Students’ perception of the physical activity that they use to reduce stress during studies and keep mind-body balance

• In Event: Rethinking education: diversity, mindfulness, and movement

Proposal

Purpose
The purpose of this pilot study is to explore how students perceive physical activities that they use to reduce stress and keep mind-body balance. There has been preliminary research done by Gustems-Carnicer et al (2013) who believed that coping strategies play key role in psychological well-being of the students. Also, physical activity is often associated with stress-management (Nguyen-Michel, 2006; Simplicio et al 1995). Current study will help to specifically look at the perception of physical activities by students who study at ASU and will shed light on the change (if any) they perceive before, during and after they complete their physical activity to reduce education-related stress.
Sample
The final study sample will include ASU students who use physical activities to reduce education-related stress. Physical activity is defined as the performance of some activity in order to develop or maintain physical fitness and overall health. Students will be selected based on their experience of using physical activities to reduce education-related stress. Key selection criteria is that students should perform their physical activity at least twice a week. Five students will participate in the project. There is no limitation on what part of the world a student comes from, their religious beliefs, gender, race etc. All students will be above 18 and able to consent.
Methods
Data will be collected through 1) soundscapes (Gerschon, 2018) and 2) photoelicitation interviews. 1) During the initial stage soundscape data will be collected: participants will be asked to self-record their performance of physical activity using a regular phone recorder to capture the sounds of the activity and of the setting (60 mins). Right after they are done with the recording of the activity itself – they’ll be asked to self-record their reflections on the process of physical activity, their perceptions of change (if any) and how they feel after the exercising (15 mins). Such method in data collection helps to explore how sounds of all kinds that are audiotaped are part and parcel of how people make sense of their worlds and how they constitute their identities. Such approach helps to listen to “people talk, the sounds that surrounded and contextualized their talk, and the tone and tenor of conversations” (Gershon, 2018, p. 128). 2) The follow up will include 60 mins photoelicitation walking interview to clarify vague aspects of the recordings and fill in the gaps in the participants’ self-reflections, and to ensure that all the stories are interpreted in a way that reflects participants true feelings and vision. Each interview will be recorded with a Tascam DR-07 Audio Recorder. For the photoelicitation interviews participants will bring with them and reflect on the images and photographs that resonate the most with their experiences reflecting how they felt before the physical activity, during and after. Participants will choose photographs and images themselves, as photographs “prompt memories or comments from informants in the course of an interview” (Bawes, 2007, p.60). Also, “vague memories can be given sharpness and focus, unleashing a flood of detail” (Bawes, 2007, p. 65). Moreover, according to Bawes (2007), interviewee feels less pressure on the side of the interviewer as there is a point of reference (that of photographs or images) and all the attention during the interview is shifted to those rather than being directed at the interviewee. All the images and photographs will later be included into the study final report with the consent of the participants. Such form of interviewing allows participants reflect and comment on their experiences and emotions through self-selected photos, images and other visual materials. It reduces uncomfortable silence as attention is directed at the photographs and images. Since data collection process is more of a reflective conversation and associative process of interpreting self-selected images, it is expected to have more of a healing effect through creative conversations for the participants rather than create an emotional disbalance.

Author

• Mariia Vitrukh, Arizona State University