious self-awareness. The Bachelor of Child and Youth Care program at MacEwan University is continuously searching for new pedagogical approaches to foster criticality, reflectivity, and praxis as integral components of the overall student educational experience.
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