Tiltas tarp dviejų mokyklų: laisvų nuo studijų metų patyrimas tarp jaunų žmonių /

Introduction: A gap year is a not uncommon break between secondary and higher education for graduates. Although the phenomenon is becoming increasingly popular (Crawford & Cribb, 2012), it has not been studied in the field of psychology in Lithuania. Existing research reveals that gap year contributes to better adjustment to change and failure, higher academic motivation (Rashid & Kibble, 2021), higher emotional intelligence scores (Shahid & Adams, 2020), and autonomy (Mouraz & Araujo, 2017). However, little is known about how young people feel about the challenges they experience during the gap year. Aim of the study: This study aims to uncover and describe young people's experiences during their gap year. Methodology. 8 serial interviews were conducted with 4 young people during their gap year, chosen immediately after leaving school. The age of the participants was 19 years, 3 of the 5 identified as female, 1 as male and 1 as non-binary. Results: Firstly, during the years free from studies, young people feel a sense of inner coherence stemming from a positive emotional well-being, a nurturing connection with themselves and a sense of unity with their homeland. Secondly, the experience of the gap year is emotionally more difficult than expected: adaptive stress, disappointment at the discrepancy between expectations and reality, a frustrating quest for experiences and a sense of loneliness. Discussion: Some of the results confirm the findings of existing studies (Pivoriūtė, 2024; Mouraz & Araujo, 2017). Other findings - unity with the homeland, adaptive stress, frustration with the discrepancy between expectations and reality and frustrating pursuit of experiences - are new findings in the field of gap year research.

Grantor dc:publisher

Institutional Repository of Vilnius University

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Žuromskaitė, Lukrecija,

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

lit

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.vu.lt/VU:ELABAETD210642819&prefLang=en_US

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vu.lt:elaba:210642819