Abstract
Emotional distress, mental disorders and other psychological issues of undergraduate students can be triggered by various challenges from academic and non-academic dimensions in university life, which substantially influence students’ wellbeing and academic performance. Abrupt changes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, hinder a usual transition from home to university by putting more pressure on student journeys. Based on a strength-based approach, previous studies in the higher education literature have demonstrated that resilience plays an important role in shaping student journeys through its influence on students’ wellbeing, academic success, and employability.
This thesis contributes to the extant literature on higher education and higher education marketing by (1) providing a roadmap for understanding student experience from a holistic view, (2) delineating the emerging phenomenon of student resilience throughout student journeys, and (3) theorizing the process by which this focal construct emerges through students’ real-life experiences within the bioecological systems in university life. To achieve these objectives, this thesis examined the notion of student experience from the lens of marketing and customer journeys. A synthesis of transdisciplinary literature streams in psychology, higher education, and marketing was conducted to reconceptualize the construct of student resilience, in which different concepts relevant to this phenomenon, namely risk factors, protective resources, adaptive behaviours, and positive outcomes, were discussed in an educational setting. Adopting a resilience framework, this thesis proposes a theoretical model to illustrate the process of building student resilience throughout student journeys, drawing upon the bioecological theory of human development and the social styles matrix.
Empirical research was conducted at two universities in New Zealand using interpretative phenomenological analysis inquiry from the psychology discipline to answer two main research questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of undergraduate students in the face of adversities during their university life? and (2) How do undergraduate students perceive resilience building given their past adversities? More specifically, this thesis captured the lived experiences of third- and final-year undergraduate students in the face of hardship during their student journeys in New Zealand. By interpreting university students’ narratives on their given adversities, this research project examined real-life experiences and a range of support mechanisms within the bioecological systems to be involved in building resilience. Additionally, students’ stories helped to uncover the meaning of resilience and the process of cultivating resilience from their perspectives.
Seven themes and 24 sub-themes emerged from data analysis with inductive and deductive approaches. They include (1) Roller-coaster academic journey, (2) Young adulthood with ups and downs, (3) Unusual experience with the pandemic, (4) Bioecological support systems, (5) Transformative process, (6) Better self, and (7) Resilience building. The first three themes represent the existence of undergraduate students at university with both positive and negative connotations that add to shaping the context for the transformative experience, where students transform themselves and build resilience in university life. Wellbeing, enhancement of resourcefulness and resilience cultivation emerge during this transformative process within a variety of support mechanisms.
The insights of this research offer theoretical contributions to student experience and student resilience, taking a holistic picture of real-life experiences, and proposing a definition of student resilience in higher education. The study also provides universities with referential frameworks, drawn from scientific enquiry, on how undergraduate students are involved in their university life to cultivate resilience. A connection between student resilience and wellbeing was modelled to showcase how to sustain wellbeing during the student journey within the bioecological support mechanisms.
The insights and knowledge offered through this research add to building a bridge between research and practice. Understanding students’ pain points underpinned by real-life experiences from a holistic view helps universities’ marketing managers build a brand reputation based on service quality by improving student experiences at various touchpoints. The portrayal of the bioecological support systems can guide universities’ student support managers to design better support services. Ultimately, university policymakers can enrich students’ wellbeing support mechanisms by working closely with different stakeholders to enhance student resilience.