Working together on student well-being

Since 2019, the Rehabilitation Professorship has been monitoring student well-being and the relationship with study success at Hanze every two years. The professorship has also developed programmes to offer students assistance and support in studying. Professor Jacomijn Hofstra and researcher Jorien van der Velde filled us in on the details.

Text: Bart Breman 

Professor Jacomijn Hofstra and senior researcher Jorien van der Velde work at the Rehabilitation Professorship, which focuses on promoting the social functioning of people who have problems participating in society. One of the spearheads is Guided Learning, by means of which the professorship supports young people with psychological, cognitive and/or psychosocial problems associated with studying or starting a study programme. 

Two studies

"In 2019, we wanted to develop a programme to help students strengthen their cognitive skills: planning, time management, that kind of thing," says Jorien Van der Velde. " That is why we started researching how mental health is related to those cognitive problems. This ultimately resulted in the survey that we will be conducting among all Hanze students from 2019 onwards." Jacomijn Hofstra adds: "From 2021, the Trimbos Institute will investigate student well-being throughout the Netherlands on a biannual basis. In our own research, we can do additional analyses and ask extensive questions, for example about study skills and progress, that are of interest to us. The Trimbos study does not focus on that."

The national Trimbos survey was carried out again this year. According to that study, the mental well-being of students has improved slightly. Jorien Van der Velde: "That's great, but when you look at the data, you can see that the improvement is mainly compared to 2021. It was the year the COVID pandemic broke out and a lot of people were not doing well. In 2023, there was an improvement, which has continued by a few percentage points this year."

"Through our own research, we still had data from 2019," Jorien Van der Velde continues. "In that year, the students were doing relatively well. A sharp decline followed in 2021. Then, in 2024, we also saw an improvement, but we were still far from the level attained in 2019. So we are very curious about the results of our own research, which we will conduct again next spring. Are we going to see the same thing as the Trimbos Institute or will there be a different result?"

A lot on their plate

The effects and aftermath of the corona pandemic still play a role in student well-being, says Jorien Van der Velde. "Young people who experienced the COVID pandemic as pupils or students have missed out on lots of things that they learn during that phase. Social skills such as making new contacts, but also cognitive skills such as learning how to plan your studies." 

Of course, not all complaints can be traced back to the pandemic. Nowadays, social media is often cited as an influential factor when it comes to well-being. The use of digital media within the programme can also cause problems. "All the information about your study programme and your results is online, but it is not always easy to find," explains Jorien Van der Velde. "This is also the case in secondary school, but during that time parents can still have a look and help them out. That is no longer possible. As a student, you suddenly have to rely on yourself a lot more."

Studying and learning to study means having a lot on your plate, says Jacomijn Hofstra. "And if you have mental problems, even more is added to that plate. Students with mental health problems therefore encounter obstacles in terms of study skills. It is important to pay focused attention to this group of students, so that they can continue their studies with confidence and complete them successfully."

Successful programmes and methodologies

This focused attention is given in the various programmes that the professorship is developing on the basis of the research results. Hofstra: "We have developed the Move aHead! methodology, which helps students train their cognitive skills. The Heads-Up project focuses on tackling mental health literacy and EAST (Loneliness Approach for Students) offers students an accessible way to start a conversation about loneliness."

Researching student well-being and developing programmes with specific goals based on the results is bearing fruit. "The evaluation of Move aHead! showed that after following the programme, students have more tools for their studies and experience less stress. So working on your cognitive skills has an effect on your well-being," says Jorien Van der Velde. 

The success of the programmes is not limited to Hanze. "We have received funding from the Social Agenda of Nij Begun to further implement the Move aHead! programme," says Jacomijn Hofstra. "And not only at Hanze, but also at the University of Groningen and the MBOs (secondary vocational education) in Groningen. And we can also offer the other programmes we have developed more widely among students in Groningen. Training courses for education professionals in the various methodologies will start (again) soon."

Where can you go?

Hanze pays a lot of attention to student well-being. Yet you can always run into problems. In that case, there are the following options.

• Student counsellor: your student counsellor is your personal counsellor during your studies. You can ask him or her questions about your studies, but also about personal issues.
• Support advisor: If you need extra guidance due to special circumstances or illness, you can contact the support advisor. The support officer has specialist knowledge and more time to guide you.

• Hanze Student Support: via Hanze Student Support you can contact the student counsellor, who can advise you on matters related to your studies or personal circumstances. The student counsellor has a great deal of knowledge of rules and procedures. Together you can look for solutions both wihin and outside Hanze University of Applied Sciences.
  If you are experiencing mental health problems, you can talk to the student psychologist. In a number of sessions, you will see together whether you can gain new insights and continue your studies. Hanze Student Support also offers various training courses, some of which have been developed by the Professorship Rehabilitation.