The Academic Experience in the Context of the Psychosocial Adaptation Process to University Studies: A Qualitative Research Conducted Among First-Year University Students During the Confinement of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This qualitative study focused on the academic experience of first-year students in Québec universities during the COVID-19 confinement. Transitioning to university studies requires a psychosocial adaptation process, which can facilitate the academic experience. With the rise of COVID-19 in March 2020, confinement was mandatory, leaving students to study from home without any social adaptation, which may result in academic challenges. Following the psychosocial adaptation process to university studies and a phenomenological methodology, this research will study which strategies were used by the ten participants to meet the university academic demands in the COVID-19 confinement context, which coping skills were used, and what worked.