When the going gets tough:
Developing Emotional Resilience in
First Year Students
Sue Morgan
Senior Lecturer and Clinical Placement Coordinator
in Diagnostic Radiography
http://padlet.com/sue_morgan/resilience
Before we begin...
• http://padlet.com/sue_morgan/resilience
Why this session?
Diagnostic Radiography at BCU
• Faculty of Health, Education & Life Sciences
• 118 DR students per intake
• 50/50 spilt of clinical placement and academic
• Elongated academic year – 42 weeks
• Placement – 34.5 hours per week
• Academic – approx 20 hours per week
• No tuition fees; means tested bursary
Diagnostic Radiography Students
• 75% mature
• 46% ethnic minority
• 92% non-traditional entry qualifications
• 58% female / 42% male
Why resilience?
• Increasing number of students apparently unable
to cope with demands of programme
• Anecdotally affecting attrition and success
• Placement appeared to be main problem
• In reality placement not sole issue
• “Being a student is difficult.....”
• Not all students
• Spread across different “types” of students
What is resilience?
• Complex, multifaceted (Grant & Kinman, 2013)
• Ability to adapt / bounce back
• Survive and function in adversity
• Educational vs. socio-emotional resilience (Walker
et al, 2006)
• Is it a trait or can it be taught?
Can we spot a resilient student?
Can we spot a resilient student?
Thrive, survive (or going under...)
Student A
40 yr old, white♀
Access course, 3 children
Single parent
Lives 35 from university
Was a shop assistant
Student B
20 yr old; white ♂
Living in accommodation
10 miles to placement
A-levels. Good grades
Part time job
Student C
19 yr old; British Asian ♂
Lives with parents; 5 miles
to university; 20 miles to
placement; BTEC straight
from school
Part time job
Student D
29 yr old; Black African ♀
2 children; has husband
Access course
Lives 2 miles from university
Part time job
How is resilience measured?
Helping students to become more
resilient.....
• ABCs
• Self-awareness
• Relaxation
• Worst case scenario
• SuperBetter
dversity
elief
onsequence
Self-awareness
•Self awareness is key to emotional resilience
•What qualities make me feel good about myself?
•What can I offer the world around me?
•What is my own definition of happiness?
•What value do you put on yourself?
Internal attributes
Factors which lead to
positive change & outcomes
Strengths
Weaknesses
•
•
•
•
• What do you struggle
with?
• What do you need to
improve?
• What do you avoid?
What are you good at?
What do you do well?
What are you proud of?
What previous skills/
knowledge/experience
do you have?
Opportunities
External attributes
Factors which may
compromise development
Challenges
• What support network do • What external pressures
you have?
may affect you?
• How is this course
• Who/what may get in
changing your life?
your way?
An Oak or A Palm?
Relaxation.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbNZ1pi2Us8
Worst case scenario – putting it in
perspective
Control…
• Perceiving to be in control is a good predictor of
coping with stressful events (Funk 1992)
SuperBetter
• A tool / game designed to strengthen emotional,
physical, social and mental resilience
• Available as app or via web:
• http://www.superbetter.com/
• Basic principles can be demonstrated to students…
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_the_game_th
at_can_give_you_10_extra_years_of_life
Physical resilience
• If you can move one part of your body for one
minute every hour that you’re awake your physical
resilience will improve!
Mental resilience
• If you complete one small mental challenge every
day without giving up you will increase metal focus
and determination
Emotional resilience
• If you can do three tiny things a day that make you
feel good and provoke positive emotion you will
improve your emotional resilience!
Social resilience
• Touch and gratitude are just two ways to strengthen
your social connections. If you can reach out to one
person a day, online or face to face you will improve
your social resilience!
To summarise
• Being a first year student is hard
• There are many challenges in transition
• Students have to develop their own resilience
• We can give them the tools to achieve this
• Sue.morgan@bcu.ac.uk
References
• Funk, S.C. (1995) Hardiness: a review of theory and
research. Health Psycology 11(5), 335-45.
• Grant, L. and Kinman, G. (2014) Emotional Resilience in
the Helping Professions and how it can be Enhanced.
Health and Social Care Education 3(1), 23-34.
• Walker, C. Gleaves, A. & Grey, J. (2006) Can students
within higher education learn to be resilient and,
educationally speaking, does it matter? Educational
Studies 32(3), 251-264.