Wellbeing In Higher Education Research Articles

Transforming educational space under the impact of the pandemic: student and teacher well-being in higher education

The article presents the study of some areas of educational space transformation under the COVID-19 pandemic influence. The focus of attention is on such problems as the cognitive well-being of the student, the tutor model of teacherstudent relations in the digitalising educational space, the functioning of academic mobility institution in a pandemic and post-pandemic world. Cognitive well-being of students implies mastering digital literacy with strict adherence to the norms of digital ethics. A tutor in modern education plays the role of not only a developer of an individual educational trajectory, but also a controller and educator. For the successful implementation of tutoring functions, the teaching staff of universities needs additional training. The main trends in academic mobility are internal and virtual mobility. The authors conclude that educational organisations need for adequate infrastructural policy, and educational space – inevitable transformations in budget financing. The results of the article can be used in further research on the higher education transformation problems, in the development of proposals and recommendations for specialists in the of higher education management field for use in practice.

Mindful language learning: The effects of college students’ mindfulness on short-term vocabulary retention

Educators are increasingly implementing holistic approaches into the foreign language classroom, with one popular method being mindfulness. Mindfulness has been associated with better grades and well-being in higher education. However, no study has yet explored the language-specific relationship between mindfulness and second language acquisition (SLA). This study investigated the relationship between the mindfulness level of 269 Japanese undergraduates and their ability to learn new L3 words in German. The study further examined the extent to which different domains of mindfulness were related to the ability to learn new vocabulary, as well as the relationship between mindfulness and the different vocabulary test parts (receptive, productive, grammatical gender). Correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed that higher mindfulness was associated with better vocabulary retention. In particular, the mindfulness dimension “Acting with Awareness” was key for all connections. Notably, the L1 and L3 parts showed a different relationship with different mindfulness dimensions: “Non-judging” was crucial for the productive part and “Observing” was decisive for the receptive part. These findings indicate that mindfulness not only improves general academic performance, but also has a direct relationship with SLA. Finally, this suggests that mindfulness training for students may be a novel approach to facilitate vocabulary learning.

The mediating role of perceived stress between smartphone dependency and psychological well-being among college students

Psychological well-being is one of the main elements in students’ life, especially for successful adaptation to the college environment. Determining what factors influence students’ psychological-well may provide valuable insights and ideas for the development of intervention programs. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the association between life events, smartphone dependency, perceived stress, and psychological well-being and whether perceived stress mediates the association between smartphone dependency and psychological well-being. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses with bootstrapped mediation were used to analyze the data in this study. The results show that life events were positively associated with perceived stress and that smartphone dependency was associated with higher perceived stress levels. Then, perceived stress was found negatively correlated with psychological well-being. However, smartphone dependency was not associated with psychological well-being. The bootstrapped analysis indicated that perceived stress fully mediated the association between smartphone dependency and psychological well-being. In summary, this study is significant for practitioners in well-being fields, such as counselors and educators, to promote students’ well-being in higher education. Keywords: Life events, perceived stress, psychological well-being, smartphone dependency.

Participatory digital approaches to embedding student wellbeing in higher education

Student mental health and wellbeing are critical topics in higher education. In response to broader societal shifts in thinking around mental health and wellbeing, there are calls for universities to take a more proactive and holistic approach, working in partnership with students to embed mental wellbeing throughout learning, tuition and curricula. This paper presents two participatory projects from different United Kingdom higher education institutions, both of which took holistic, proactive and inclusive approaches toward supporting student mental wellbeing in higher education, using online and technology-based approaches. The first project is the digital “Wellbeing Pedagogies Library” at the University of Warwick, a digital repository co-designed with students to foster the sharing of pedagogical practices that support student wellbeing, and to offer a practical support to students and staff who want to create and/or sustain wellbeing-inducing teaching and learning environments. The second project is the “Mental Wellbeing in Distance Learning” project at the Open University, which piloted five digital subprojects, led by different practitioners in partnership with students, aiming to address barriers to wellbeing in different aspects of distance learning. This paper presents the participatory methods and approaches from each project, explores stakeholders’ perceptions of the value that participatory approaches added to the projects, and comparatively evaluates the projects’ outcomes in order to draw conclusions that can inform future participatory research. In doing so, it explores different types of participatory approaches that can be taken in different contexts, and how terms such as “holistic,” “proactive,” and “inclusive” may be interpreted and applied in practice. Drawing on the findings, it posits that participatory approaches and partnerships with students should be considered a priority when designing digital resources, interventions and solutions to support student mental wellbeing.

A review of resilience in higher education: toward the emerging concept of designer resilience

ABSTRACT Higher education (HE) students experience rates of depression and anxiety substantially higher than those found in the general population. Many psychological approaches to improving wellbeing and developing student resilience have been adopted by HE administrators and educators, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This article aims to review literature regarding integration of resilience and wellbeing in HE. A subsequent aim is to scope toward developing foundations for an emerging discipline specific concept – designer resilience. A literature scoping review is applied to chart various conceptual, theoretical and operational applications of resilience and wellbeing in HE. Twenty-seven (27) articles are identified and analysed. The scoping review finds that two general approaches to implementing resilience and wellbeing training exist in HE. First, articles reacting to a decline in student mental health and remedying this decline through general extra-curricular resilience or wellbeing programmes. Second, articles opting for a curricula and discipline-specific approach by establishing why resilience will be needed by future graduates before developing and testing new learning experiences. The presence of cognitive flexibility, storytelling, reframing and reflection lie at the core of the practice of resilience and design and therefore offer preliminary opportunities to develop ‘designer resilience’ training. Future research opportunities are identified throughout the article.

Canine-Assisted Intervention Reduces Anxiety and Stress in Higher Education Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore benefits of interacting with a canine on anxiety, stress, depression, and wellbeing in Higher Education (HE) students. Sixty participants took part in a randomized controlled trial. Assigned to either the canine-assisted intervention (CAI) or control group, the CAI group interacted with a canine whereas the control group watched an unrelated slideshow. Anxiety, depression, stress, and wellbeing measures were completed pre- and post-intervention and demonstrated there was a significant decrease in anxiety and stress in the CAI group. Due to group differences pre-intervention, findings for depression measures were uninterpretable and there was no significant effect found for general wellbeing. Overall, this study uses a CAI and control group and explores the use of a singular, brief CAI session in HE students demonstrating CAI to be an effective means of supporting mental health by decreasing levels of anxiety and stress in the treatment group.

Subjective Wellbeing among University Students and Recent Graduates: Evidence from the United Kingdom.

This study compares students’ and recent graduates’ perceptions of their subjective wellbeing and offers support mechanisms and resources to enhance wellbeing in higher education. Survey data were collected in September 2021 from 414 UK-based higher education students and recent graduates on their self-perceived subjective wellbeing in March 2020 (before COVID-19 regulations restrictions) and September 2021 (18 months later). Findings showed that subjective wellbeing scores fell for almost three-quarters of university students and recent graduates between March 2020 and September 2021. Interestingly, around one-fifth of participants reported increased subjective wellbeing scores whilst the remaining participants reported no impact. Positive impacts of the pandemic included opportunities for self-improvement with more free time for focusing on health and relationships. Adverse outcomes included feelings of isolation, reduced mental and physical health, difficulties undertaking degree studies and work, travel restrictions, and concerns for labour market competitiveness. The study advances the application of the conservation of resources theory and identifies strategies for higher education institutions to better support and improve their students’ and future graduates’ subjective wellbeing. Strategies include access to counselling, mindfulness, opportunities for participation in hobbies, interaction with peers, flexible work and study options, and guidance on career and finances.

Breathing our way into mindful academic writing: a collaborative autoethnography of an online writing community

ABSTRACT Although literature demonstrates that mindfulness practices enhance undergraduate student learning, writing composition, and sense of well-being in higher education, there is minimal research that explores faculty and doctoral student engagement in mindfulness practices to support academic writing and build online writing community. In this collaborative autoethnographic study, we fill this gap by exploring our experiences as five female academics participating in an online mindful writing group where we gathered regularly to meditate and write throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed and engaged in innovative meditations designed to support our academic writing and writer identity. Data included individual position statements and reflections and group conversational interviews. The findings are clustered under three main themes: (a) deepened understanding of the writing process and writer identity as expressions of self-reflection, creativity, and joy that led to greater acceptance of ourselves and others as writers, (b) the role of mindfulness in academic writing as present-moment non-judgemental awareness and acceptance that promoted well-being, and (c) development of a mindful online writing community that provided a space for honesty, vulnerability, knowledge exchange, and knowledge creation. We identified tensions of collaborative writing, such as navigating different writing styles, negotiating writer voice, and interpreting asynchronous feedback. We recommend that universities support the development of online mindfulness-based writing communities and pedagogies recognising that faculty and doctoral students vary in their continuum of mindfulness practices and, thus, are likely to hold different expectations from such communities.

Academic Well-Being in Higher Education: A Cross-Country Analysis of the Relationship Between Perceptions of Instruction and Academic Well-Being.

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between university students’ perceptions of the overall quality of instruction (PQI) they experienced since COVID-19 and their academic well-being. This relationship was examined in the context of a moderated moderation with students’ household income and the cultural value of power distance (PD), which measures the extent to which less powerful members of an organization expect and accept that power is unequally distributed. Two countries with societally moderate levels of PD (South Africa and the United States) were assessed. Moderated moderations between PQI, income, and PD were found for the academic well-being of students from both the United States and South Africa. The patterns of interactions were in some ways similar and other ways different, highlighting the complexity of how students may react to potential stressors in their academic environment. Potential explanations and implications of these results are discussed.

Motives for Studying and Student Wellbeing: Validation of the Motivational Mindset Model.

Research on the joint effect of multiple motives for studying was recently given a push in a new direction with the introduction of the motivational mindset model (MMM). This model contributes to a better understanding of study success and student wellbeing in higher education. The aim of the present study is to validate the newly developed model and the associated mindset classification tool (MCT). To this end, 662 first-year university students were classified in one of the four types of motivational mindset using the classification tool and three exploratory validation procedures were conducted through sense of purpose, study engagement, and students’ background characteristics in terms of gender and ethnicity. Both purpose and study engagement are central dimensions of student wellbeing and predictors of study success. The results show that (1) sense of purpose and study engagement differ across the four types of mindset, (2) students in the low-impact mindset show the least optimal pattern of study engagement and sense of purpose, (3) sense of purpose and study engagement are positively related and this relationship is consistent across mindsets, and (4) overall differences in purpose and study engagement between gender and ethnic subgroups stem from one specific type of motivational mindset. The results provide support for the validity of the MMM and the usefulness of the MCT. The implications of the findings are discussed as well as promising avenues for future research.

Tribal Nation Building and the Role of Faculty: Paying the Debt on Indigenous Well-Being in Higher Education

This article situates the experiences of faculty members, as tribal nation builders, within the academy of higher education. As creators of a 2020 convening on nation building in higher education, we ascertain the logic for interdisciplinary faculty collaboration as essential for performing and centering tribal nation-building efforts in higher education. We argue that the academy cannot honor its relationship with Indigenous lands and peoples without equitable investment in Indigenous faculty and curricular programs that engage deeply with Indigenous lifeways and lead restorative relationships with Indigenous communities and their citizens. As junior scholars using personal narrative to illuminate the complexities of advancing Indigenous programming, we propose investment in interdisciplinary work as a reflection of Indigenous knowledge. We conclude by highlighting ways for institutions to invest in Indigenous faculty and the co-conceptualization of nation building as a vital cornerstone of public education.

Attending to the Teacher in the Teaching: Prioritizing Faculty Well-Being

PurposeThe purpose of this review article is to examine the well-being of faculty in higher education. Success in academia depends on productivity in research, teaching, and service to the university, and the workload model that excludes attention to the welfare of faculty members themselves contributes to stress and burnout. Importantly, student success and well-being is influenced largely by their faculty members, whose ability to inspire and lead depends on their own well-being. This review article underscores the importance of attending to the well-being of the people behind the productivity in higher education.MethodThis study is a narrative review of the literature about faculty well-being in higher education. The history of well-being in the workplace and academia, concepts of stress and well-being in higher education faculty, and evidence-based strategies to promote and cultivate faculty well-being were explored in the literature using electronic sources.ConclusionsFaculty feel overburdened and pressured to work constantly to meet the demands of academia, and they strive for work–life balance. Faculty report stress and burnout related to excessively high expectations, financial pressures to obtain research funding, limited time to manage their workload, and a belief that individual progress is never sufficient. Faculty well-being is important for the individual and in support of scholarship and student outcomes. This article concludes with strategies to improve faculty well-being that incorporate an intentional focus on faculty members themselves, prioritize a community of well-being, and implement continuous high-quality professional learning.

Applied Learning and Students’ Well-Being in Higher Education

Applied Learning and Students’ Well-Being in Higher Education

Enhancing Mindfulness and Well-Being in Higher Education

This article outlines the steps taken to establish the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being. Major historical components include: gaining momentum; securing funding; developing mission and vision statements; launching the Pruitt Center; and recounting the services, programs, and impacts achieved to date. Through outlining experiences and lessons learned, others in higher education looking to enhance the well-being of their campus communities could benefit, regardless of whether creating a center is their goal. The process and rationale for creating and adopting the PERMANENT Model of Well-Being is also provided. Comparisons are made regarding the similarities and differences between the PERMANENT Model and two existing models: the PERMA Model and the Universidad Tecmilenio Well-being in Happiness Ecosystem. Also depicted is the intention concerning: 1) describing each domain of the PERMANENT Model of Well-Being, including Present Moment Awareness, the model’s foundation; 2) the meaning behind the PERMANENT acronym, inspiring the notion of long-lasting well-being; 3) including the greater community; and 4) the model’s process of learn, experience, reflect, and repeat, a reminder that all learning takes effort and practice. This process is supported by current mindfulness and well-being research, specifically as it relates to higher education.

Key challenges and opportunities around wellbeing for distance learning students: the online law school experience

ABSTRACT The wellbeing of students in higher education generally, and law students, in particular, has become an area of increasing concern in recent years. Despite the growing interest in the area, empirical work on the wellbeing of distance learning law students remains sparse. This paper builds on previous studies around wellbeing in higher education, especially in relation to law schools, by reporting on the findings of a series of focus groups conducted with distance learning law students at The Open University. Its aim was to explore participants’ perceptions of how studying law had impacted their wellbeing. Its findings indicate that participants viewed the online distance-learning nature of their studies as having the most significant impact on their wellbeing, generating a range of practical and psycho-social implications. Although issues specific to the law as a discipline were raised, it appeared to be the mode of delivery, not the subject content, that was of primary relevance. This exploratory study is particularly salient at this time when law schools across the globe have been forced to perform an ‘online pivot’, with many now also considering expanding their long-term online offerings. The paper concludes by considering the ways in which the results of this study could usefully inform future wellbeing initiatives within online legal education.

Mindfulness, self-compassion, resiliency and wellbeing in higher education: a recipe to increase academic performance

ABSTRACT Universities are facing a difficult challenge in supporting good mental health whilst striving to enhance academic performance. The present study aimed to specifically investigate the relationship between attitudinal and personality constructs that are associated with wellbeing and to explore their association with student academic outcomes. Two-hundred and six undergraduate students were recruited and were given questionnaires measuring mindfulness, self-compassion, resiliency, procrastination, consideration of future consequences, self-criticism and social comparison. At the end of the academic year, the researchers accessed their academic records and documented their academic performance. Results indicated that there are strong, clear associations between better academic performance and higher resiliency, mindfulness, self-compassion and consideration of future consequences, and negative associations to procrastination. We concluded that there is a clear gain to be had in academic performance through enhancing these elements using appropriate interventions which are user friendly, affordable and can be embedded into existing student learning and support to reinforce adaptive coping and life skills.

Investigating leadership and employee well-being in higher education

PurposeThis article aims to understand the underlying mechanisms through which transformational leadership influences employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Specifically, the study explores the mediation role of employee well-being on the relationships between leadership and both employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a quantitative research method, data were collected from 280 academics and professional staff from an Australian regional university. The Mplus software was used for data analysis.FindingsThe results showed that transformational leadership had significant positive impact on employee well-being and job satisfaction while it alleviated employee turnover intentions. Furthermore, employee well-being mediated the effect of transformational leadership on employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was cross-sectional, and data were collected from a convenient sample and therefore minimises our ability to generalise the findings to other contexts.Practical implicationsEffective leadership, employee well-being, job satisfaction and employee turnover are of strategic importance in the higher education sector in Australia and internationally. These findings will therefore provide a basis for university policy makers to craft relevant policies that promote effective leader behaviours and enhance employee well-being as they facilitate employee job satisfaction and minimise turnover intentions among higher education sector employees (i.e. academics and professional staff).Originality/valueOur study provides a unique contribution to knowledge as it explains the mediation effect of employee well-being on the relation between transformational leadership a, job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Empowering the voices and agency of Indigenous Australian youth and their wellbeing in higher education✰

Despite wellbeing being critical for individuals and communities to thrive in life and succeed in education, there is little research that investigates how Indigenous Australian youth attending universities conceptualise wellbeing. The purpose of this research was to empower the voices and agency of Indigenous youth attending higher education institutes to identify their construals of: the significance and nature of their wellbeing, the factors influencing their wellbeing, and the drivers and barriers to their wellbeing. Focus groups were undertaken with Indigenous youth (N=30) attending four Australian higher education institutions. The participants construed wellbeing as holistic, multidimensional, interconnected, collective, and subjective. Cultural identity, family and kinship, connection to Country, spirituality, having a sense of self, Indigenous student role models in higher education, and Indigenous staff support are facilitators of wellbeing. Factors such as racism and discrimination, lateral violence, non-culturally safe university spaces, family violence, “walking in two worlds”, and Indigenous community wellbeing when at risk, were identified as barriers to their wellbeing.

A multidimensional approach to motives for studying explains differences in student wellbeing: Validation of the motivational mindset model

Research on the joint effect of multiple motives for studying was recently given a push in a new direction with the introduction of the motivational mindset model. This model contributes to a better understanding of study success and student wellbeing in higher education. The aim of the present study is to further validate the newly developed model and the associated mindset classification tool. To this end, 662 first-year university students were classified in one of the four types of motivational mindset using the classification tool and three validation procedures were conducted through sense of purpose, study engagement, and students’ background characteristics in terms of gender and ethnicity. Both purpose and study engagement are central dimensions of student wellbeing and predictors of study success. The results show that (1) sense of purpose and study engagement differ across the four types of mindset, (2) students in the low- impact mindset show the least optimal pattern of study engagement and sense of purpose, (3) sense of purpose and study engagement are positively related and this relationship is consistent across mindsets, (4) overall differences in purpose and study engagement between gender and ethnic subgroups stem from one specific type of motivational mindset. The implications of these results are discussed as well as promising avenues for future research. This study provides further support for the value of the motivational mindset model and the usefulness of the mindset classification tool.

Health and Wellbeing in Higher Education: A Comparison of Music and Sport Students Through the Framework of Self Determination Theory.

Students in Higher Education report high levels of mental health issues and psychological distress. Paradoxical findings on performance-orientated students, such as athletes and musicians, suggest that the demands of highly skilled vocations may enhance wellbeing while being detrimental to physical and mental health. To provide timely and appropriate help, institutions need to understand what areas of health and wellbeing are compromised in different student groups. In this study, we compared performance-orientated (music and sport) students to other students and the general population on a selection of wellbeing (WHO5, PWS, and WEMWBS), mental and physical health (K10, SF12, and PHQ9), and trait measures (TIPI, LOT-R, and PCS). Through an online survey (N = 273), data were collected from bachelor and master students (n = 135 music, n = 67 sport, n = 71 controls). Students’ scores were compared to the general population, where norm values were available, and analyzed within and between groups. Multiple regression was performed to investigate trait measures as predictors of wellbeing. All groups scored significantly below population norms for wellbeing and mental health. One third were classed as having moderate to severe depression. Musicians scored higher openness to experience than athletes. While sport students showed a highly homogenous within-group profile, music students’ scores differed significantly across study courses (e.g., performance and composition). Predictors for wellbeing were: optimism and emotional stability (all students); additionally conscientiousness (sport and music); and perceived competence (music only). As expected, students reported more health and wellbeing issues than general population. Distinct profiles of wellbeing were apparent for performance-orientated students. Results are in line with Self Determination Theory and suggest the need for institutions to embed health and wellbeing into a ‘living curriculum’ to accommodate the needs of different student groups. The WHO5 emerged as a parsimonious yet sensitive measure for mental health and wellbeing in student populations.