School of Law and Social Sciences

Student awareness of available support services offered at university

girl on a mountain looking at the sun rise

The transition to university can be an anxious time for students, the aftermath of remote working has exacerbated these feelings of uncertainty and unhappiness (Watermeyer et al. 2021).

Award

MRes | MPhil | PhD | MSc by Research

Start Date

Usually February and October - at individual School's discretion

Research Opportunities

Summary

Working online has increased issues of isolation, often limited interaction and engagement with course and fellow students, and increased mental health concerns (Elmer, Mepham and Stadtfeld 2020; Walker and Koralesky, 2021; Elmer et al. 2020; Sahu 2020)

While RGU has excellent academic and wellbeing resources, students may not be willing or able to access these (Goodwin et al. 2016). This study aims to explore how aware the students are support resources available, barriers that may stop them from accessing them, and other aspects of how the transition to higher education can be improved.

References

ELMER, T., MEPHAM, K. and STADTFELD, C., 2020 Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PLoS ONE, 15(7), e0236337.
GOODWIN, J. et al., 2016. Help-seeking behaviors and mental well-being of first year undergraduate university students. Psychiatry Research, 246, pp.129-135.
SAHU, P., 2020. Closure of Universities Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on Education and Mental Health of Students and Academic Staff. Cureus, 12(4), e7541.
WATERMEYER, R. et al., 2021. COVID-19 and digital disruption in UK universities: Afflictions and affordances of emergency online migration. Higher Education, 81, pp. 623-641.