Academic Stress among University Students: The Necessity of On-Campus Student Support Structures. The case of Pomor State University in Arkhangelsk.
Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis analyses the responsiveness of Russian higher education to the need of maintaining students’ mental health on campus. The main focus of the study is the support structures established at Pomor State University in Arkhangelsk and the way they help students, pursuing higher education, alleviate excessive academic stress. In addition, one of the aims of the current study is to explore the possibility of introducing at the Russian university student support structures similar to those at the University of Oslo, Norway.\nSeveral qualitative interviews were carried out for this study comprising three different groups of stakeholders at the Russian university: the students of the faculty of foreign languages, the faculty administration and the university administration. The findings of the fieldwork were subsequently analyzed based on the two different theoretical perspectives: the psychological approach which emphasises the importance of the individual psychological framework of the student for analyzing their subjective experience at the university, and the approach which places the concept of power into the centre of institutional practices influencing students’ higher education experience.\nUsing these two theoretical perspectives helps to highlight the importance of looking at the problem of academic stress among Russian students from different angles. On the one hand, no one can deny the importance and relevance of the successful functioning of psychological counseling on higher education campus; on the other hand, efforts should be made to change the whole teaching and learning culture at Pomor State University in order to facilitate students’ psychological wellness and create a collaborative learning and teaching atmosphere both for students and academics.\nIn addition, the thesis concludes that it would be hard to introduce at Pomor State University student supports structures that exist at the University of Oslo due to several reasons: financial constraints, lack of managerial positions, as well as, time constrains due to the particular amount of hours allocated to the academic practices at the Russian university. Moreover, the Russian mentality as such, together with common prejudices against seeking professional psychological help, can create barriers for helping college students in Russia overcome excessive levels of academic stress.
Author: Elena Ivakhnova
Language: English
Topic: Student Stress and Coping
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2254040342