Exploring the Wellbeing Landscape of a University in New Zealand: The Staff Perspective

Abstract

<p><strong>The mental health and wellbeing of students in universities around the world has become a subject of frequent and intense discussion in recent years, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a distinct movement both within academia and in wider public discourse has been critical of changes in education concerning freedom of speech, risk aversion, and understandings of mental health and wellbeing. To date, little research has explored the university staff perspective, not only on student wellbeing, but also in relation to these critical perspectives. This thesis attempts to address this gap by gaining the perspectives of staff at Victoria University of Wellington, using 15 semi-structured interviews (3 health services staff and 12 teaching staff). The thematic analysis has been divided into 3 chapters: staff perspective on critical viewpoints, staff perspective on their pastoral care role, and staff perception of the state of student wellbeing, followed by a discussion of the main findings. Overall, staff perspectives on student wellbeing were found to be complex and varied. Staff communicated some concerns over risk-aversion and censorship, while also adopting a new hyper-lenient approach to coursework accommodations. They almost unanimously reject the categorization of modern students as “snowflakes”, and they also reject any loss to academic integrity or knowledge production capacity as a result of prioritizing student wellbeing. While staff perceive a general decline in student wellbeing caused by multiple factors, evidence is lacking for the perception of a ‘crisis’, and most staff do not seem to desire changes to their pastoral care duties. These findings are discussed in relation to various critical perspectives on modern education and therapeutic discourses, and the implications for the university and higher education in general.</strong></p>