Author/s:
Lin, Mei-Chin
Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan (041463@mail.fju.edu.tw)
Pan, Chin-Te
Center of Teacher Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan (017389@mail.fju.edu.tw)
Ching, Gregory S.*
Graduate Institute of Educational Leadership and Development, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan (gregory_ching@yahoo.com; 094478@mail.fju.edu.tw)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9148-0019
Abstract:
University life of today is full of challenges. News of school involved bad incidents has all become too common. In Taiwan, students are also faced with many pressures and problems. Problems such as academic stress, future job uncertainty, and interpersonal relationships are just some of the interrelated complications easily found in universities. To address this issue, the current mixed-method study uses a series of focus group sessions in order to solicit the various issues surrounding students’ day to day in-campus life challenges and their corresponding coping strategies. A survey questionnaire was then formulated from the results of the focus group sessions. A total of 123 valid surveys were collected. Data collected were analyzed together with their corresponding demographical backgrounds such as: gender, year level of study, place of living, working or non-working students, and course of study. Results show that the common students’ related complications are health problems, future career issues, lessons and examinations, learning difficulties, self-efficacy issues, interpersonal difficulties, time management, and stress causing issues. Statistical analyses were accomplished resulting to significant students’ school problems determining background factors such as students’ course of study, gender, working or non-working students, and place of living. While no significant differences were found on the common students’ coping strategies. Lastly, there seems to be a high correlation between the students’ problems and coping strategies within the stress causing issues, suggesting that stress related issues to be the root cause of major complications for university students in Taiwan.
Keywords: college students’ problems; coping strategies; students’ attitude and behavior; stress; time management
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2014.717
*Corresponding Author