Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic declared on March 11th, 2020, has had a substantial impact on the lives of all over the world. The student population, being one of the most vulnerable and substile ones, was forced to face specific unexpected circumstances for the first time in their lives. Object...

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Main Authors: Ivana M. Milovanović, Radenko M. Matić, Brigita Banjac, Saša Pišot
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University 2024-09-01
Series:Psychology in Russia: State of Art
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Online Access:https://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/index.php?article=12592
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author Ivana M. Milovanović
Radenko M. Matić
Brigita Banjac
Saša Pišot
author_facet Ivana M. Milovanović
Radenko M. Matić
Brigita Banjac
Saša Pišot
author_sort Ivana M. Milovanović
collection DOAJ
description Background. The COVID-19 pandemic declared on March 11th, 2020, has had a substantial impact on the lives of all over the world. The student population, being one of the most vulnerable and substile ones, was forced to face specific unexpected circumstances for the first time in their lives. Objective. In this paper, the authors explored the reflections of the COVID-19 experience and basic segments of everyday life of university students after the first academic year under pandemic measures and a follow-up year with their subjective perception of to what extent their lives have changed and how they were able to adapt to COVID-19 emergency measures. Design. The field research was conducted among students in two European countries: Slovenia and Serbia. The qualitative semi-structured interviews with students (N=20, 50% male) were executed in June-July 2020 and June-July 2021. Results. The basic segments of students' daily lives underwent significant changes, yet they successfully coped and adapted to the COVID-19 emergency measures. Notably, improvements were observed in study strategies, reducing fear and loneliness. Above all, the primary longing was for social contact and gathering with friends. In their private lives, they were more concerned about opportunities but on the other hand, they gained more free time for various non-academic activities. Finally, sports science students have proven better-coping mechanisms with extraordinary circumstances. Conclusion. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the changes in the daily lives of students during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-e3e8fdf59c4e43a09656f0fadfddba9e2024-11-10T14:27:01ZengM.V. Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityPsychology in Russia: State of Art2074-68572307-22022024-09-01173223510.11621/pir.2024.0302Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic Ivana M. Milovanović0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9724-3495Radenko M. Matić1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3059-2719Brigita Banjac 2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8860-4866Saša Pišot3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7597-8105University of Novi Sad, SerbiaUniversity of Novi Sad, SerbiaUniversity of Novi Sad, SerbiaInstitute for Kinesiology Research, Science and Research Centre Koper, Koper, SloveniaBackground. The COVID-19 pandemic declared on March 11th, 2020, has had a substantial impact on the lives of all over the world. The student population, being one of the most vulnerable and substile ones, was forced to face specific unexpected circumstances for the first time in their lives. Objective. In this paper, the authors explored the reflections of the COVID-19 experience and basic segments of everyday life of university students after the first academic year under pandemic measures and a follow-up year with their subjective perception of to what extent their lives have changed and how they were able to adapt to COVID-19 emergency measures. Design. The field research was conducted among students in two European countries: Slovenia and Serbia. The qualitative semi-structured interviews with students (N=20, 50% male) were executed in June-July 2020 and June-July 2021. Results. The basic segments of students' daily lives underwent significant changes, yet they successfully coped and adapted to the COVID-19 emergency measures. Notably, improvements were observed in study strategies, reducing fear and loneliness. Above all, the primary longing was for social contact and gathering with friends. In their private lives, they were more concerned about opportunities but on the other hand, they gained more free time for various non-academic activities. Finally, sports science students have proven better-coping mechanisms with extraordinary circumstances. Conclusion. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the changes in the daily lives of students during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. https://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/index.php?article=12592studentseveryday practicee-learningperspective of the futurefearlonelinesscovid-19 pandemic measurespublic health
spellingShingle Ivana M. Milovanović
Radenko M. Matić
Brigita Banjac
Saša Pišot
Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
Psychology in Russia: State of Art
students
everyday practice
e-learning
perspective of the future
fear
loneliness
covid-19 pandemic measures
public health
title Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
title_fullStr Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
title_short Winners or Losers? Two Academic Years in Experiences of COVID-19 Pandemic
title_sort winners or losers two academic years in experiences of covid 19 pandemic
topic students
everyday practice
e-learning
perspective of the future
fear
loneliness
covid-19 pandemic measures
public health
url https://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/index.php?article=12592
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AT brigitabanjac winnersorloserstwoacademicyearsinexperiencesofcovid19pandemic
AT sasapisot winnersorloserstwoacademicyearsinexperiencesofcovid19pandemic