Psychological Determinants of Adaptability at the University in First-Year Students of the Faculty of Medicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
university adaptability
information and communication technologies
university students
learning motivation
learning strategies
life satisfaction
neuropsychic adaptation
anxiety
medical education

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction. The successful adaptation of university students determines their participation in educational activities, their effectiveness, and a positive attitude toward the chosen profession. The novelty of the research is to study the adaptability of students in the transition to new, often unusual, forms of education (online, distance) against the backdrop of an increase in the general level of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such difficulties significantly affected students of medical specialities, the development of which implies the formation of competencies in practical activities. Methods. The study involved students of medical (N = 93) and economic (control group, N = 111) faculties. The following methods were used: “Method of Research of Students Adaptability in the Higher Educational Establishment” by T. D. Dubovitskaya, A. V. Krylova, “The Satisfaction with Life Scale” by E. Diener, “Test of neuropsychic adaptation” by I. N. Gurvich, “Educational strategies” by S. N. Kostromina, T. A. Dvornikova, “Students’ educational motivation diagnostic inventory” by N. C. Badmaeva, “The Big Five Inventory” adapted by D. P. Yanichev, “The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)” adapted by A. P. Bizyuk et al. (Part 2). Results and Discussion. The psychological characteristics of the Faculty of Medicine first-year students, contributing to the adaptability at the university during the COVID-19 pandemic, include a high level of extraversion, willingness to cooperate, the presence of professional motives for learning and motivation to achieve success, a high level of neuropsychic adaptation, orientation to memorizing educational material and a disinclination to planning educational activities. For students of the Faculty of Economics, such predictors were a great life satisfaction, a high level of extraversion, a low level of anxiety, motives for creative self–realization and a desire for planning in training. Students of the Faculty of Medicine with a high level of adaptability, in comparison with highly adapted students of the Faculty of Economics, have more pronounced professional motives and more often resort to the strategy of repeating educational material. Such differences may be due to both the peculiarities of the organization of the educational process and the specifics of the chosen speciality.

https://doi.org/10.21702/rpj.2022.3.6
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PDF (Russian)

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