The perceived well-being of undergraduate students in an open and distance learning context

Abstract

Well-being derives from positive psychology and refers to personal subjective evaluations across a continuum of life domains, including education. However, there remains limited knowledge regarding undergraduate students' well-being in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) context, especially with the global massification of ODL systems due to the COVID-19 impact. My study sought to understand and explain how undergraduate students’ perceived well-being contributes to adaptive functioning in an ODL context. I used the Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Accomplishment (PERMA) theoretical model of well-being in conjunction with the self-determination meta theory of the three psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) to investigate the phenomenon. The two theories intersect and provide a basis for understanding undergraduate students’ well-being and psychological needs enabling intrinsic motivation, wellness, and perceived well-being.

My study applied a sequential explanatory research design to investigate the perceived well-being of undergraduate students in an open university context in sub-Saharan Africa. Data were collected through survey research and seven focus groups. For the quantitative design phase, I collected data from a population of undergraduate students using the simple random sampling technique to select respondents (n = 215). I purposively chose participants (n = 35) from the original quantitative sample for the qualitative focus group interviews phase. I analysed the quantitative data through descriptive and inferential statistics. I thematically analysed the qualitative data by using ATLAS.ti.

The PERMA scale was reliable and valid for all its domains in the population from the current study, and it met the trustworthiness conditions. Quantitative results indicate that undergraduate students with higher qualifications experience meaningfully higher well-being in terms of positive emotions, engagement, meaning and achievement. There were no differences in terms of relationships or gender, but statistically significant differences between three annual cohorts of students. In the qualitative findings, ‘Positive resonance’ and ‘Quality connections’ emerged across all five PERMA domains as sub-themes. The findings suggest that learning in an ODL model is simultaneously independent and reliant on support from significant others. Achievement is typically intrinsically motivated, producing positive emotions and meaning over time.