PSY115 - Developing a Research Question Assessment 3 

Research Question:

What are the lived experiences of university students coping with academic stress during their final year of study?

Study Aim(s):
The study aims to explore the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural responses of final-year university students to academic stress, and to understand how they make sense of and manage their stress in a university context.

Short Answer Question Two – Qualitative Data Collection 

To address the above research question, I will adopt a phenomenological approach, grounded in a constructivist epistemology. Constructivism assumes that individuals construct meaning from their experiences, making it ideal for understanding how students perceive and cope with academic stress. Phenomenology focuses on exploring lived experiences and is aligned with the study’s goal to understand students' subjective realities.

This methodological approach allows for a deep exploration of how participants experience academic stress in their final year, without imposing pre-existing theoretical frameworks. It supports open-ended inquiry into meaning-making and personal interpretation, which is essential for uncovering complex emotional and cognitive processes.

For data collection, I will use semi-structured interviews. This method balances structure with flexibility, allowing me to ask core questions while also following up on participant-specific responses. Semi-structured interviews are particularly suitable for exploring experiences in depth, as they provide space for participants to express their thoughts, feelings, and coping strategies in their own words.

The interviews will be conducted one-on-one, either in person or via a secure video platform, and will be audio-recorded with consent. Questions will focus on students’ perceptions of academic stress, how it affects their daily life, their coping mechanisms, and the support systems they rely on.

This qualitative data collection method is appropriate because it encourages participants to reflect deeply, aligning with the constructivist assumption that knowledge is co-constructed through dialogue. It also aligns with phenomenology’s emphasis on detailed personal narratives and first-person accounts. The insights gained from the interviews will be rich and descriptive, offering meaningful interpretations of the emotional and psychological dimensions of academic stress.

Short Answer Question Three – Data Analysis 

The data collected through semi-structured interviews will be analysed using thematic analysis, guided by the constructivist-phenomenological approach outlined earlier. Thematic analysis allows for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of recurring patterns or themes within qualitative data. This method is flexible yet rigorous and aligns well with a phenomenological emphasis on lived experience.

From an epistemological standpoint, constructivism encourages researchers to acknowledge their role in interpreting data and co-constructing meaning with participants. Therefore, reflexivity will be central throughout the analysis process. I will actively reflect on my assumptions and biases, using a research journal to document reflections and ensure transparency.

The analysis will involve familiarisation with the data, generating initial codes, and identifying themes related to how students experience and manage academic stress. Coding will be both inductive (emerging from the data) and deductive (informed by the study’s aim). Special attention will be given to emotional language, coping strategies, and contextual factors highlighted by participants.

By focusing on participants' descriptions and meaning-making processes, thematic analysis will allow me to construct a nuanced understanding of their academic stress experiences, consistent with the chosen epistemology and methodology.