Gallery Presentation International Positive Psychology Association 7th IPPA World Congress 2021

Enhancing dual students’ self-management competencies and wellbeing: Assessment of the requirements of an intervention and its evaluation (#302)

Saskia Pilger 1 , Natalie Gouasé 1 , Ottmar Braun 1
  1. University of Koblenz-Landau, Troisdorf, NRW, Germany

The demand for study programs allowing students to study and gather work experience at the same time is increasing. Students choose this study model in hope for better career chances, and companies invest in high potential students hoping to profit from their skills. However, dual students find themselves at a high level of stress and struggle balancing between work, academic and social life. Empirical research shows that this often leads to poor performance and mental health problems. Theory-based interventions to help people flourish and increase their self-management competencies have been evaluated. However, training concepts for the target group based on positive psychology are missing. Thus, the project “Study, work and stay positive” consisting of three studies has been initiated. In the first study, qualitative research regarding the design of a two-day training program was conducted. Five human resource experts and ten students were asked to specify their individual requirements concerning the intervention and to extend existing concepts based on positive psychology. The students were also asked to describe challenges and what they wish to learn to increase their self-management competencies and wellbeing. Their answers provide the basis for the design of the training program for dual students: It must include strategies of short-term stress release through relaxation techniques, theoretical inputs, interactive sessions and games, agility methods, music, and idea stations for transfer opportunities. The results will be discussed with regard to practicability. In the two future studies, the intervention concept will be formatively evaluated and examined in a field experiment.

  • Keywords: Business and Organizations, Career and Work, Strengths